The Battle of Marathon was the decisive battle of the first Persian invasion of Greece during the Greco-Persian Wars. An army of over 120,000 Persian troops was defeated by a much smaller Greek army of 10,000 troops as it landed at Marathon beach in Attica, forcing the Persians to flee back to their ships and return to Asia. The Battle of Marathon is often described as the most important battle in Western civilization and as a turning point in history, as the battle saved Greek democracy, individualism, and culture from Persian monarchy, authoritarianism, and subjugation.
Background[]
Athens and Eretria's involvement in the Ionian Revolt against Persia in Asia Minor and their burning of Sardis led to King Darius the Great of Persia swearing to burn down the two Greek cities in revenge. After the revolt was crushed in 494 BC, Darius began making plans for an invasion of Greece, and, in 490 BC, his fleet subjugated the Cyclades. In mid-summer, the Persian invasion fleet reached Euboea, and the Persians besieged, captured, and sacked Eretria. The Persian force then sailed for Attica, landing 25,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry at Marathon beach while 100,000+ armed oarsmen and sailors manned the 600 triremes, 50+ horse carriers, and 200+ supply ships.
Battle[]
The Athenians, joined by their ally of Plataea, fielded an army of just 10,000 soldiers under Miltiades to resist the Persian army, as Sparta had refused to send soldiers to fight during one of their religious festivals. The Athenians then blocked the two exits from the plain of Marathon, using the nearby marshes and mountainous terrain to prevent the Persian cavalry from joining their infantry. Militiades ordered an all-out assault on the Persian missile troops, and he lured the best Persian fighters in between his two reinforced flanks, enveloping and routing the Persians. The Persian army broke in panic toward their ships, and large numbers were slaughtered. The defeat at Marathon marked the end of the first Persian invasion of Greece, as the fleet returned to Asia, and Darius died before he could send another invasion force. As a result, his son Xerxes I made plans to avenge his father's defeat by launching his own invasion of Greece ten years later.