Battle of Marathon

A battle fought in 490 BC near Marathon, Greece, in which Athenian and Plataean forces defeated a Persian invasion led by Datis and Artaphernes.

Marathon (plain): A coastal plain in northeastern Attica, Greece, where the Battle of Marathon was fought. Its marshes and confined approaches shaped the armies’ positions and movement.
Ionian Revolt: A revolt of Greek cities in Asia Minor against Persian rule from 499 to 494 BC. Athenian support for the revolt helped provoke the Persian campaign against Athens.
Herodotus: A Greek historian of the fifth century BC whose Histories recount the Greco-Persian Wars. His account is the principal surviving narrative of Marathon’s events.
Second Persian invasion of Greece: The Persian invasion of Greece in 480–479 BC, led by Xerxes I. Persian defeat at Marathon did not prevent a renewed invasion ten years later.
Miltiades: An Athenian general and politician who commanded at Marathon. His command helped determine when and how the Athenians attacked.
Darius I: King of the Persian Empire from 522 to 486 BC, who expanded and consolidated its rule. He ordered the expedition intended to punish Athens and extend Persian influence.
Callimachus of Aphidnae: An Athenian polemarch who held military authority during the Battle of Marathon. Herodotus describes his vote as decisive in the Athenian decision to fight.
Athenian democracy: A system of direct political participation developed by male citizens in classical Athens. The victory strengthened Athens’ confidence and standing during its democratic era.
Datis: A Median commander who led the Persian expedition against Greece in 490 BC. He commanded the Persian force that landed near Marathon.
Achaemenid Empire: The Persian Empire founded by Cyrus the Great, which ruled much of western and central Asia from the sixth to fourth centuries BC. Its imperial expansion brought Persian forces into conflict with Greek cities.

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