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. Miltiades, the Athenian general, ordered a general attack against the Persian forces, composed primarily of missile troops.

Why did the Persians lost at the Battle of Marathon?

The battle proved the superiority of the Greek long spear, sword, and armour over the Persians’ weapons. 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.

Why did Persia lose the Battle of Marathon quizlet?

The fact that the Persian cavalry took no part in the battle is one of the major reasons for the Persian loss and Greek victory at the battle of Marathon.

Who defeated the Persians at the Battle of Marathon?

the Athenians

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.

What happened at the Battle at Marathon in the Persian wars?

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.

How did the Persians lose to the Greeks?

The longer spears and heavier armour of the bronze-clad Greek infantry prevailed over the Persians with their short spears, wicker shields, and padded clothing. The rout was complete. According to Herodotus, the Greeks lost 192 soldiers, the Persians 6,400.

How did the Battle of Marathon end?

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.

What conflict caused the Battle of Marathon?

The Cause of 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.

What was the downfall of the Persians?

The Persian Empire began to decline under the reign of Darius’s son, Xerxes. Xerxes depleted the royal treasury with an unsuccessful campaign to invade Greece and continued with irresponsible spending upon returning home. Persia was eventually conquered by Alexander the Great in 334 B.C.E.

What is one of the reason the Persian Empire declined?

The Persian Empire entered a period of decline after a failed invasion of Greece by Xerxes I in 480 BC. The costly defense of Persia’s lands depleted the empire’s funds, leading to heavier taxation among Persia’s subjects.

Who won the Persian war and why?



Who won the Persian Wars? The alliance of Greek city-states, which included Athens and Sparta, won the Persian Wars against Persia from 490 to 480 BCE.

Why did the Persians think the Athenians were crazy at the Battle of Marathon?

The Persians saw them running to attack and prepared to receive them, thinking the Athenians absolutely crazy, since they saw how few of them there were and that they ran up so fast without either cavalry or archers.

Why is it called the Battle of Marathon?

The name Marathon comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger. The legend states that he was sent from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon (in which he had just fought), which took place in August or September, 490 BC.

How did the Persian army lose?

The Persians had a lot more soldiers, but they underestimated the fighting capability of the Greeks. The army of Athens routed the Persian army killing around 6,000 Persians and only losing 192 Greeks.

Why did the Persians think the Athenians were crazy at the Battle of Marathon?



The Persians saw them running to attack and prepared to receive them, thinking the Athenians absolutely crazy, since they saw how few of them there were and that they ran up so fast without either cavalry or archers.

Why couldn’t Spartans help in the Battle of Marathon?

Spartan Law was something that all Spartans followed closely. During the Battle of Marathon, Spartan Law instructed the Spartans to not send forces to aid Athens until the full moon had passed. Due to following this law, the Spartans did not come in time to fight in the Battle of Marathon.

Did the Persians defeat the Greeks at Marathon?

His strategy was victorious over the Persians’ strength, and the victory of “the Marathon men” captured the collective imagination of the Greeks. The tale of the messenger Pheidippides running 25 miles to Athens to deliver the news of the Persian defeat inspired the creation of the modern marathon.