why did the battle of marathon happen why did the battle of marathon happen

When he arrived, exhausted, and managed to sputter out the Athenian request for military assistance, he was crushed to hear a refusal. The Greeks, though, were far from finished, and despite many states now turning over to the Persians and Athens itself being sacked, a Greek army led by Leonidas' brother Kleombrotos began to build a defensive wall near Corinth. This was later conflated with the victorious Athenian army marching back to Athens at a quickened pace. THE GREEK GENERAL, MILTIADES, AFTER MUCH HESITATION, STARTED WITH MEN IN THE CENTER MOVING FORWARD AND HAD SOLDIERS COME AROUND THE SIDES ALSO TO ATTACK. The Athenians knew that to stay on the defensive in the battle of Marathon would mean returning to a destroyed home, their city plundered and burned. Herodotus: History & Persian Wars | Who was Herodotus? 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. The Battle of Marathon may have been won, but the Greeks knew that the threat to Athens was far from defeated. The remaining hoplites, now trapped and without their inspirational king, were subjected to a barrage of Persian arrows until no man was left standing. Surprised by the Greeks' audacity, the Persians rushed to form their lines and inflict damage on the enemy with their archers and slingers (Map). The Battle of Marathon took place in Greece, not far from Athens. 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. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Kipruto has also championed the 2018 Toronto Marathon (2:05.13) and the 2021 Prague Marathon (2:10.16). It was an attempt by a vengeful Persian king Darius the Great to expand his empire across the Aegean Sea. The Clash At Marathon Shaped Greece, And The West Military historian Jim Lacey says the battle of Marathon, where the vastly outnumbered Greeks defeated the Persian army, had a profound impact on Western civilization, and opened an East-West political and cultural divide that shaped the ancient and modern worlds. This is Sparta: Fierce warriors of the ancient world - Craig Zimmer. The Athenian force numbered around 10,000, including 1,000 Plataeans, and was led by the Athenian General Miltiades. This legendary run is the basis for the modern track and field event. That hope for leniency was met with severe and brutal disappointment as the Persians sacked the city, burned the temples, and enslaved the population. Why was the Battle of Marathon fought in Greece? Sprinting, shouting, furious and ready to attack, that fear was pushed aside, and it must have seemed insane to the Persians. He has a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Michigan. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The Roman Republic was only six years old. And the peoples of Peru were approximately 300 years away from cultivating the potato. World History Publishing is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. In 486 BCE, Xerxes I (r. 486-465 BCE) became king upon the death of Darius and massive preparations for invasion were made. Accessed May 1, 2023. Whatever the case, the Persian horses played no significant role in the coming battle. The Battle of Marathon marked an important shift in historical momentum as the always quarrelsome, squabbling Greeks managed to stand together and defend against the powerhouse of the Persian Empire for the first time after years of fear. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. The Battle on the plain of Marathon in September 490 BCE between Greeks and the invading forces of Persian king Darius I (r. 522-486 BCE) was a victory that would go down in folklore as the moment the Greek city-states showed the world their courage and excellence and won their liberty. In 490 BCE, Darius sent his navy, with around 25,000 or 30,000 soldiers, led by Datis and Artaphernes, to invade mainland Greece. He suggests that the summer heat of August may have pushed the runner succeed. "Battle of Thermopylae." After the battle, Xerxes ordered that Leonidas' head be put on a stake and displayed at the battlefield. The Greek position was a terribly precarious one. of History, US Military Academy (CC BY-SA). Olympos, but these withdrew when the massive size of the invading army was revealed. In the resulting battle, the Persian arrows proved almost entirely ineffective against Greek armor and shields. Why did the Athenians win at Marathon? Along with the tangible and strategic factors that propelled the Athenians to victory were several intangibles that factored in their favor , including their love of freedom and rights as citizens that they did not want to lose; the fear of what the Persians would do to their city and families if they were to lose the Their army, along with a small number of allies, had engaged with a larger force of Persians in the small bay of Marathon desperately hoping that the claustrophobic landscape would prevent the near-invincible forces led by King Darius I from wreaking terrible revenge on the city of Athens. 