Millennium after millennium, the world has always born witness to conflict. While war always tends to be bloody, no conflict has managed to match the historical significance of the battle of marathon. The 490 BC conflict serves as a benchmark for other conflicts and the impact of Greek civilization.
It began with an ambitious Persian king called Darius I. As ruler, his ultimate goal was to invade Greece and place it under Persian control. Unbeknown to him, this was not going to be an easy affair as the Greeks were renowned for their military discipline and their rock solid battle formation. To wage war against the people of Athens, the Persian army relied on the command of Artaphernes and Datis.
The primary motivation for the invasion was the need for a response by the Persians to the Ionian revolt. During this revolt, the Greek states of Athens and Eretria had combined forces to help drive the Persians out of Ionia. Though successful in capturing Sardis, the allied Greek forces had to retreat as they were taking heavy casualties. The eventual result was a complete crushing of the Ionian revolt by the Persians. Maddened by the attempt by the Greeks, King Darius I swore to retaliate by burning Athens and Eretria to the ground.
During the Marathon conflict, the two largest cities in Greece were Sparta and Athens. In 490 BC, following up on his promise, King Darius I commanded his two trusted naval commanders, Datis and Artaphernes, to assemble a force and cross the Aegean Sea to Greece. The force was first tasked with besieging Cyclades upon landing.
Thereafter, the area would be used as a sort of barrack and launching pad for attacks against Eretria and Athens. The force first attacked Eretria after conquering Euboea midsummer. After laying siege to the city, the army left for Attica, with Marathon firmly in its sight.
Noting the danger at hand, the Athenians combined with a small force from Plataea. They then embarked on a march to Marathon. Their primary task was to block the two routes that acted as exits from the plains of the city.
Anticipating a large attacking force from the Persians, they had also sent a support request to Sparta. However, the request was turned down as the citizens of Sparta were concurrently overseeing a religious festival. According to Herodotus, often considered the father of history, the messenger ran an estimated distance of 140 miles to Sparta from Athens, arriving just a day later. This remarkable feat has grown to become legendary, with the modern sport attributed to it.
As was tradition, the Athenians smartly chose a marshy and mountainous region to serve as the battlefront. This inadvertently forced the Persian Calvary to break away from its main army. The Athenians then reinforced their flanks, drawing the core of the invading force to their center.
The resulting envelope resulted in the complete wipe out of the Persians. Sensing defeat, the remainder of the invaders ran towards their ships. The greatest lesson of the story is that the Athenians were able to crush their opponents without the help of the revered Spartans.
It began with an ambitious Persian king called Darius I. As ruler, his ultimate goal was to invade Greece and place it under Persian control. Unbeknown to him, this was not going to be an easy affair as the Greeks were renowned for their military discipline and their rock solid battle formation. To wage war against the people of Athens, the Persian army relied on the command of Artaphernes and Datis.
The primary motivation for the invasion was the need for a response by the Persians to the Ionian revolt. During this revolt, the Greek states of Athens and Eretria had combined forces to help drive the Persians out of Ionia. Though successful in capturing Sardis, the allied Greek forces had to retreat as they were taking heavy casualties. The eventual result was a complete crushing of the Ionian revolt by the Persians. Maddened by the attempt by the Greeks, King Darius I swore to retaliate by burning Athens and Eretria to the ground.
During the Marathon conflict, the two largest cities in Greece were Sparta and Athens. In 490 BC, following up on his promise, King Darius I commanded his two trusted naval commanders, Datis and Artaphernes, to assemble a force and cross the Aegean Sea to Greece. The force was first tasked with besieging Cyclades upon landing.
Thereafter, the area would be used as a sort of barrack and launching pad for attacks against Eretria and Athens. The force first attacked Eretria after conquering Euboea midsummer. After laying siege to the city, the army left for Attica, with Marathon firmly in its sight.
Noting the danger at hand, the Athenians combined with a small force from Plataea. They then embarked on a march to Marathon. Their primary task was to block the two routes that acted as exits from the plains of the city.
Anticipating a large attacking force from the Persians, they had also sent a support request to Sparta. However, the request was turned down as the citizens of Sparta were concurrently overseeing a religious festival. According to Herodotus, often considered the father of history, the messenger ran an estimated distance of 140 miles to Sparta from Athens, arriving just a day later. This remarkable feat has grown to become legendary, with the modern sport attributed to it.
As was tradition, the Athenians smartly chose a marshy and mountainous region to serve as the battlefront. This inadvertently forced the Persian Calvary to break away from its main army. The Athenians then reinforced their flanks, drawing the core of the invading force to their center.
The resulting envelope resulted in the complete wipe out of the Persians. Sensing defeat, the remainder of the invaders ran towards their ships. The greatest lesson of the story is that the Athenians were able to crush their opponents without the help of the revered Spartans.
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The Battle of Marathon was an epic war that took place in ancient Persia. To read more, visit this informative website at http://ancientgreecepersia.com/greek-persian-wars.html.