The Battle of Marathon In 490 BC During The First Persian Invasion of Greece: 1, #1

By Heady Delpak

The Battle of Marathon was fought in August or September 490 BC during the Persian Wars (498 BC–448 BC) between Greece and the Persian Empire. Following Greek support for an uprising in Ionia (a coastal area in modern-day western Turkey), Darius I, emperor of the Persian Empire dispatched forces west to inflict retribution on those Greek city-states that had aided the rebels. After a failed naval expedition in 492 BC, Darius sent a second army two years later.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Heady Delpak
• Release date: Mar 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215602973

Heady Delpak

Dr. Heady Delpak has a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from University of London in the UK. He has more than 30 years teaching experiences at Universities. He has published many Books in different languages.

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Table of Contents

1: Introduction

1-1  :  Arriving approximately 25 miles north of Athens, the Persians came ashore and

were soon hemmed in by the Greeks on the Plain of Marathon

1-2  :  The victory helped boost Greek morale and inspired confidence that their

military could beat the Persians

1-3  :  Displeased with Mardonius' failure, Darius began planning a second expedition

for 490 BC after learning of political instability in Athens

1-4  :  Enveloping the Enemy

1-5  :  As The Armies Clashed, The Thinner Greek Center was Quickly Pushed Back

1-6  :  Aftermath The Battle

1-6-1  :  Seeing that the opportunity to strike the previously lightly-defended city had

passed, the Persians withdrew back to Asia

1-7  :  Who Won the Battle of Marathon?

1-8  :  An Athenian-Led Army Won the Battle of Marathon

1-9  :  The Plataeans Helped the Athenians

1-10  :  Greeks and Plataeans Played a Tactical War Game

1-11  :  The Greeks Were Ready to Defend Athens

1-11-1  :  Greek Runner Pheidippides ran all the way back to Athens to announce

victory

1-12  :  The Cause of the Battle of Marathon

1-12-1  :  The first encounter on the Greek mainland between East (Persia) and West

(Greece) took place in August or September of 490 B.C

1-13  :  What Happened At The Battle of Marathon?

1-13-1  :  The Persians would invade Greece again in 480 B.C. under Xerxes I, son of

Darius, who planned to succeed in conquering Greece where his father had

failed

1-14  :  The Battle of Marathon Significance

1-15  :  The First Marathon

1-15-1  :  The journey of Pheidippides from Marathon to Athens also inspired the

first Boston Marathon on April 19, 1897

1-16  :  References  

1-17  :  Command of the hastily assembled Athenian army was vested in 10 generals,

each of whom was to hold operational command for one day

1-17-1  :  In the ensuing battle, Miltiades led his contingent of 10,000 Athenians and

1,000 Plataeans to victory over the Persian force of 15,000

1-18  :  Facts About the Battle of Marathon

1-18-1  :  It Was Preceded By The Ionian Revolt

1-18-1-1  :  The Persian Expedition was the largest amphibious invasion the world had

ever seen  

1-18-1-2  :  In 490 BC, Darius ordered a Persian expedition to cross the Aegean and

punish Athens and Eretria for their role in the Ionian Revolt

1-18-2  :  An Athenian Guided The Persian Expedition

1-18-3  :  The Bay of Marathon Was Well-Suited for Persian Warfare

1-18-4  :  The Athenian Army Consisted Almost Entirely of Hoplites

1-18-5  :  The Spartans Were Not at Marathon  

1-18-6  :  Neither, It Would Seem, Was the Persian Cavalry

1-18-7  :  The Athenians Seized the Opportunity

1-18-8  :  Miltiades’ Gamble Paid Off  

1-18-9  :  The Marathon Running Race Originates From The Athenians’ Victory

1-18-10  :  References  

2:The Battle of Marathon In 490 BC During The First Persian Invasion of Greece History

2-1  :  At Marathon, The Persian Camp Begins to Lose Its Focus

2-2  :  What Was The Battle of Marathon?

2-3  :  When Was The Battle of Marathon?

2-4  :  Where Was The Battle of Marathon?

2-4-1  :  The Persian navy landed at the bay of Marathon, around 40 kilometers

(25 miles) northeast of Athens, and the Athenians marched out to meet them

2-5  :  Who Fought In The Battle of Marathon?

2-5-1  :  Desperate, the Ionians asked many of the mainland Greek city-states to send

help

2-6  :  What Happened At The Battle of Marathon?