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. (2021, September 9). The Spartans declined to send aid at that time, due to a religious ceremony, but promised to come after the next full moon. Finding no battle to be fought, the Spartans toured the bloody battlefield, still littered with numerous rotting corpses the cremation and burial of which took days and offered their praise and congratulations. She has taught college History and Government courses. Why was the Battle of Marathon important? His strategy was victorious over the Persians strength, and the victory of the Marathon men captured the collective imagination of the Greeks. The dry reed buildings went up like tinder, and the resulting inferno consumed the city. 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. There was a single disadvantage, though the hills surrounding the plain of Marathon offered only one exit through which a large army could quickly march, and the Athenians had fortified it, ensuring that any attempt to take it would be dangerous and deadly. Not only Greek military ideas, but also Greek philosophical ideas survived and flourished thanks to the Greek victory over the Persians. A soldier by the name of Pheidippides burst through still clad in full armor, splattered with blood and dripping with sweat. This allowed Greek ideas to further develop and spread, greatly influencing the Western world even today. that Darius would make strides towards the conquest of stronger Greek resistance. The Battle of Marathon was fought because the Persian Army wanted to defeat the Greek city-states that supported the uprisings in Ionia, part of modern-day Turkey, against the Persian Empire. The Battle of Marathon also gave rise to the legend that the Athenian herald Pheidippides ran from the battlefield to Athens to announce the Greek victory before dropping dead. Most modern historians believe the Greeks marched at normal speed until they arrived within range of the Persian archers (approximately 200 meters) and then ran the remaining distance in order to close the gap more quickly. The Athenian and Plataean dead of Marathon were buried on the battlefield in two tumuli. WebThe Battle's Significance. Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. The Greek army inflicted a crushing defeat on the more numerous Persians, marking a turning point in the Greco-Persian Wars. Sign up for our free weekly email newsletter! It was a decision which bought time for the mobilization of Greek coalition forces that stood victorious against the same enemy at the decisive battles of Salamis and Platea tilting the scales of power in the Greco-Persian Wars towards Greece, and giving birth to an era of Athenian imperial expansion that eventually brought it to fight Sparta in the Peloponnesian War. With no choice but to act, the Greeks took the initiative. 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. 30 chapters | Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University. They also relied on more mixed tactics. The Battle of Marathon is one of the many battles that Persians and Greeks fought against one another; it was also an important battle in deciding the future fate of Greece as a country of free men. The second day followed the pattern of the first, and the Greek forces still held the pass. The Battle of Marathon was the first major victory for the Greeks over the Persians and gave them confidence that they could be defeated. The historian Herodotus reports that their retreat was disciplined and organized. Desperation can be a powerful motivator. Consequences. At close quarters, the longer spears, heavier swords, better armour, and rigid discipline of the phalanx formation meant that the Greek hoplites would have all of the advantages, and in the narrow confines of the terrain, the Persians would struggle to make their vastly superior numbers tell. To link to this article in the text of an online publication, please use this URL: https://historycooperative.org/the-battle-of-marathon/. - Stories, Character Traits & Analysis, Xenophanes of Colophon: Philosophy, Quotes & Biography, AP World History - Hellenism and Athenian Philosophy: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - The Rise of the Roman Republic: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - The Fall of the Roman Empire: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - The Dark Ages: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - Early Middle Ages: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - The Medieval Warm Period: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - The High Middle Ages: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - Asia, Africa & America (1000-1300 CE): Tutoring Solution, AP World History - The Late Middle Ages: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - The Renaissance: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - The Age of Exploration: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - The Reformation Across Europe: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - The Elizabethan Era: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - The Enlightenment: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - Political, Technological, and Intellectual Developments (1750-1914): Tutoring Solution, AP World History - Colonialism: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - Imperialism: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - World War I: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - World War II: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - The Cold War and Other 20th Century World History: Tutoring Solution, AP World History - A Globalized World - 1980 & Beyond: Tutoring Solution, Portions of the AP World History