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.

Who was defeated at the Battle of Marathon?

At the Battle of Marathon, Athens’ underdog victory stunned Persia. The surprise defeat of the mighty Persian Empire in 490 B.C. began the Golden Age of Athens and the Greco-Persian wars. A well-armed Greek hoplite (right) slays a Persian soldier in a detail from a 5th-century B.C. ceramic.

Who did the Athenians fight in the Battle of Marathon?

Battle of Marathon, (September 490 bce), in the Greco-Persian Wars, decisive battle fought on the Marathon plain of northeastern Attica in which the Athenians, in a single afternoon, repulsed the first Persian invasion of Greece.

Who defeated Persians at Marathon?

During the Battle of Marathon, 10,000 Greek citizens defeated the numerically superior Persian army. How did the Athenians win, and why were they involved in the Persian Wars? In 499 BCE, the Greek city-states of Ionia revolted against Darius I of the Achaemenid Empire.

Who was the winner of the Battle of Marathon?

An Athenian-led Army Won the Battle of Marathon



Because Athens was the nearest city, it was the Athenians who first spotted Persian troops arriving into the bay of Marathon. The army that eventually defeated the Persians was made up predominantly of these Athenians.

What empires were fighting in the Battle of Marathon?

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.

Who was the Athenian who ran from Marathon to Athens?

Pheidippides

marathon. …followed the legendary route of Pheidippides, a trained runner who was believed to have been sent from the plain of Marathon to Athens to announce the defeat of an invading Persian army in 490 bce.

How many Persians fought in the Battle of Marathon?

Kleanthis Sandayiosis talks of 60,000 to 100,000 Persian soldiers; Christian Meier talks of over 90,000 battle troops, Peter Green of over 80,000 including the rowers; Stecchini believes there were 60,000 Persian soldiers in Marathon .

Why did the Persians lose at the Battle of Marathon?

The Persian army was defeated by the Greeks during the Battle of Marathon due to their lack of skill and strategy in battle. The Greeks were more

What happened at the end of the Battle of Marathon?

The battle ended when the Persian centre then broke in panic towards their ships, pursued by the Greeks. Some, unaware of the local terrain, ran towards the swamps where unknown numbers drowned. The Athenians pursued the Persians back to their ships, and managed to capture seven ships, though most were able to launch.

Why is the Battle of Marathon so famous?



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.

Who was the runner at the Battle of Marathon?

Pheidippides

Battle of Marathon



relates that a trained runner, Pheidippides (also spelled Phidippides, or Philippides), was sent from Athens to Sparta before the battle in order to request assistance from the Spartans; he is said to have covered about 150 miles (240 km) in about two days.

What empires were fighting in the Battle of Marathon?

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.