Battle of Marathon
Marathon, Greece
What happened
The Athenian general Miltiades and the war leader Callimachus led Athens and its ally Plataea against a Persian force sent by King Darius I under the commanders Datis and Artaphernes. A Persian fleet landed in the bay of Marathon, about 27 km from Athens. The Athenians blocked the ways off the plain, and the two armies waited for about five days. Then the Athenians attacked, their strong wings closed in around the Persian center, and the Persians retreated to their ships and sailed away.
Why it matters
Result: Athenian victory. Leaders: Miltiades / Callimachus against Datis / Artaphernes. Why it matters: It was the first time the Greeks had beaten the Persians, which showed that standing up to the empire was possible. It gave the young Athenian democracy new confidence and is often seen as the start of a golden age for Athens.
What came next
Darius began raising a much larger army, but a revolt in Egypt in 486 BCE delayed it. His son Xerxes I launched a second invasion of Greece in 480 BCE.
Did you know?
The story of a runner carrying news of the victory from Marathon to Athens first appears in writing centuries later; the earliest historian, Herodotus, tells instead of a runner named Pheidippides who went to Sparta to ask for help before the battle.
Timeline
- 490 BCEA Persian fleet crosses the Aegean and captures Eretria on the island of Euboea.
- Late summer 490 BCEThe Persians land at Marathon; the Athenians and Plataeans march out to meet them.
- 12 September 490 BCE (conventional date)The Athenians attack and the Persians retreat to their ships.
- Same dayThe Athenian army marches back to Athens in time to stop a Persian landing near the city.
- 1896 CEA marathon race is held at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens.