THE PERSIAN WARS |
*invasion of 490 BC: Battle of Marathon, role of Miltiades
|
The Battle of MARATHON 490BC
Following Mardonius' Campaign:
'Darius now began to put out feelers to test the attitude of the Greeks, and to find out whether they were likely to resist or surrender. He sent heralds to the various Greek states to demand earth and water for the King ... ' - Herodotus ' ... [Darius] sent orders to the Asiatic coast towns which were already tributary for the provision of warships and transport vessels to carry cavalry.' - Herodotus 'In consequence of the ill success of his previous expedition he releived Mardonius of his command, and appointed other generals ...' - Herodotus ' . . . Their orders were to reduce Athens and Eretria to slavery and to bring the slaves before the king.' - Herodotus |
Darius' demands for submission *What was the significance of the 'earth and water'? *What was the reaction of Athens and Sparta? *For what reasons did the islands of the Aegean submit? Recruitment of an army and a fleet Selection of leaders - Datis & Artaphernes Darius' aims |
DEBATE:
OPTION 1: It was only a punitive expedition, a border conflict at the edge of the Persian Empire with no intention to subjugate all of Greece.
OPTION 2: The campaign was more than simple punishment, it was a paramount step in the process of Persian expansion in the region.
Prelude to the battle...
High res' oblique photo - Archimedes Nikolakis @GREECE.com
|
The Armchair Historian's overview - Persian 'island hopping'
|
Development in Athens
The route taken by Darius The fate of Eretria The Athenian appeal to Sparta The Persian landing at Marathon Athenian leadership and strategy |
• While Athens and Aegina were at each other's throats, the king of Persia continued to mature his plans' and Miltiades, 'getting home to what looked like safety found his enemies waiting for him'. - Herodotus
1 Why were Athens and Aegina enemies? • The Persians 'started at Samos and sailed across the lcarian Sea and through the islands. 1 Consider why the Persians chose this route. 2 What is significant about the fate of Naxos, Delos, the other islands and Carystus? • At the news of the Persian approach the people of Eretria at once called to Athens for help. The Athenians decided that sending a large force would be pointless, they did however offer to leave the 4,000 cleruchs there to help defend the city. Eretria nobly tol them there was no point staying and they should head back to Athens. After a costly seige, Eretria was laid to waste by Persia, slaves and prisoners weer sent back to the empire. • Before they left the city the Athenian generals sent off a message to Sparta. The Spartans were unable to send help immediately, despite their willingness to do so. The Camean festival of Apollo was celebrated under the moon in the bright summer evenings of the second month of the year (beginning at the first new moon after the midsummer solstice and culminating at the second full moon). This was a month in which Dorians did not engage in warfare, and their religious principles were sincere. The week leading up to the full moon was the most sacred part of this sacred month. • Having mastered Eretria, the Persians waited a few days and then sailed for Attica, flushed with victory and confident that they would treat Athens in the same way. The Persians chose Marathon for a landing in Attica, likely on the advice of Hippias as it had potection from the Cynosura Promontory, easy access by road to Athens, held open spaces to deploy the cavalry and was an area known as a homeland to the Peisistratids, Hippias' family. • Amongst the Athenian commanders opinion was divided. There had been serious debate at Athens as some citizens preferred to defend the walls while others, like Miltiades, had urged the Athenians to march out and meet the enemy. A decree ('Miltiades' Decree') was known to fourth-century sources and indicates that Miltiades was able to persuade the council and the polemarch, Callimachus, to give the orders to take food and march out if the Persians landed. |
Course of the battle...
A play by play map from Pamela Bradley's ANCIENT GREECE
ANALYSIS = Good listening...
Ryan Stitt is what we could classify as a Popular Historian. This means that he has no academic qualifications, other than an undergraduate degree, however his research and preparation for his podcasts is comendable. It is accessible and caters to the general public. There is analysis, meticulous detail and historiography. Is that good enough?
|
Prof. Donald Kagan's - Intro to Ancient Greece lectures - specifically this one is on MARATHON.
A houshold name at Yale University, Kagan is an authority on Ancient Greek history. |
Some things to watch...
This film is a little Mickey Mouse. It sticks to Herodotus' main narrative with little historiography or analysis - for instance the debate over the actual influence of Miltiades in the battle... We are smarter than that! But it does give you that narrative, Persian tactics, weaponry and hoplite warfare etc, Click the linked title or picture above.
Look... It's a very dramatic video, cut together with Rome Total War II's engine, but it is one of the best recreations I've seen. With no narrative to explain what to watch for, there are certain detailes that were included that were very well done! Your job is to learn the battle, then look for the accurate and inaccurate features.
The aftermath of Marathon...