Exam: Tutoring Solution, How to Write a Good Essay on Your AP World History Exam: Tutoring Solution, Developing and Writing Your AP World History Exam Essay: Tutoring Solution, NY Regents Exam - US History and Government: Help and Review, AP European History: Homework Help Resource, GED Social Studies: Civics & Government, US History, Economics, Geography & World, CLEP Western Civilization I - Ancient Near East to 1648 Prep, High School World History: Help and Review, Who was the Goddess Athena? On top of that, defeat at the battle of Marathon meant the utter destruction of Athens. What Was the Significance of the Battle of Marathon? From behind the shields, the hoplites could still strike at their enemies with their long spears. With all prepared, the trumpets sounded and Miltiades ordered, At them!. The Greeks captured seven of the Persian ships, though the rest managed to launch and escape. They had no choice but to make this stand with nothing but the help of a small allied force numbers and morale only bolstered by a detachment of soldiers from the nearby Greek city of Platea, repaying the support Athens had shown them in defending against an invasion some years prior. "Battle of Thermopylae." Ten years later the Persians returned and won a victory at Thermopylae before being defeated by the Greeks at Salamis. Xerxes returned home to his palace at Sousa and left the gifted general Mardonius in charge of the invasion. Most of what we know comes to us from the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who was writing of these events decades after they occurred. What happened to Athens after the Battle of Marathon? Darius' response to this diplomatic outrage was to launch a naval force of 600 ships and 25,000 men to attack the Cyclades and Euboea, leaving the Persians just one step away from the rest of Greece. Though the Persians did try again with a second invasion in 480 BCE, that, too, was ultimately beaten back by the Greeks in 479 BCE. When did Terry Fox start his marathon of Hope? February 1979 Terry begins training for his Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada run to raise money for cancer research and awareness. During his training he runs over 5,000 kilometres (3,107 miles). And worse to the slaughter or imprisonment of their families; their wives; their children. The Byzantine Suda, Cavalry Away, https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-html/. Wild in their fear, some of the Persians tried to escape via the nearby swamps, ignorant and unaware of the treacherous terrain, where they drowned. For five days the armies squared off with little movement. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Leonidas had stationed the contingent of Phokian troops to guard this vital point but they, thinking themselves the primary target of this new development, withdrew to a higher defensive position when the Immortals attacked. The modern marathon race is named for this incorrect telling of events. Why did Terry Fox Run the marathon of Hope? Inspired by Dick Traum, an amputee who had run the New York City Marathon, he decided to run across Canada to raise awareness for cancer. Thats how the Marathon of Hope was born. After training for more than a year, Terry Fox began his nearly impossible feat on April 12, 1980, on the east It is possible that the Persian cavalry was not present at this time, thus prompting the Greeks to attack at that moment. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. They joined with the Spartans and King Leonidas during the legendary suicidal stand in the pass of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans stood against tens of thousands of Persian soldiers. Defeated, the Persians departed from the area and sailed south to attack Athens directly. It was a move that ultimately turned into a major tactical error; the Athenians, faced with the same life and death decision, knew that to follow Eretria would mean their death. The battle of Marathon: what happened? Battle of Thermopylae. Indeed, Spartan indifference is epitomised by Dieneces, who, when told that the Persian arrows would be so dense as to darken the sun, replied that in that case the Spartans would have the pleasure of fighting in the shade. Free men, in respect of their own laws, had sacrificed themselves in order to defend their way of life against foreign aggression. Athens and Eretria agreed and sent a number of ships. Last mile update 11:39 a.m. 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. on the seaside Grecian plain of Marathon. The Athenian Treasury at Delphi was built out of the spoils of the battle. The marathon race is named after the false story that Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens (a distance of 26.2 miles) to deliver news of the victory. The Greek tactic of feigning a disorganised retreat and then turning on the enemy in the phalanx formation also worked well, lessening the threat from Persian arrows and perhaps the hoplites surprised the Persians with their disciplined mobility, a benefit of being a professionally trained army. Athenians led a small group of Greek coalition forces to victory against the powerful invading Persian army, which was much larger and much more dangerous. In 490 BCE Greek forces led by Athens met the Persians in battle at Marathon and defeated the invaders. Indeed, for this very reason, the Spartans had arrived too late at the earlier Battle of Marathon. Perhaps at this point the Theban contingent may have surrendered (although this is disputed amongst scholars). The Battle of Marathon was where Athenians thwarted the Persian attempt to subdue it. 