Battle of Marathon
Marathon Battle took place in 490 B.C. It occurred as part of the first Persian incursion of Greece battled on the plains of Marathon in northeastern Attica, marking the first blows of the Greco-Persian War.
As the Persian grip strengthened on the Greek capital, the Athenian general Miltiades took over the impulsively assembled army. Creating confusion amongst the Persian invaders Miltiades destabilized the center of his outnumbered force to build up its wings.
Fortunately, his strategy led to a victory over the Persians’ strength, and proved to be a triumph of “the Marathon men” and became the legends among the Greeks. Did you know that it is due the messenger Pheidippides that ran 25 miles to Athens to deliver the news of the Persian defeat inspired what is known as the modern marathon.
What Caused the Battle of Marathon?
The reason behind the Battle of Marathon was that the Persian Army was looking to crush the Greek city-states that supported the rebellions in Ionia that is now part of modern-day Turkey, against the Persian Kingdom.
The first confrontation on the Greek mainland between West (Greece) and East (Persia) was in August or September of 490 B.C. 26 miles northeast of Athens, on the seaside plain of Marathon. The 30,000 Persian expeditionary forces of Darius I was perhaps not large enough for the battle.
Lead by great generals the likes of Datis Hippias, and Artaphernes, the Persian Army arrived full of confidence storming the nearby Eretria the Greek city-state. No allies other than the Plataeans joined in with the Athenian opposition of less than 10,000 troops that included some autocratic regimes in Attica that supported the invaders with the hope of toppling off the fragile democracy.
What Happened at the Battle of Marathon?
With the aims of defeating the larger assaulting force, the Athenian army commander Miltiades dispersed his army’s center and reinforcing the wings, hoping that — heavily armed soldiers — would grip the middle while his borders broke through the Persian infantry. In fact, even though the Athenian center destroyed, but it held strong long enough for the Athenians to defeat the Persian wings and meet creating a general panic among the attackers.
The Persians once again would invade Greece in 480 B.C. Under Xerxes I, the great son of Darius that planned to conquer Greece, where his father had once failed. The Greek city-states under King Leonidas of Sparta ward off the Persian invasion for a week during the Battle of Thermopylae, making history for their standoff in defense of their native soil. But actually the initial victory of the Athenians during the Battle of Marathon is what is most remembered today of the event.
What is Significance of Battle of Marathon?
Almost immediately, the victory that was marked by “the Marathon men” became a legend among the Greeks. The Ceremonial funeral heaps of the fabulous 192 Athenian dead and the very loyal Plataeans were founded on the battlefield. Witticisms were comprised and panoramic paintings were put on display.
The account of the historian Herodotus, tells us all we know about this great Battle of Marathon in histories, around 50 years after the battle took place. Was Robert Browning an another famous author to immortalize the Battle, through his poem “Pheidippides” in 1879 which he composed to commemorate the soldier’s marathon from Marathon to Athens.
