We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. To link to this article in the text of an online publication, please use this URL: https://historycooperative.org/the-battle-of-marathon/. https://www.thoughtco.com/persian-wars-battle-of-marathon-p2-2360876 (accessed May 1, 2023). Athenians led a small group of Greek coalition forces to victory iPhone History: A Timeline of Every Model in Order If the Persian army made it to the city, they would be able to block whatever might remain of the Greek army from returning to defend it, and Athens had no remaining soldiers left within. The answer lies in part with the failure of the first Greco-Persian war, a decade earlier, which ended in the Persian defeat at the Battle of Marathon (now famous for the race that bears its name). Every hoplite carried a wooden shield, called a hoplon, with an outer layer made from bronze. The Athenians also famously used day runners to send messages asking for help. Kennedy Hickman is a historian, museum director, and curator who specializes in military and naval history. Around fifty years before this time, the Persians, centered in the south of modern-day Iran, had rapidly expanded their territories to include Ionia, a small area on the western coast of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) that was originally settled by Greek colonists. The outnumbered Athenians famously defeated the Persian armies on the beach of Marathon, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Athens. Moving a brisk pace, possibly a run, the Greeks advanced across the plain towards the Persian camp. But, in late 486 B.C., only a handful of years after Marathon, he became seriously ill. Upon receiving the answer, he swore vengeance upon them, commanding one of his attendants to say to him, three times every day before he sat down to his dinner, Master, remember the Athenians.. But he took no time to mourn. The Greeks had long been terrified of the Persian army, and even without the cavalry, their enemy still heavily outnumbered them. This is, in very large part, due to the skill of arms of the Greeks who fought and won their victory at Marathon. As panic spread in the Persian ranks, their lines began to break and they fled back to their ships. In what year did the Battle of on the seaside Grecian plain of Marathon. Although the Persian tactic of rapidly firing vast numbers of arrows into the enemy must have been an awesome sight, the lightness of the arrows meant that they were largely ineffective against the bronze-armoured hoplites. This may have been due to the Persian's tendency to place inferior troops on their flanks. The Athenian and Plataean dead of Marathon were buried on the battlefield in two tumuli. All rights reserved. The Spartan army couldnt possibly assemble and provide Athens the aid they requested for another ten days. In 490 BCE Greek forces led by Athens met the Persians in battle at Marathon and defeated the invaders. With their position now seemingly hopeless, and before their retreat was cut off completely, the bulk of the Greek forces were ordered to withdraw by Leonidas. Desperation can be a powerful motivator. Athens had been spared the revenge of Darius, though the Persian king was far from finished. Instead, he turned around and made the incredible run, another 220 kilometers over rocky, mountainous terrain in just two days, back to Marathon, warning the Athenians that no immediate help could be expected from Sparta. began the Golden Age of Athens The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". WATCH: Championship Sunday weigh-in at the 2023 Marathon Please donate to our server cost fundraiser 2023, so that we can produce more history articles, videos and translations. Accessed May 1, 2023. A force made primarily of Athenians attacked Sardis an old and significant metropolis of Asia Minor (most of what is modern-day Turkey) and one soldier, likely overcome with the ardor of mid-battle enthusiasm, accidentally started a fire in a small dwelling. was part of the first Persian invasion of Greece. Unification of Northern China by Shi Huangdi | Who was Qin Shi Huang? did Mound (soros) in which the Athenian dead were buried after the Battle of Marathon. However, an unscrupulous traitor was about to tip the balance in favour of the invaders. The battle would take on mythical status amongst the Greeks, Many debated whether to attack immediately or wait for the Spartans to come. They were joined by 1,000 Plataeans, which, according to Herodotus, greatly calmed the nerves of the Athenians. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. He has appeared on The History Channel as a featured expert. Others scrambled and made it back to the water, floundering to their ships in a panic and rowing quickly away from the dangerous shore. He then joined the rest of Athenian army to march from Athens to Marathon to attempt to hold off the large Persian forces massing just off shore. A glorious defeat maybe, but the fact remained that the way was now clear for Xerxes to push on into mainland Greece. In addition to the land forces, the Greek poleis sent a fleet of trireme warships which held position off the coast of Artemision (or Artemisium) on the northern coast of Euboea, 40 nautical miles from Thermopylae. Create your account. The Persian infantry carried a lightweight (often crescent-shaped) wicker shield and were armed with a long dagger or battleaxe, a short spear, and composite bow. When word was brought to Darius, his first response was to inquire as to who the Athenians were. We are victorious! echoed across the expectant crowd, and in the second before they broke into a jubilant celebration, Pheidippides, overcome with exhaustion, staggered and fell to the ground, dead or so the myth of the origins of the first Marathon goes. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Boston Marathon 2023: Results, news, and updates It was here, then, in a 15-metre wide gap with a sheer cliff protecting their left flank and the sea on their right, that the Greeks chose to make a stand against the invading army. The victory of the Marathon men captured. Meanwhile at Artemision, the Persians were battling the elements rather than the Greeks, as they lost 400 triremes in a storm off the coast of Magnesia and more in a second storm off Euboea. The Battle of Marathon occurred in 490 BCE, when the Persian Empire was at its height. Darius was beyond angry a persistent thorn in his side, the continued insolence from Athens was infuriating and so he dispatched his army under the leadership of Datis, his best admiral, heading first toward the conquest of Eretria, a city nearby and in close relations with Athens. READ MORE: 16 Oldest Ancient Civilizations. As a result, the Spartan army was unwilling to march north until the next full moon which was over a week away. The Greeks then formed a phalanx by standing close together, typically in columns of eight, and using long spears to strike at their enemies from behind a wall of shields. The Battle of Marathon may have been won, but the Greeks knew that the threat to Athens was far from defeated. Battle of Marathon date revised | Nature Though some other ancient historians also wrote of the events of the Greco-Persian Wars, they did not include as much detail as Herodotus. Having caught the enemy in a double envelopment, the Greeks began to inflict heavy casualties on the lightly armored Persians. But reconciling Greek historian Herodotuss accounts with a line in the Byzantine historical record known as the Suda gives a reasonable explanation as to why they might have done so. Robert Bliss has taught history and other social studies to students age 7 to 18 since 2009. Moving south, the Persians landed near Marathon, approximately 25 miles north of Athens. Just why Greece was coveted by Persia is unclear. If Persia had managed to burn Athens to the ground, what would our world be like, having never heard the words of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle? Datis chose to land his army at the Bay of Marathon, a largely sound military decision, as the natural promontory provided excellent shelter for his ships, and the plains onshore offered good movement for his cavalry. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Darius sent an army of around 25,000 or 30,000 soldiers to punish the Athenians and take control of Greece. The modern running event takes its name from his supposed actions. The dry reed buildings went up like tinder, and the resulting inferno consumed the city. The relatively small size of the defending force has been explained as a reluctance by some Greek city-states to commit troops so far north, and/or due to religious motives, for it was the period of the sacred games at Olympia and the most important Spartan religious festival, the Karneia, and no fighting was permitted during these events. The Persian defeat at Marathon halted the Persian Empire's western expansion, and ensured continued Greek The battle of Marathon: what happened? The Battle of Marathon Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you They were joined by 1,000 Plataeans and assistance was requested from Sparta. A victory that proved to them that, together, and with the use of careful timing and tactics, they could stand up to the might of the great Persian Empire. 429 lessons. Cavalry, usually operating on the flanks of the main battle, were used to mop up opposing infantry put in disarray after they had been subjected to repeated salvos from the archers. The Battle of Marathon was fought in August or September 490 BC during the Persian Wars (498 BC448 BC) between Greece and the Persian Empire. When news of the invading force reached Greece, the initial Greek reaction was to send a force of 10,000 hoplites to hold position at the valley of Temp near Mt. Whatever the case, the Persian horses played no significant role in the coming battle. 