Forced march back to Athens Persians retreat to Asia Minor Spartans arrive late - deliberately? Marathon legend begins |
The immediate repercussions of the battle:
1 The Athenian generals, realising the danger to Athens from Hippias' friends and the possible landing of Persian troops on the beach at Phalerum, left Aristides and his regiment to guard the prisoners and spoil and rushed back to Athens with their regiments. 2 The Persians collected their Eretrian prisoners, appeared within sight of Athens, then turned for Asia. 3 The Spartans (approximately 2000) arrived at Athens soon after and in a desire to see the site of battle, armour and weapons of the Persians, marched to Marathon. They congratulated the Athenians on their victory and returned home to Sparta. Debate rages over their intentions, weer they generally pious and serious about their religious customs? Did they resent growing Athenian democracy following their recent interference in the 6th century? Would it benefit them for Athens to lose? 4 The Greek dead were cremated and their ashes buried under a mound (called the Soros), originally 12 metres high. (It was first excavated in 1890 and a flat pavement covered in bones and ashes was found, as well as a pit for sacrificial animals and a large number of funeral vessels.) On the mound were placed inscribed marble slabs commemorating those who fell, and it became the site of continued local worship. Today the mound is still 9 metres high. Pheidippides' run become part of the legacy. |
ARCHAEOLOGY
The physical evidence cannot be ignored and should be referenced in responses. It plays an important role in understanding the battle, legitimising parts of Herodotus and consolidating the existence and importance of the battle in the context of the Greco-Persian Wars.
@toursofathens.com
|
@livius.org
|
@P. Bradley - Ancient Greece
|
.The mound of Marathon (soros); originally 12 metres high, this burial mound of the 192 Athenians killed at Marathon stands near the centre of the battlefield. It has been excavated by the Greek government, revealing burnt bones, a sacrificial pit and fragments of thirty funeral urns. Today it still stands 9 metres high.
|
A Corinthian type of bronze helmet, inscribed with the words 'Miltiades dedicated me'. It was probably worn at the Battle of Marathon (c.550-489).
|
Fragment of a monument erected in Athens to commemorate Marathon. The inscription includes the words 'The valour of these men will shine as a light, imperishable forever'.
|
Significance of Marathon...
For the Persians
1 The Battle of Marathon was the first real check to Persia's plans for western expansion. 2 Although it left the Persians weakened for the moment, it was only a temporary setback and did not deter them from making another attempt. 3 Darius was more determined than ever on revenge against Athens. 4 They had learnt a great deal about the Greeks, and realised the mistake in their strategy. In any future invasion they would return to the plan of Mardonius in 492; that is, a combined military and naval advance around the northern Aegean. 5 They believed that far greater forces and more careful preparations would be necessary next time. These massive preparations were put into effect almost immediately. |
For the Greeks
1 The moral victory for Athens was far greater than the military victory. They believed 'the gods had been with them' and would continue to help them in any future confrontation. This built up their confidence. 2 The Greeks no longer believed the Persians were unbeatable and they would be more inclined to join in a common cause if the Persians attacked again. By their examination of the battlefield, the Spartans had learnt something of the conditions under which the Persian infantry could be defeated. 3 However, in their optimism the Greeks underestimated the future danger to them, and continued their quarrelling. They made no plans to defend themselves, despite adequate warnings of the Persian activities. The exception to this was the Athenian statesman Themistocles who, Plutarch says, believed that Marathon 'was only the prelude to a far greater struggle'. 4 Many saw Marathon as a victory for democracy. Changes occurred from 487, when the strategoi began to be elected by the whole people; the archons from that time onwards were selected by lot. Thus, the strategoi greatly increased in importance. 5 Athens gained in prestige; it was the beginning of her emergence as the leading state in Greece, although she was forced to accept Spartan military and naval leadership until 479. 6 Marathon almost immediately acquired a mystique, and the image of the Marathonamachoi or the 'men of Marathon' took on heroic proportions. |
Role of Miltiades
Pamela Bradley's summary of Miltiades - ANCIENT GREECE, 1988
|
THE MILTIADES FACTOR:
Miltiades' career was nothing short of turbulent. There exists debate on his actual contributions to the Battle of Marathon. The debate is defined through the lens of his contributions to STRATEGY and TACTICS. Herodotus for example does not mention the personal involvement of Miltiades in the fighting, only the council of war held by the strategoi before the battle. He has an influence voice from previous experience with the Persian military during Darius' Scythian campaign in 513BC. There also exists the legacy that was created for Miltiades following the battle. He is heaped with honours and praise following Marathon. The sheer fact that without justification, the assembly allowed him to take the Athenian fleet on a campaign to Paros in the motnhs following, convinced by no other argument than it would bring"great wealth" shows that no matter the facts, he was held in high regard and any subsequent proposals would have merit and a support base in Athens. Paros was in fact a disaster and his trial and fines upon return cast doubt into his proposed military genius. The narrative that therefore has evolved through historiography is one that has no clear facts, only opinions through the little that remains of archaeological and written sources. WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO IN THIS SYLLABUS DOT POINT IS IDENTIFY THE EVIDENCE, AGRUMENTS AND COUNTER-ARGUMENTS THAT EXIST WITH HIS ROLE BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER MARATHON. |