When it comes to the Battle of Marathon, many people think of the legend of a messenger who, carrying the joyful news of the victory of the Greeks over the Persians to Athens, ran 42.195 km and, having told his fellow citizens this news, fell dead. In this regard, even in ancient times, a sports discipline arose - a 42 km race, the so-called marathon, which has come down to our days thanks to the Olympic Games. However, the Battle of Marathon itself is known for the fact that in this battle the Athenian army managed to defeat the Persian army, which outnumbered them, while the loss of the Greeks amounted to 192 people against 6400 killed by the enemy.
Sources
The battle of Marathon is covered in the VI book "History" of Herodotus. This is the main source that tells about those events, which has come down to our time. The information provided by the ancient Greek historian is often criticized, because his approach to writing his works is the principle of conveying everything that people tell him, and whether it is worth believing all this or not is a completely different question.
Many stories of Herodotus can rather be attributed to legends andshort stories. In addition, various official records and eyewitness accounts served as sources for him. Nevertheless, the data of the historian today are confirmed by various studies. According to Herodotus, the date of the Battle of Marathon is September 12, 490 BC. e.
Backstory
In the VI century BC there was an active development of the Persian Empire, constantly annexing new territories. In the end, in the west, the Achaemenid state faced a highly developed Greek civilization, whose people were very freedom-loving. And although the Persian conquerors managed to subjugate many Hellenic cities located on the western coast of Asia Minor, the Greeks continued to resist, and in 500 BC. e. an open uprising broke out in these lands, which began in Miletus. The Battle of Marathon was a bright episode of this confrontation.
However, the first years of the uprising did not bring the Hellenes, who lived in Asia Minor, great success in the fight against the conquerors. Despite the fact that Eretria and Athens provided military support to the inhabitants of Miletus, the Greeks were not able to combine all their forces and give the Persians a proper rebuff. Therefore, in 496 BC. e. The Achaemenid state suppressed the rebellions, while declaring war on the whole of Hellas.
The start of a new war
In 492 B. C. e. the first campaign against the Greeks was organized, but the fleet that ferried the army across the sea was almost completely destroyed by a raging storm. The military operation was interrupted, and the next year the Persian king Darius decided to actin another way - he sent ambassadors to Hellas, who, on his behalf, demanded obedience from the Greeks. Some cities chose to acquiesce to Darius' demands, but not all. The inhabitants of Athens and Sparta simply de alt with the Persian ambassadors.
In 490 B. C. e. the Persians are undertaking a new campaign in Hellas, and this time it starts more successfully. Their fleet safely crosses the Aegean Sea, and the army lands in the northeast of Attica - just not far from the small city of Marathon. It was in these places that the Battle of Marathon took place, which became famous throughout the world.
Preparations for battle
The Persian army consisted equally of foot archers and cavalry, the total number - twenty thousand people. The Marathon Plain was remarkably suited to their battle tactics. The Athenian army was almost half the size, but significantly outnumbered the lightly armed Persians in terms of equipment. It consisted of hoplites, dressed in armor, cuisses, copper helmets and armed with large shields and long javelins. But the battle of Marathon was won by the Greeks not only because of their good equipment. Strategy also played an important role.
Miltiades, who was one of the ten commanders who traditionally led the Greek army, was familiar with the tactics of combat by the Persians. He proposed an effective plan, but the opinions of the strategists were divided. Some of them insisted that the army return to Athens and defend the city, others wanted to meet the enemy here in the valley. ATin the end, Miltiades managed to win over the majority to his side. He said that if the battle of Marathon was won, it would save other Greek cities from destruction.
Outcome of the battle
The Persians expected that their archers would shower the enemy with a hail of arrows, and the cavalry would be able to outflank the Greeks and bring confusion to their ranks. But Miltiades foresaw the possibility of the Persians using this tactic and took retaliatory measures. But the “runaway march” technique used by the Athenian army came as a surprise to the conquerors. Approaching the Persians at a distance shot by archers, the Greeks switched to running, thereby minimizing the damage from enemy arrows. The heavily armed Hellenic hoplites were very effective in resisting both the archers and the cavalry of the Persians. The result of the battle was a disorderly retreat of the conquerors, while a significant part of the Persian army died on the battlefield.
In fact, this lost battle did not have any fatal consequences for Persia, because the Achaemenid Power was at the peak of its power and had huge resources. The year of the Battle of Marathon marked the beginning of a long period of struggle for Greek freedom.