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). Mark is a full-time author, researcher, historian, and editor. 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. But the Greeks remained outnumbered and outmatched, the enemy they faced, according to ancient historians, standing at over 100,000 men strong. There is also a lesser known, grueling, long-distance event of 246 kilometers (153 miles) that recreates Pheidippides actual run from Athens to Sparta, known as the Spartathlon.. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. However long the distance, by running into battle, the Greeks limited the time they were exposed to Persian arrows. License. The Battle of Marathon was a conflict between Athens and the Persian Empire in 490 B.C.E that stemmed from Athenians providing aid to rebels in Ionia who were fighting They were accepted as a vassal kingdom of Persia, and in doing so, opened a route for Persian influence and rule into Greece. The Battle of Marathon occurred in 490 BCE, when the Persian Empire was at its height. An ambitious conjecture seeks to equate the 192 Marathon The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. On the sixth day, however, the Athenians inexplicably abandoned their plan of maintaining a defensive stance and attacked the Persians, a decision that seems foolhardy considering the enemy they faced. Peloponnesian War Causes & Results | What Caused the Peloponnesian War? WebYoure Temporarily Blocked. Persia, with the largest empire in the world, was vastly superior in men and resources and now these would be fully utilised for a full-scale attack. He also has secondary teaching certification from the state of Michigan. No Persian accounts of the Greco-Persian Wars, including the Battle of Marathon, have been passed down to us. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Losing 300 ships and 20,000 men in the disaster, Mardonius elected to withdraw back towards Asia. The pass had also been fortified by the local Phokians who built a defensive wall running from the so-called Middle Gate down to the sea. It managed to endure six days of brutal siege before two noblemen of high standing betrayed the city and opened the gates, believing that their surrender would mean their survival. Pursuing the Greek center, the Persians quickly found themselves flanked on both sides by Militiades' strengthened wings which had routed their opposite numbers. He ran a distance of over 225 kilometers (140 miles), arriving in Sparta the day after he left. 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. Because they were in a religious ceremony and had to wait until the next full moon which was when it There, they could attempt to bottleneck the Persian attack, minimize the numerical advantage that the Persian army brought, and hopefully keep them from reaching Athens until the Spartans could arrive. Discover the significance of the Battle of Marathon through maps and historical accounts. ThoughtCo. 3 What was the most important impact of the Battle of Marathon? Last modified April 16, 2013. began the Golden Age of Athens The Battle of Marathon - Facts, Summary, and Significance - S In the wake of the Ionian Revolt (499 BC-494 BC), the emperor of the Persian Empire, Darius I, dispatched an army to Greece to punish those city-states that had aided the rebels. On the first day, Xerxes sent his Median and Kissian troops, and after their failure to clear the pass, the elite Immortals entered the battle but in the brutal close-quarter fighting, the Greeks held firm. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. It looks like you were misusing this feature by going too fast. The Persian Empire in 500 BC. Special interests include art, architecture, and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share. After the Athenians impressive defeat of the Persians, Datis the general in charge of leading Darius army withdrew his forces from Grecian territory and returned to Persia. Only 192 Greeks died in the fighting. What were the consequences of the battle of Marathon? This is why a full marathon race is 26.2 miles. Tomb of the Plataeans at Marathon. This was not forthcoming as the Athenian messenger had arrived during the festival of Carneia, a sacred time of peace. The Origin of Hotdogs, The History of Boracay Island in The Philippines. The Greeks learning these lessons when they did had a powerful impact on the course of world history. He betrayed Darius when tensions rose with Greece, returning home to take a command in the Athenian army. I feel like its a lifeline. It often said that the battle of Marathon was one of the few really decisive battles in history. As the armies clashed, the thinner Greek center was quickly pushed back. Figure 1: A map of Ancient Greece with regional dialects. Athenians led a small group of Greek coalition forces to victory WebWhy couldnt the Spartans help the Athenians in the Battle of Marathon right away? Darius the Great Accomplishments: Lesson for Kids, Mycenae Civilization & Culture | Facts About Mycenaean Greece, Athens vs. Sparta | Life Differences Between Athens & Sparta. With hard to meet entry requirements and checkpoints set up during the actual race, the course is much more extreme, and runners are often pulled before the end due to being overly fatigued. World History Encyclopedia. In this lesson, pupils will play a starter game to learn about warfare in Ancient Greek times, including armour and fighting formation. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. A Grecian named Yiannis Kouros was the first to win it and still holds the fastest times ever recorded. In another feat of incredible strength and endurance, the main body of the Athenians reformed and marched back to Athens at top speed, arriving in time to dissuade the Persian army from landing and launching their planned attack on the city. The front row would hold their shield in front and present a solid shield-wall. At that time, the Ionian Greeks were subject to the Persian King Darius I. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. The romantic tale of the runners joyful sacrifice (which caught the imagination of 19th century writers and popularized the myth, but was in reality far more impressive, and far less tragic) tells of an incredible long distance run to beg the military assistance of Sparta, and the determined quick march of the battle-worn Athenians from Marathon back to Athens to defend their city. Why did Persia lose the Battle of Marathon? 1. All rights reserved. Moving south, the Persians landed near Marathon, approximately 25 miles north of Athens. But, in late 486 B.C., only a handful of years after Marathon, he became seriously ill. Books Then after much discussion and compromise between Greek city-states, suspicious of each others' motives, a joint army of between 6,000 and 7,000 men was sent to defend the pass at Thermopylae through which the Persians must enter mainland Greece. Conceived as a purely maritime enterprise, Darius assigned command of the expedition to the Median admiral Datis and the son of the satrap of Sardis, Artaphernes. Miltiades employed a successful strategy in which he weakened the center of his force to strengthen its wings, causing confusion among the Persians. 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. 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. The wall was in a state of ruin, but the Spartans made the best repairs they could in the circumstances. The runner Pheidippides ran from Athens to Sparta and back again in just three days. Herodotus contradicts this legend and states that Pheidippides ran from Athens to Sparta to seek aid before the battle. Finally, the Greek commander, Miltiades, elected to attack after receiving favorable omens. The Greek victory over the Persians also proved the superiority of the phalanx over the tactics used by eastern powers. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. The Greeks' favored way of fighting was in a formation called the phalanx. 429 lessons. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. - Mythology & Facts, Who was Telemachus? The outnumbered Athenians famously defeated the Persian armies on the beach of Marathon, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Athens. Before the Athenian army departed, the elected city magistrates, or archons, had dispatched Pheidippides an athletic message carrier whose profession, called a hemerodromos (meaning day-long-runner), bordered a sacred calling on a desperate plea for assistance. Hoplites fighting in a phalanx became the most common method of warfare for hundreds of years. Because they could spread freely, these ideas greatly influenced the history of the world, particularly in the West. WebWhat happened at the battle of Marathon? The Battle of Marathon still has influence on the world today, remembered in the worlds most popular international sporting event the Olympics. Thermopylae 480 BC: Last stand of the 300, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. 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. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/persian-wars-battle-of-marathon-p2-2360876. Mound (soros) in which the Athenian dead were buried after the Battle of Marathon. This event was later conflated with the soon-to-be victorious Athenians marching back to Athens at a quickened pace. Figure 2: A possible position of the Greek and Persian armies in an initial stand-off at Marathon. The Spartan army couldnt possibly assemble and provide Athens the aid they requested for another ten days. Anticipating this, Militiades quickly returned the bulk of the army to the city. With this declaration, Pheidippides likely thought it was the end of everything he knew and loved. The battle would take on mythical status amongst the Greeks, Winter halted the land campaign, though, and at Salamis the Greek fleet manoeuvred the Persians into shallow waters and won a resounding victory. Shortly afterward, the Persian center also crumbled and fled. Where was the Athenians buried after the Battle of Marathon? As Simonedes' epitaph at the site of the fallen stated: 'Go tell the Spartans, you who read: We took their orders and here lie dead'. He holds an MA in Political Philosophy and is the WHE Publishing Director. 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. The Spartans assured him that they were eager to help, but they were in the middle of their festival of Carneia, a fertility celebration associated with the god Apollo; a period during which they observed a strict peace.