Battle of Marathon Facts & Worksheets

Battle of Marathon facts and information plus worksheet packs and fact file. Includes 5 activities aimed at students 11-14 years old (KS3) & 5 activities aimed at students 14-16 years old (GCSE). Great for home study or to use within the classroom environment.

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Battle of Marathon Worksheets

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Fact File

Battle of Marathon Resource 1
Battle of Marathon Resource 2

Student Activities

Battle of Marathon Activity & Answer Guide 1
Battle of Marathon Activity & Answer Guide 2
Battle of Marathon Activity & Answer Guide 3
Battle of Marathon Activity & Answer Guide 4
Table of Contents
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    Summary

    • First Persian Invasion of Greece
    • Prelude
    • Opposing Forces
    • Battle of Marathon
    • Aftermath of the Battle of Marathon

    Key Facts And Information

    Let’s find out more about the Battle of Marathon!

    The Battle of Marathon in September 490 BCE between Greeks and Persian king Darius I’s invading army was a triumph that would go down in history as the moment when the Greek city-states demonstrated their courage and quality and gained their liberty. Although the battle only delayed the Persians’ imperialistic ambitions, and more significant battles would follow, Marathon was the first time that the mighty Persian Achaemenid Empire was shown to be undefeated. The battle would be represented as a critical and defining moment in Greek history.

    Depiction of the Battle of Marathon
    Depiction of the Battle of Marathon

    FIRST PERSIAN INVASION OF GREECE

    • The Ionian Revolt, the first episode of the Greco-Persian Wars, had a direct bearing on the first Persian invasion of Greece. Still, it was also the outcome of the longer-term Greek-Persian connection. Though still starting and intensely expansionist, the Persian Empire was prone to upheavals among its subject people in 500 BCE. Besides, Darius I, the Persian monarch, was a usurper who had spent a lot of time ending uprisings against his power.
    • Though the latter kept some degree of autonomy up to 492 BCE, Darius had started to stretch the Empire into Europe, subjugating Thrace, extending over the Danube river, conquering Paeonia, and compelling Macedon to become a client country to Persia even before the Ionian Revolt.
    • Attempts at more growth into the politically divided realm of Ancient Greece would have been doomed. The Persian empire’s integrity had been directly endangered by the Ionian Revolt, though, and the states of mainland Greece remained a possible threat to its future security. Hence, Darius decided to punish those engaged in the Ionian Revolt and subdue and pacify Greece and the Aegean.
    • The initial campaign, in 492 BCE, was conducted by the Persian general Mardonius, who re-subjugated Thrace and compelled Macedon to become an utterly subordinate client kingdom inside the Achaemenid Empire. Nevertheless, more advancement was obstructed when Mardonius, a Persian military commander’s ship, was destroyed in a tempest near the shores of Mount Athos.
    • The subsequent year, having revealed his plans, Darius dispatched envoys throughout Greece, demanding their allegiance. He obtained it from nearly all save for Athens and Sparta, both of which executed the dispatched envoys. As Athens remained resolute and Sparta was now engaged in conflict with the Persians, Darius commanded an additional military expedition for the subsequent year.
    • The second Persian campaign, occurring in 490 BCE, was commanded by Persian leaders Datis and Artaphernes. The expedition initially targeted Naxos, which was seized and incinerated, before advancing on the remaining Cycladic Islands, incorporating them into the Achaemenid Empire. 
    Image depicting Xerxes I
    Image depicting Xerxes I
    • Upon arriving in Greece, they disembarked at Eretria, which they then besieged and captured after a short duration. The Eritreans were subjugated, and their city was incinerated. Ultimately, the expedition proceeded to Attica, disembarking at Marathon on its way to Athens. There, they encountered a weaker Athenian force, who yet achieved a notable victory. This setback hindered the successful completion of the war, leading the Persian expedition to return to West Asia.
    • Nevertheless, they achieved most of their objectives, effectively punishing Naxos and Eretria, extending Persian dominion over much of the Aegean, and entirely incorporating Macedon. The unresolved matters from this campaign prompted Darius to strategise for a more extensive invasion of Greece, with the objective of decisively subjugating it and exacting retribution on Athens and Sparta. 
    • Nonetheless, internal discord within the Achaemenid Empire postponed this mission, and Darius subsequently succumbed to old age. Xerxes I, his son, was tasked with leading the second Persian invasion of Greece, commencing in 480 BCE.

    PRELUDE

    • The exiled Athenian ruler Hippias advised the Persians to sail down the coast of Attica and dock at Marathon Bay, 27 kilometres (17 mi) northeast of Athens. The Athenian army marched fast to block the two exits from Marathon and prevent the Persians from marching interior under Miltiades, the Athenian general with the most experience battling the Persians. Athens’s greatest runner, Pheidippides, was dispatched to Sparta to implore that the Spartan troops help Athens. 
    • Pheidippides arrived during Carneia, a sacred peace festival, and was told that the Spartan army could not march to war until the full moon rose and that Athens could not anticipate reinforcement for at least ten days. 
    • The Athenians would have to hold out at Marathon for now, but they were bolstered by 1,000 hoplites from the tiny city of Plataea, which calmed them and earned them eternal gratitude.
    • Thus, the troops fought a stalemate over the Marathon for five days. Depending on the reading, a tree grove or stake abbatis protected the Athenian camp’s flanks. Every day brought the Spartans closer, therefore the delay benefited the Athenians. 
    • Miltiades was one of 10 Athenian generals nominated by each of the 10 tribes at Marathon. War-Archon (polemarch) Callimachus, elected by the citizens, was in control. Herodotus, a Greek historian and geographer, claims that generals took turns leading the army for a day.
    • Herodotus further claims that each strategist deferred to Miltiades on his day in command. According to Herodotus, Miltiades wants to fight the Persians, but he waits until his day of command to attack. Unfortunately, the Athenians had little to gain by attacking before the Spartans arrived, and there is no trace of this rotating generalship. 

