The Battle of Marathon (Greek: Μάχη
τοῦ Μαραθῶνος, Machē tu Marathōnos) took place in 490 BC, during the
first Persian invasion of Greece. It was fought between the citizens of
Athens, aided by Plataea, and a Persian force commanded by Datis and
Artaphernes.
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The battle was the culmination of the first attempt by
Persia, under King Darius I, to subjugate Greece. The Greek army
decisively defeated the more numerous Persians, marking a turning point
in the Greco-Persian Wars.
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The first Persian invasion was a response to Greek involvement in the Ionian Revolt, when Athens and Eretria had sent a force to support the cities of Ionia in their attempt to overthrow Persian rule.
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The first Persian invasion was a response to Greek involvement in the Ionian Revolt, when Athens and Eretria had sent a force to support the cities of Ionia in their attempt to overthrow Persian rule.
The Athenians and Eretrians had succeeded in
capturing and burning Sardis, but were then forced to retreat with
heavy losses. In response to this raid, Darius swore to burn down Athens
and Eretria.
At the time of the battle, Sparta and Athens were the two
largest city states. Once the Ionian revolt was finally crushed by the
Persian victory at the Battle of Lade in 494 BC, Darius began plans to
subjugate Greece. In 490 BC, he sent a naval task force under Datis and
Artaphernes across the Aegean, to subjugate the Cyclades, and then to
make punitive attacks on Athens and Eretria.
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Reaching Euboea in mid-summer after a successful campaign in the Aegean, the Persians proceeded to besiege and capture Eretria. The Persian force then sailed for Attica, landing in the bay near the town of Marathon. The Athenians, joined by a small force from Plataea, marched to Marathon, and succeeded in blocking the two exits from the plain of Marathon.
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The Greeks could not hope to face the superior Persian cavalry; however, when learning that the Persian cavalry was temporarily absent from the camp, Miltiades ordered a general attack against the Persians. He reinforced his flanks, luring the Persians' best fighters into his centre.
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Reaching Euboea in mid-summer after a successful campaign in the Aegean, the Persians proceeded to besiege and capture Eretria. The Persian force then sailed for Attica, landing in the bay near the town of Marathon. The Athenians, joined by a small force from Plataea, marched to Marathon, and succeeded in blocking the two exits from the plain of Marathon.
.
The Greeks could not hope to face the superior Persian cavalry; however, when learning that the Persian cavalry was temporarily absent from the camp, Miltiades ordered a general attack against the Persians. He reinforced his flanks, luring the Persians' best fighters into his centre.
The inward wheeling flanks enveloped the Persians, routing them.
The Persian army broke in panic towards their ships, and large numbers
were slaughtered. The defeat at Marathon marked the end of the first
Persian invasion of Greece, and the Persian force retreated to Asia.
However, in 486 BC, his Egyptian subjects
revolted, indefinitely postponing any Greek expedition. After Darius
died, his son Xerxes I restarted the preparations for a second invasion
of Greece, which finally began in 480 BC.
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The Battle of Marathon was a watershed in the Greco-Persian wars, showing the Greeks that the Persians could be beaten; the eventual Greek triumph in these wars can be seen to begin at Marathon.
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The Battle of Marathon was a watershed in the Greco-Persian wars, showing the Greeks that the Persians could be beaten; the eventual Greek triumph in these wars can be seen to begin at Marathon.
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Since the following two hundred years saw
the rise of the Classical Greek civilization, which has been enduringly
influential in western society, the Battle of Marathon is often seen as a
pivotal moment in European history.
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For instance, John Stuart Mill
famously suggested that "the Battle of Marathon, even as an event in
British history, is more important than the Battle of Hastings".
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The
Battle of Marathon is perhaps now more famous as the inspiration for the
Marathon race. Although thought to be historically inaccurate, the
legend of the Greek messenger Pheidippides running to Athens with news
of the victory became the inspiration for this athletic event,
introduced at the 1896 Athens Olympics, and originally run between
Marathon and Athens.
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