The Athenians' victory at Marathon is famous because the odds were so stacked against them. It is estimated that the Persians outnumbered the Athenians at around 10 to 1. Even so, the Athenians, with the help of the nearby Plateans, were victorious over Darius's Persian army.
The Battle of Marathon
The Ionian revolt led to Darius's conquests on Greek territories. While the Persians were simply looking to expand their empire, the Greeks had a lot more at stake; the Athenians were protecting their homeland from a tyranny like the one they had only recently been freed from. The enormous Persian army met the Athenians who, though joined by the Plateans, were vastly outnumbered at Marathon. Despite the odds being stacked against them, the Athenians charged at the Persians at full speed, throwing the Persians off a bit.
…and the Persians, who saw the Athenians advancing toward them on the double, prepared to meet their attack; they assumed that the Athenians were seized by some utterly self-destructive madness, as they observed how few the Athenians were in number and how they were charging toward them with neither cavalry nor archers in support. Herodotus, Histories (VI.112)
Because of this small surprise and faltering in the Persians' expectations, the Athenians were able to gain the upper hand. The Athenian general Miltiades made the decision to use a double pincer strategy, strengthening the sides of their formation, allowing the Greeks to encircle and defeat the Persians. After their success at Marathon, the Athenians then ran all the way back to Athens to defend their city from the Persian navy who had sailed around to Athens. This run is where we get the distance for our marathon today, but most people who run marathons don't do so in full armor! Upon seeing the Athenians on the shore, the Persian army turned around to go home. One of the most striking factors of the Battle of Marathon is the number of casualties; the Persians lost 6,400 men, while the Athenians only lost 192 and the Plateans 11. Though the Battle of Marathon was not the last battle between the Greeks and Persians, it certainly set the Persians back in their quest to expand their empire.
‘The Isles of Greece’ by Lord Byron
The mountains look on Marathon – And Marathon looks on the sea; And musing there an hour alone, I dream’d that Greece might still be free; For standing on the Persians’ grave, I could not deem myself a slave.
Lord Byron wrote this poem about the glory days of Greece, and his want to see it free and glorified again. When he states that he could not deem himself a slave, he is referring to the strict rule the Greeks were under during the time of the Ottoman Empire. In the whole work, Byron refers to many mythological and historical events to support his argument that Greece deserves independence. He refers to the Battle of Marathon as Greece's glory days when the Greek people had reached a high point.
Panhellenics v Persians
One of the most interesting aspects regarding the battles between the Persians and the Panhellenics to me was the makeup of each army. The Persian army consisted of many different groups who spoke different languages and were all interspersed, expected to act as one unit. On the other hand, the Panhellenics shared a common language and were united by the fact that they were defending their homes. The Panhellenics had a lot more to lose than the Persians, and I think this allowed them to fight more valiantly. Additionally, I think that the fact that the Panhellenics were on their home turf, and knew the environment well was a large factor in their ability to strategize successfully. I think that these factors played a large role in the Panhellenics' ability to overcome the enormous Persian army, despite being outnumbered in every battle.
This lekythos, a type of vase for storing oil, depicts a scene of a woman saying goodbye to a soldier. Since hearing the story of Clytemnestra plotting her revenge while Agamemnon was away at war, I've been more aware of the families that Greek soldiers left behind every time they went off to battle. While we don't know what battle, in particular, this warrior was off to fight, I can only imagine the woman's, perhaps a mother or wife, feelings. Especially if the soldier had been heading off to fight the Persians, an army who outnumbered the Greeks so greatly, the woman must have felt incredibly anxious.
Reflection
The Battle of Marathon was not won solely with strategy, high moral, or knowledge of the environment. It is the combination of these factors that allowed the Athenians to overtake the Persians. Miltiades's unique battle strategy allowed the Athenians to surprise the Persians, and render their large size useless. The Athenians' knowledge of the land led to their ability to not only win the Battle at Marathon but also to return to their city to defend it. I believe that the high moral of the Athenians and Plateans and their need to protect their homes also aided them in their victory. It is interesting to break down all of the aspects that go into battles. The Battle of Marathon showed the importance of an army being strong in strategy and moral, rather than simply being large.
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