    OPPOSING FORCES

    • Herodotus gives lunisolar calendar dates for various events, which each Greek city-state utilised. Astronomical computation offers an absolute date in the proleptic Julian calendar, which historians utilise as their chronological frame. This depends on when the Spartans conducted their festival; the Spartan calendar may have been one month ahead of Athens. 
    • Datis commanded the Persian army since Darius did not lead the invasion. Darius’ nephew Artaphernes may have headed the Persian cavalry as second-in-command. Based on the number of ships, the Persian army may have had 90,000 troops. 
    • The battling soldiers may have been two baivarabam regiments or 20,000–25,000. Probably 2,000 cavalry and most archers. The Persian army came from several states, but the Persians and Sakai were the strongest fighters.
    • The Greeks were led by either Callimachus or Miltiades, who had served under Darius in Scythia and had considerable Persian military knowledge. 
    • The Athenians had 9,000 hoplites, and Arimnestos led 1,000 Plataeans. Total force was estimated between 10,000 and 20,000 but likely lower.

    BATTLE OF MARATHON

    • At the fight, the two armies were separated by a distance not less than 1,500 meters. Miltiades ordered the Leontis tribe, commanded by Themistocles, and the Antiochis tribe, led by Aristides, to form the centre of the Greek formation in four ranks, while the tribes on their wings formed eight ranks. Ancient and modern historians disagree again about the Persian cavalry’s inexplicable absence from battle. 
    • Datis may have been unable to use them effectively due to the sporadic trees on the plain, or he may have sent them (or planned to send them) with other troops to Athens to take the city while the Greeks were at Marathon, or their absence was meant to tempt the Greek army to fight before the Spartans arrived. Both sides’ infantry fought eventually. 
    • The two armies collided after moving approaching one other and maybe with the Greeks rushing the final 400 metres under Persian archer fire. 
    • The Persian centre eventually pushed the feeble Greek centre back after a terrible battle. Greek right and left flanks defeated the Persians, forcing them back. The lines broke, causing a chaotic melee. After being routed on both sides, the Persians fled to their ships over a marshy area. Greek wings closed in on the Persian centre and pursued the fleeing flanks, inflicting massive casualties in the disorganised retreat. Callimachus was killed in battle around the Persian ships. The Greeks took seven hostile vessels, while the remainder escaped with any Persians who climbed aboard.
    • Greek triumph was wonderful. According to records, 6,400 Persians died for 192 Greeks. The first statistic is accurate, but the second is likely a propaganda underestimation. Datis sailed towards Cape Sounion to assault Athens while the Greek army was gone. A traitor’s shield signal from Mt. Pentelikos, maybe erroneously attributed to the Alkemeonidai clan, may have warned the Greeks.
    • Though tired, the Greek army had to return to Athens immediately to defend it. Their arrival at night the same day discouraged the Persians anchored off Phaleron, and the navy returned to Asia. Finally arriving, 2,000 Spartans were unnecessary because victory was assured.

    AFTERMATH OF THE BATTLE MARATHON

    • Back at Marathon, the dead were burned and buried ( the burial mound is still visible), and a commemorative column trophy was erected. The Athenians honoured Callimachus with a column and statue of Iris on their acropolis, while statues and war booty were dedicated at Delphi, commemorating his role in the triumph. 
    • After Darius raised a massive army to subjugate Greece, his Egyptian subjects revolted in 486 BCE, delaying any Greek expedition. Darius died preparing to march on Egypt, leaving his son Xerxes I to rule Persia. Xerxes suppressed the Egyptian insurrection and swiftly began Greece's invasion preparations. 
    • The Persians won the battles of Thermopylae and Artemisium in 480 BCE to start their epic second invasion of Greece. Xerxes burned Athens to the ground when Athenians fled, and the following year, the expedition ended with a Greek triumph at Plataea.

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    Frequently Asked Questions About The Battle of Marathon

    • What was the Battle of Marathon?

      The Battle of Marathon was a significant battle fought in 490 BCE during the Greco-Persian Wars.

    • Why did the Battle of Marathon happen?

      The battle occurred because the Persian Empire sought to punish Athens and Eretria for supporting the Ionian Revolt, in which Greek city-states in Asia Minor rebelled against Persian rule.

    • Who were the key leaders in the Battle of Marathon?

      Miltiades, an Athenian general, played a critical role in devising the strategy that led to Greek victory. Datis and Artaphernes commanded the Persian forces on behalf of King Darius I.