Battle Of Marathon Research Paper

1087 Words5 Pages
Prior to the Battle of Marathon the Persian army had not been defeated. The Battle of Marathon was the first battle in the Greco-Persian wars. The invasion of Athens was fuelled by anger that the Athenians had helped the Ionians sack the city of Sardis during the Ionian Revolt. The Ionian Revolt lasted 6 years and was during 499BCE to 493BCE. The Achaemenid Empire (the first Persian Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great) overtook Ionia (modern day Anatolia in present day Turkey) and began to make changes, such as raising taxes and forcing power to Cyrus the Great (who was claiming to be the King of Kings) although the Greek Cities were individually democratic. The Ionians were very unhappy with the new Persian rulers, and decided to rebel, however, did not have enough numbers to ensure overthrowing the Persians. They asked Athens and Eretia for help, and between them, sent 25 ships to Ionia. The Battle of Marathon took place in September 490BCE . The battle took place in Marathon, a bay north-eastern of Attica, and on the opposite side of Eretria. The Persians had anticipated a quick battle and an easy win. The Athenians were commanded by Miltiades.…show more content…
If the Greeks had lost, the Greco-Persian wars would not be such a major part of today’s classical history. If the Greeks had lost and had submit to the power of the Persians, they wouldn’t have had the chance to create some of the amazing technology we still currently use, for example, we may not have democracy, as it could have been lost when Persia took rule of Greece. We also wouldn’t have the Marathon, as Phiedippides wouldn’t have ran the 42 kilometres to tell the city central that they had won. We also wouldn’t have the same traditional architecture that we have today, as it would have been lost under the rule of the Persians, or the Greek’s wouldn’t have had the chance to create historical and modern day
Show More
Related

  • Comparing Spartan And Athenian Democracy In Ancient Greece

    1201 Words  | 5 Pages

    Spartan and Athenian Political Structure The political systems of ancient Greece’s Spartan and Athenian societies stood opposite to each other. Where Sparta was ruled by the few in an Oligarchy, Athens developed the humanities’ first democracy. This paper compares and contrasts some of the differences between these two Greek powers during the Archaic and Classical periods (800-323 BCE). Historical Background On one side was Sparta, a warrior society that focused on land-based armies and agriculture

    Read More

More about Battle Of Marathon Research Paper

Open Document