4 Why was the Battle of Marathon fought in Greece? This army met an army of about 11,000 Greeks at the bay of Marathon. In those days Greece was not a unified country, but a collection of independent city-states. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Anticipating this, Militiades quickly returned the bulk of the army to the city. Finally, the Greek commander, Miltiades, elected to attack after receiving favorable omens. These ideas were spread much further by the conquests of Alexander the Great, who eventually destroyed the Persian Empire in 336 BCE. The battle of Marathon is characterized by the unequal distribution of hoplites within the phalanx. AP World History - Foundational Concepts: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - Major Belief Systems: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - Ancient Times: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - Ancient Middle East: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - Ancient China, Africa, India & America: Tutoring Solution, History of the Alphabet: From Cuneiform to Greek Writing, Bronze Age Greece: Schliemann's Quest for Troy, From Mycenae's Collapse to Greek Colonization, Ancient Greek Architecture: Dorian, Ionic & Corinthian, The Birth of Philosophy: The Presocratics, Greek Myth of Perseus and Medusa: Summary & Overview, Hades, Greek God of the Underworld: Mythology & Overview, Pericles of Athens: Facts, Achievements & Death, The Greek God Dionysus: Mythology & Facts, The Greek God Ouranos: Mythology & Overview, The Greek Goddess Hera: Stories & Overview, The Greek Goddess Hestia: Mythology & Facts, Who is the Greek Goddess Aphrodite? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Coming swiftly to battle, the strong Persian center held firm against the ruthless Athenians and their allies, but their weaker flanks collapsed under the force of the Greek advance and they were quickly left with no choice but to withdraw. "Battle of Thermopylae." There is also the division of the battle into successive efforts (phases), a real military innovation as far as tactical planning is concerned. And many states, even including Persia, employed Greek hoplite mercenaries to do their fighting for them for many years after the Persian defeats at the hands of the Greeks. The battle of Thermopylae, and particularly the Spartans' role in it, soon acquired mythical status amongst the Greeks. The Persian cavalry were armed as the foot soldiers, with a bow and an additional two javelins for throwing and thrusting. 30 Apr 2023. It was preceded by the Ionian Revolt. These ideas were later rediscovered and adopted by the Renaissance thinkers of Europe in the 14th - 16th centuries, and they continue to heavily influence the Western world today. Related Content The Greek's stronger armor and shields, as well as their long spears, helped them overcome the Persians superior numbers. Free men, in respect of their own laws, had sacrificed themselves in order to defend their way of life against foreign aggression. Thank you! The Spartans declined to send aid at that time, due to a religious ceremony, but promised to come after the next full moon. The Greeks would amass over 300 triremes and perhaps their main purpose was to prevent the Persian fleet sailing down the inland coast of Lokris and Boeotia. WebYoure Temporarily Blocked. The Greeks had no problem closing the distance and engaging the Persian army at close-range. The Greek army charged, running courageously at full speed across the plains of Marathon, a distance of at least 1,500 meters, dodging a barrage of arrows and javelins and plunging directly into the bristling wall of Persian spears and axes. Herodotus, born a few years after the battle, based his judgment on eyewitness accounts. 3 What was the most important impact of the Battle of Marathon? The Romans also adopted many Greek ideas and further spread them as they conquered their own vast territories. Also for the first time in military history, the phalanx in its entirety does not have the same mission. The Byzantine Suda, Cavalry Away, https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-html/. The Significance of Marathon - Livius Having somewhere in the region of 80,000 troops at his disposal, the Persian king, who led the invasion in person, first waited four days in expectation that the Greeks would flee in panic. The wall was in a state of ruin, but the Spartans made the best repairs they could in the circumstances. This stubbornness forced the two armies to remain at a stalemate for about five days, facing one another across the plain of Marathon with only minor skirmishes breaking out, the Greeks managing to keep hold of their nerve and their defensive line. Leonidas moved his