2-6-1  :  No Persian accounts of the Greco-Persian Wars, including the Battle of

Marathon, have been passed down to us  

2-6-2  :  Upon arriving at Marathon, the Athenians drew up battle lines, but, seeing

they were outnumbered by the Persians, waited to attack

2-7  :  The Greek Soldiers

2-8  :  The Persian Soldiers

2-9  :  The Battle Begins

2-10  :  Why Was the Battle of Marathon Important?

2-11  :  Why Is It Called a Marathon?

2-12  :  Why Did Persia Lose The Battle of Marathon?

2-13  :  Why Did Greece Win The Battle of Marathon?

2-14  :  What Was The Impact of The Battle of Marathon?

2-15  :  What Happened In The Battle of Marathon?

2-16  :  What Is The Significance of The Battle of Marathon?  

2-17  :  Persian Empire

2-17-1  :  Like the Roman Empire, the Persian was religiously tolerant and allowed

rule by local elites to continue relatively uninhibited

2-17-2  :  After the sea battle at Lade in 494 BC, the war was all but over, but Darius

had not forgotten the impudence of the Athenians in aiding his foes   

2-18  :  The First Persian Expedition Into Europe Began in 492

2-18-1  :  The Achaemenid Empire, or better known as the First Persian Empire, was

one of the largest empires in History  

2-18-2  :  His advice was to land the Persian troops at the bay of Marathon, which was

a good spot for a landing just a day’s march away from the city  

2-18-3  :  After defeat, he had been forced to flee and take his military skill to Athens, where he was more experienced at fighting the Persians than any other leader  

2-18-4  :  Meanwhile, an uneasy stalemate prevailed in the bay of Marathon for five

days, with neither side wanting to begin the battle

2-19  :  The Battle of Marathon

2-19-1  :  In order to limit the effectiveness of the Persian archers, he gave his heavily

armored troops the order to run once they were close enough , crying "at

them!"  

2-19-2  :  Now surrounded on all sides, the elite Persian troops broke and ran, and

many drowned in the local swamps in a desperate attempt to flee

2-19-3  :  The Battle of Marathon is believed to have taken place in September 490

B.C. around the bay of Marathon in the Merranean region

2-20  :  What Caused The Battle of Marathon?

2-20-1  :  Owing to the crude reign (perhaps) of Darius, the people of Ionia engineered

a rebellion against the Persian Empire

2-21  :  What Transpired During The Battle of Marathon?

2-22  :  Battle Formation

2-22-1  :  The disintegration of the Persian flanks allowed the Greek soldiers on the

flanks to make further inroads into the heart of the Persian army  

2-23  :  Why Were The Athenians The First To Charge In The Battle?

2-24  :  Number of Deaths

2-25  :  Aftermath of The Battle

2-26  :  Historical Importance of the Battle of Marathon

2-26-1  :  Most importantly, the Battle of Marathon served as a vital pillar upon which

the entire Classical Greek civilization was built

2-27  :  What Factors Contributed to Greece’s Victory At The Battle of Marathon?

2-28  :  Pheidippides – The Greek Marathon Runner

2-28-1  :  Shortly after announcing the glorious win of the Athenians, Pheidippides

collapsed due to exhaustion

2-28-2  :  Several Centuries Later, the legendary distance ran by Pheidippides

(Phidippides) is what has metamorphosed into the modern marathon foot

race  

2-29  :  The Battle of Marathon took place in 490 BC during the first Persian

invasion of Greece

2-29-1  :  At the time of the battle, Sparta and Athens were the two largest city-states

in Greece

2-29-2  :  The Athenians and their allies chose a location for the battle, with marshes

and mountainous terrain, that prevented the Persian cavalry from joining

the Persian infantry

2-30  :  The Battle of Marathon Was a Watershed In The Greco-Persian Wars

2-30-1  :  The first Persian invasion of Greece had its immediate roots in the 

Ionian Revolt, the earliest phase of the Greco-Persian Wars

2-30-2  :  Darius thus resolved to subjugate and pacify Greece and the Aegean, and to

punish those involved in the Ionian Revolt

2-30-3  :  In 510 BC, with the aid of Cleomenes I, King of Sparta, the Athenian people

had expelled Hippias, the tyrant ruler of Athens

2-30-4  :  Cleisthenes was thus restored to Athens (507 BC), and at breakneck speed

began to reform the state with the aim of securing his position

2-30-5  :  Artaphernes requested that the Athenians give him an 'earth and water', a

traditional token of submission, to which the Athenian ambassadors

acquiesced

2-30-6  :  Having thus become the enemy of Persia, Athens was already in a position to

support the Ionian cities when they began their revolt

2-30-7  :  The Persian naval victory at the Battle of Lade (494 BC) all but ended the

