Download Persian Wars

Persian Wars
In 490 BC, King Darius led his Persian army in an attack on Greece which resulted in the Battle of
Marathon. This assault was the Persians' second attempt at revenge on the Athenians and the Eritreans, Greeks
who had previously backed the Ionian revolt against Persian rule. The first attempt, two years previous, was
unsuccessful due to a storm which was believed to have been sent by the gods from Olympus to destroy the
Persian fleet.
As the Persian fleet sailed toward Greece in 490, they conquered several islands including Eritrea. They
arrived on Greek soil at Marathon Bay, 35 kilometers northeast of Athens. The Persians had a massive infantry
and cavalry which included 48,000 men, outnumbering the Athenians 4:1.
Despite the fact that the Persians were the striking army, their fighting style was defensive. Their main
weapon was the bow and arrow, and their key tactic was to wait until the enemy came close, at which time the
Persians would "bury" them a heavy barrage of bows and arrows. The Athenians, on the other hand, had a more
offensive doctrine. Their main weapon was the long, heavy spear, and they shielded themselves with heavy
armament including helmets, shields, and breastplates. They favored close combat battle formations, lacking both
cavalry and bows.
The Persian invasion at Marathon occurred on September 9, 490 BC. For eight days, the two armies stood
confronting each other. On the ninth day, the Persians started an advance, forcing Miltiades, the commander in
chief of the Athenian army, to deploy his army of 10,000 Athenians and 1,000 Plataeans for battle. "When the
Persians saw the Athenians coming down on them without cavalry or archers and scanty in numbers, they thought
them as an army of madmen running toward their certain destruction," according to the historian Herodotus. The
Athenians were able to surround the Persians, whose bows and short lances were no match for the strong spears of
the Athenians. The previously invincible Persians turned their backs and fled as the Athenians chased them back
to their ships. There took place the most critical battle, resulting in 192 Athenian casualties and 6,400 Persian
deaths.
The Persians lost seven ships to the Athenians. However, Miltiades and his Athenian army realized that the
Persian fleet could sail and attack the undefended city of Athens. He called upon Phidippides to run to Athens to
bring the news of victory and a warning of the approaching Persian ships. Phidippides' 26-mile run from Marathon
to Athens, the first marathon ever, was successfully completed in about three hours. Phidippides became a martyr,
dying from exhaustion after fighting all day and completing the run. However, he successfully warned the
Athenians, and when the Persian fleet arrived at Athens, Athenian soldiers were ready to protect their land. Upon
seeing the prepared Athenian army, the Persians turned and sailed back to Persia in defeat.
Thus, the Battle of Marathon marked the end of a ten-year conflict between Greece and Persia. It
distinguished the first time the Greeks had beaten the Persians on their own element, the land. It gave Greeks faith
in their own destiny as a nation, and therefore this battle is considered one of the most important events marking
the birth of European culture. Finally, Marathon was a battle in which morale triumphed over numbers, as the
outnumbered Athenians defended their home and their heritage.
After reading, answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Why did the Persians attack Greece?
2. What were the reasons the Athenians were successful in pushing off the Persians?
3. Explain what needed to happen to end Persian threats on Greece permanently.
4. Explain the role of the other city-states in the Persian wars.