troops to the widest part of the pass to utilise all of his men at once, and in the ensuing clash the Spartan king was killed. He began three years of preparation for an even larger assault on Greece, this time a full scale, massive invasion rather than a targeted raid for revenge. A commotion outside the city walls caught the attention of the archons, and suddenly the gates were thrust open. According to legend, an Athenian messenger was sent from Marathon to Athens, a distance of about 25 miles (40 km), and there he announced the Persian defeat before dying of exhaustion. The struggle between the rapidly growing Persian Empire and Greece had been an ongoing conflict for years, before the Battle of Marathon itself took place. What were the consequences of the battle of Marathon? While many have criticized Herodotus' works, the general consensus among modern historians is that his accounts are reasonably accurate, though some of his details, such as the number of soldiers who fought, should be viewed skeptically. Mason-Dixon Line After the battle, Xerxes ordered that Leonidas' head be put on a stake and displayed at the battlefield. Herodotus of Halicarnassus. With no choice but to act, the Greeks took the initiative. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. They fully understood the advantages that the Greeks were deriving from their position, and while they might be able to overwhelm them eventually by virtue of numbers, losing a large portion of their Persian forces on a foreign shore was a logistical problem that Datis was not willing to risk. lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Not only did this halt Persian expansion, but it also ensured continued Greek independence - at least until king Philip II of Macedon brought the Greek city-states under Macedonian control over one hundred years later in 338 BCE. The Spartans toured the battlefield at Marathon, and agreed that the Athenians had won a great victory. The incorrect version of events has Pheidippides running from Marathon to Athens to deliver news of the victory and dying of exhaustion immediately afterwards. Cartwright, Mark. According to Herodotus, an Athenian runner named Pheidippides was sent to run from Athens to Sparta to ask for assistance before the battle. The Persian army fought with tactics that proved inferior to those of the Greek hoplite armies. Even so, it wouldnt be until 500 B.C. He arrived in Sparta the day after departing Athens. Greeces confidence in its ability to fight Persia, combined with a burning desire for revenge, would later enable the Greeks to follow the charismatic young Alexander the Great in his invasion of Persia, spreading Hellenism to the farthest reaches of ancient civilization and changing the future of the western world. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Some sources also indicate that Militiades had learned from Persian deserters that the cavalry was away from the field. And, forced into action, they took their stand in Marathon. The Persians had realized they couldnt stay in the bay indefinitely, and decided to make the move that would risk the least amount of life (for the Persians. If your web page requires an HTML link, please insert this code: The Battle of Marathon: The Greco-Persian Wars Advance on Athens. 6 Who was the Athenian runner who ran from Athens to Sparta? King Xerxes I Biography, Facts & Death | Who is King Xerxes? During the battle, the right and left wings of the Greek army crushed those of the Persians. The story of these day runners is the origin of the marathon race. Taking heaving losses, the Persian ranks broke and they fled back to their ships. The Greeks pursued them all the way to their ships, slaughtering the fleeing Persians along the way. As Herodotus claims in his account of the battle in book VII of The Histories, the Oracle at Delphi had been proved right when she proclaimed that either Sparta or one of her kings must fall. Here are 10 facts about it. His proclamation, Rejoice! The battle proved the superiority of the Greek long spear, sword, and armour over the Persians weapons. Responding to the impending crisis, Athens raised around 9,000 hoplites and dispatched them to Marathon where they blocked the exits from the nearby plain and prevented the enemy from moving inland. There would be no compromises. On his return to Athens, Pheidippides delivered the terrible news that no imminent support could be expected from the Spartans. After a failed naval expedition in 492 BC, Darius sent a second army two years later. And they possessed one final secret weapon against their enemy, by the name of Miltiades the general who led the attack. His strategy was victorious over the Persians strength, and the victory of the Marathon men captured the collective imagination of the Greeks. The Greeks had no cavalry whatsoever and feared the Persian horses most of all.