Ionian Revolt, and by 493 BC, the last hold-outs were vanquished by the

Persian fleet

2-31  :  Prelude  

2-31-1  :  For approximately five days the armies therefore confronted each other

across the plain of Marathon in stalemate

2-31-2  :  Herodotus suggests that command rotated between the strategoi, each taking

in turn a day to command the army

2-31-3  :  As is discussed below, the reason for the delay was probably simply that

neither the Athenians nor the Persians were willing to risk battle initially

2-31-4  :  The cavalry left. When Datis surrendered and was ready for retreat, the

Ionians climbed the trees and gave the Athenians the signal that the cavalry

had left

2-31-5  :  The second theory is simply that the battle occurred because the Persians

finally moved to attack the Athenians

2-32  :  Date of The Battle  

2-33  :  Opposing Forces

2-33-1  :  Athenians  

2-33-2  :  Persians  

2-34  :  Strategic And Tactical Considerations

2-34-1  :  The Persian strategy, on the other hand, was probably principally

determined by tactical considerations

2-34-2  :  Whatever event eventually triggered the battle, it obviously altered the

strategic or tactical balance sufficiently to induce the Athenians to attack the

Persians

2-34-3  :  Conversely, if the second theory is correct, then the Athenians were merely

reacting to the Persians attacking them

2-35  :  Battle

2-35-1  :  First Phase: The Two Armies form Their Lines  

2-35-2  :  Second Phase: the Greeks Attack And The Lines Make Contact  

2-35-2-1  :  Another possibility is that they ran up to the 200 meter-mark in broken

ranks, and then reformed for the march into battle from there  

2-35-3  :  Third Phase: The Greek Center is Pushed Back

2-35-4  :  Fourth Phase: The Persian Wings Collapse

2-35-5  :  Fifth Phase: The Persians Are Routed and Retreat To Their Ships

2-36  :  There Are Several Explanations of The Greek Success

2-37  :  Greco-Persian Wars and Second Persian Invasion of Greece

2-37-1  :  Darius then died whilst preparing to march on Egypt, and the throne of

Persia passed to his son Xerxes I

2-38  :  The Battle Significance

2-38-1  :  It was the first time the Greeks had beaten the Persians, proving that the

Persians were not invincible, and that resistance, rather than subjugation,

was possible

2-39  :  Battle Sources

2-39-1  :  Herodotus

2-39-2  :  Some subsequent ancient historians, despite following in his footsteps,

criticized Herodotus, starting with Thucydides

2-40  :  Legends Associated With The Battle  

2-40-1  :  Pan asked why the Athenians did not honor him and the awed Pheidippides

promised that they would do so from then on

2-40-2  :  They say too that there chanced to be present in the battle a man of rustic

appearance and dress

2-41  :  Marathon Run  

2-41-1  :  Later, in popular imagination, these two events were conflated, leading to a

legendary but inaccurate version of events

2-41-2  :  When the idea of a modern Olympics became a reality at the end of the 19th

century, the initiators and organizers were looking for a great

popularizing event

2-42  :  The Date and Place of the Battle

2-43  :  An Ionian Revolt Fueled The Battle

2-43-1  :  Legend has it that, Darius the Great tasked an aide of his to always remind

him on a daily bases of what the Greeks did in supporting the Ionian Revolt

2-44  :  Record-Breaking Persian Army and Strength

2-45  :  The Dilemma In The Athenian Camp

2-46 :  The Role Callimachus Played

2-47  :  Facts About The Battle of Marathon

2-47-1  :  The Persians Were Aided by An Infamous Greek Tyrant

2-47-2  :  Why Hippias Supported The Persians

2-47-3  :  The Spartans Blatantly Refused Joining The Cause of the Athenians

2-47-4  :  Only a Handful of Greek City States Came To The Aid of The Athenians

2-47-5  :  Pheidippides’ Legendary Run

2-47-6  :  The Mysterious Disappearance of the Persian Cavalry

2-47-7  :  Athenians Helped Themselves To Victory Using Phalanx Battle Formation

2-47-8  :  Athenian Victory Spurred on Several Benefits

2-47-9  :  Athenians Believed That The Gods Had a Hand in Their Win

2-48  :  Herodotus’ Account of The Battle

2-49  :  References

3:The Battle of Marathon 

3-1 :  The Hellenes initially decided to defend themselves in Tempe valley (next to

