The Battle of Marathon
September 490 B.C.
General Significance
• Classic examples of:
– Land power vs. sea power.
– Empire versus city-states
– Heavy infantry shock system vs. light cavalry
and missile power.
Ancient Map Orientation
Detailed Map Orientation
Marathon
Greek Hoplite
Phalanx
Hoplon 3’ wide.
Hoplite
Falcata/Kopis
xiphos
Persian Armament
Orientation
• Athenians & Plateans • Persians
– Led by Miltiades & – Led by
Callimachus; Arimnestus • Datis - Army Cmdr
for the Plateans • Artaphernes - Navy Cmdr
– 10,000 troops (9k – 600 galleys
Athens/ 1k Plateans) – 10-15,000 troops (~30k total)
– Phalanx formations – Light force
– Heavy Infantry – Primarily cavalry and archers
– Shock Action/No – Missile power, no shock.
firepower
– No cavalry
– Unbreakable front,
vulnerable flanks.
Why invade the Athenians?
• With the help of Cleomenes I, King of Sparta, they
expelled King Hippias of Athens, who fled to Sardis
(Persian).
– Persia demands he be put back, war declared.
– Athens sends 20 ships to Ionia.
• Punish Eretria and Athens for supporting the Ionian revolt
in 499 B.C.
• Secure the Aegean Sea and western end of the Persian
Empire.
• Miltiades, a former vassal of Darius I, fought for him
against the Scythians in 513 BC, and now opposes him.
How to get to the fight?
Darius has 2 options:
• By land, supported • By sea, with an
logistically by the amphibious landing.
navy. – Direct route
– Persian strength - – Persia is not a naval
Army power.
– Not limited on the – Size of invasion force
number of troops limited by transport
– Long, difficult, time capacity.
consuming route.
Let’s Invade - Take 1
• 492 B.C. – Darius’ general Mardonius attacks by land, supported
logistically by the Persian navy.
– Persians conquer Thrace and Macedon (Alexander I)
– Movement halted when the navy is destroyed in a storm off of Mt
Athos.
– Army forced to retreat with heavy losses from Thracian tribes
Let’s Invade - Take 2
• 490 B.C. - Persians decide to conduct an
amphibious operation.
– Take the island of Samos and Naxos along the way. Sack Eretria first.
(Amphib Raid)
Why land Marathon?
• Why land at Marathon, far from Athens?
Why not land at Athens?
– Intel from Hippias.
– Unopposed Landing site (for cavalry?)
– Draw the garrison army out of Athens.
– Conduct an seaborne assault on an unprotected
Athens.
What happened?
• Persians land unopposed at Marathon.
• Athenians and Plateans arrive from the inland route
and observe Persians encamped on the beach.
– Wait for Spartans to reinforce (~2 weeks)
– 6th day, Miltiades orders the attack now
• Athenian, Themistocles commands the center
• Persian cavalry gone?
• Part of navy sailed away to Athens
• Distance 8 stadia (1,500 meters) at start, last 100-200
meters hoplites are at a full run (bowshot?).
Conduct of the Battle
• Athenians attack Persians on the beach.
– They extend the phalanx, reinforce the flanks and thin
their center.
– They anchor the flanks along terrain obstacles.
– Persians push through the weakened Greek center.
– The strong Greek flanks destroy the lightly armed
Persian flanks, and collapse on the Persian center
(double envelopment).
– Hand-to-hand combat = decisive victory for Athenians.
Conduct of the Battle
Persians – Frontal Attack
Athenians – Double Envelopment
What happened next?
• Datis flees with ships, Callimachus killed.
• 6,400 Persian dead; Athens 192, Platea 11
• Persian forces still en route to Athens.
• Successful, Pheidippides runs to Athens—26
miles “Νενικήκαμεν” ‘We have won’ and drops
dead.
• Persian navy retreats.
• Spartan reinforcements arrived, tour the battlefield
Conclusions
• Darius sent one land and one navy
commander (Split Command).
• Persian’s failure to move off the beach
allowed the Athenians to seize the initiative,
block exits, and choose the battlefield.
• Miltiades attempts in 489 to take allied
Persian islands in Aegean and is wounded
in the leg.
Conclusions (cont.)
• Athenians tactical control of the battle and
initiative negated the strengths of the
Persian army.
– KIA: 192 Greeks to 6,400 Persians
• Persians forced to conduct a difficult
amphibious withdrawal.