Mount Olympus) by sending about 10,000 fighters

3-2 :  War During the Olympics

3-3 :  The Persians knew about these ceremonies and had chosen (once again) 

to campaign against Greece during the summer

3-4 :  The Battle of Thermopylae Begins

3-5 :  Eventually, the Imperial Army Saw it Necessary to Retreat to Asia

3-6 :  Some Sudden Storms in the Region Also Destroyed Many Persian Ships

3-7 :  Encirclement and the End

3-8 :  The Helots: Slave Warriors of Ancient Sparta

3-9 :  Uncertain Facts of the Thermopylae Battle

3-9-1 :  As Xerxes ordered the dead body of Leonidas to be decapitated, a negative

view of his actions is still remembered  

3-10 :  Thermopylae Questions and Observations

3-11 :  The Athenian Struggle

3-12 :  References

3-13 :  The Battle of Thermopylae (7.138-239)

3-14 :  The Battle of Thermopylae Comment

3-15 :  Themistocles' Shipbuilding Program Started in 483

3-15-1 :  Meanwhile, the council at Corinth decides to guard Thermopylae, which

seems easily defensible

3-15-2 :  The Persian army invades Thessaly along the pass of Tempe, and reaches

Thermopylae without further incidents

3-15-3 :  King Xerxes waits four days before he orders his soldiers to attack the

contemptibly small Greek garrison

3-15-4 :  Herodotus explains why Leonidas decides to stay: because the oracle had

announced that Sparta would either be destroyed or lose its king  

3-15-5 :  Xerxes' hesitation to attack for several days can easily be explained: he was

waiting until his fleet had reached Aphetae

3-15-6 :  The fact that Leonidas asked for reinforcements when the Persian army was

already at close quarters, does not say much for his military abilities

3-16 :  From Persian Sources, Nothing is Known About a Corps Called Immortals

3-17 :  It is Unclear How Herodotus Knew What Happened During the Battle

3-18 :  Hoplite  

3-19 :  In the 8th or 7th Century BC, Greek Armies Adopted the Phalanx Formation

3-20 :  Phalanx Formation and Ancient Greek Warfare

3-21 :  When Battles Occurred, they were usually set piece and intended to be decisive

3-21-1 :  The military structure created by the Spartans was a rectangular phalanx

formation

3-21-2 :  At this point, the phalanx would put its collective weight to push back the

enemy line and thus create fear and panic among its ranks

3-21-3 :  The phalanx is an example of a military formation in which single combat

and other individualistic forms of battle were suppressed for the good of the

whole  

3-22 :  Equipment

3-22-1 :  Body Armor  

3-22-2 :  The Hoplite Army Consisted of Heavy Infantrymen

3-22-3 :  Shield  

3-22-5 :  Sword  

3-23 :  Theories On The Transition to Fighting in The Phalanx  

3-23-1 :  Gradualist Theory  

3-23-2 :  Rapid Adoption Theory  

3-23-3 :  Extended Gradualist Theory  

3-24 :  Ancient Greek Warfare

3-25 :  The rise and fall of hoplite warfare was tied to the rise and fall of the city-state

3-26 :  Spartan Army

3-27 :  Ancient Macedonian Army

3-28 :  Hoplite-Style Warfare Outside Greece

3-29 :  Hellenistic Armies

3-30 :  References  

3-31 :  Phalanx  

3-31-1 :  The earliest known depiction of a phalanx-like formation occurs in

the Sumerian Stele of the Vultures from the 25th century BC

3-31-2 :  Traditionally, historians date the origin of the hoplite phalanx of ancient

Greece to the 8th century BC in Sparta, but this is under revision

3-31-3 :  Battles between two phalanxes usually took place in open, flat plains where it

was easier to advance and stay in formation

3-32 :  Pushing  

3-32-1 :  It is difficult with the physical pushing model to imagine eight men

withstanding the pushing force of 25 opponents for a matter of seconds, let

alone half the battle  

3-33 :  Shields  

3-33-1 :  There was a leader in each row of a phalanx, and a rear rank officer, the 

ouragos  (meaning tail-leader), who kept order in the rear

3-34 :  Hoplite Armament  

3-35 :  These Changes Reflected The Balancing of Mobility With Protection

3-35-1 :  Hoplites carried a circular shield called an aspis made from wood and

covered in bronze, measuring roughly a meter (3.3 feet) in diameter

3-36 :  Phalangite Armament  

3-37 :  Phalanx Composition and Strength  

3-38 :  Phalanx Front and Depth  

3-39 :  Stages of Combat  

3-40 :  Tactics  

3-40-1 :  Philip II of Macedon spent several years in Thebes as a hostage, and paid

attention to Epaminondas' innovations

3-41 :  Weaknesses  

3-41-1 :  The Macedonian Phalanx had Weaknesses Similar to its Hoplitic Predecessor

3-42 :  Classical Decline and Post-Classical Use  

3-42-1:  The decline of the Diadochi and the phalanx was linked with the rise of Rome

and the Roman legions from the 3rd century BC

3-42-2 :  A phalanx formation called the phoulkon appeared in the late Roman army

and Byzantine army

3-43 :  References  

3-44 :  Ionian Revolt  

3-44-1 :  By 494 BC the Persian army and navy had regrouped, and they made straight

for the epicenter of the rebellion at Miletus

3-45 :  Greco-Persian Wars Sources

3-45-1 :  Herodotus

3-45-2 :  Some subsequent ancient historians, despite following in his footsteps,

criticized Herodotus, starting with Thucydides

3-45-3 :  A negative view of Herodotus was passed on to Renaissance Europe, though

he remained widely read

3-45-4 :  In the 12th century BC, the Mycenaean civilization fell as part of the 

Late Bronze Age collapse

3-45-5 :  While fighting the Lydians, Cyrus had sent messages to the Ionians asking

them to revolt against Lydian rule, which the Ionians had refused to do

3-46 :  The Persians Found the Ionians Difficult to Rule

3-46-1 :  The tyrants themselves faced a difficult task; they had to deflect the worst of

their fellow citizens' hatred, while staying in the favor of the Persians

3-47 :  Siege of Naxos (499 BC)

3-48 :  Start of The Ionian Revolt (499 BC)  

3-48-1 :  Herodotus suggests that this was because Histiaeus was desperate to return to

Ionia, and thought he would be sent to Ionia if there was a rebellion

3-48-2 :  Herodotus presents the revolt as a consequence of Aristagoras and Histiaeus's

personal motives

3-48-3 :  Aristagoras was also successful in persuading the city of Eretria to send

assistance to the Ionians for reasons that are not completely clear

3-49 :  Ionian Offensive (498 BC)  

3-49-1 :  Sardis

3-49-2 :  Battle of Ephesus  

3-49-3 :  Spread of The Revolt  

3-50 :  Persian Counter-Offensive (497–495 BC)

3-51 :  Cyprus

3-52 :  Hellespont and Propontis  

3-53 :  Caria (496 BC)

3-53-1 :  Battle of the Marsyas  

3-53-2 :  Battle of Labraunda  

3-53-3 :  Battle of Pedasus  

3-53-4 :  Ionia  

3-53-4-1 :  In Thrace, he took control of the city that Histiaeus had founded, Myrcinus

(site of the later Amphipolis)

3-54 :  End of The Revolt (494–493 BC) and Battle of Lade  

3-54-1 :  These divisions led to the Samians secretly agreeing to the terms offered by

the Persians, but remained with the other Ionians for the time being

3-55 :  Fall of Miletus

3-55-1 :  Many Samians were appalled by the actions of their generals at Lade, and

resolved to emigrate before their old tyrant, Aeaces of Samos, returned to

rule them

3-56 :  Histiaeus's Campaign (493 BC)

3-56-1 :  Chios  

3-56-2 :  Battle of Malene  

3-57 :  Final Operations (493 BC)  

3-57-1 :   Once the inevitable punishment of the rebels had occurred, the Persians were

in the mood for conciliation

3-57-2 :  Peace established by Artaphernes would long be remembered as just and fair

3-57-3 :  A second Expedition was launched in 490 BC under Datis and Artaphernes,

son of the satrap Artaphernes

3-58 :  The Ionian Revolt Significance  

3-58-1 :  At the Battle of Marathon, in 490 BC, the Persians took little heed of a

primarily hoplitic army

3-59 :  Manville's Theory of a Power Struggle between Aristagoras and Histiaeus  

3-59-1 :  The Main Players are Portrayed by Herodotus as Naturally Hypocritical  

3-59-2 :  When the Expedition failed, Histiaeus sent his tattooed slave to Aristagoras,

not as encouragement to revolt, but as an ultimatum

3-59-3 :  The tale goes on to an attempt by Histiaeus to form an alliance with

Artaphernes to depose the usurper and regain his power at Miletus

3-60 :  Myres’ Theory of a Balance of Power Between Thalassocracies  

3-60-1 :  Myres Was Using Sea-Power in a Specifically British Sense for the Times

3-61 :  The List of Thalassocracies  

3-61-1 :  According to Bunsen, the discovery and translation of the Armenian version

of Eusebius’ Chronicon changed the nature of the search for thalassocracy

3-61-2 :