Download Greeks and Persians Battle of Marathon • 490 BC • In 508 BC the

Monday, October 24/11
Introduction to Greek History
D. Nakassis
Greeks and Persians
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Battle of Marathon
490 BC
In 508 BC the athenians appeal to Artaphernes (satrap of lydia) for aid against Sparta
503 BC: Artaphernes advises Athenians to take Hippias back - it seems Darius would like city
states to be ruled by a tyrant; aristagoras arrives in athens asking for help, athenians pledge 20
ships and eretrians 5 - he is the start of the ionian revolt
498 BC: sardis sacked as part of ionian revolt
492 BC: failed expedition by Mardonius
491 BC: darius sends heralds demanding earth and water
Darius sends Datis and Artaphernes (different one) to reduce athens and Eretria to slaves
Ionian revolt fails
Persians go first to Eretria, athenians offer 4000 hoplites for their defense
One of the Eretrian leaders tells athens to go home
Some Eretrians betray the city to Persians
Perians plundered sanctuary and reduced population to slavery
Internal politics often works against cities
Persians sailed coast and on September the 8th, 490, landed on beach at Marathon
Organized forces for an easy March inland
Athenians ran army democratically: each year they elected 10 generals (strategoi) who formed
committee and voted on tactics
Militades (general) took charge
• 9000 athenian hoplites grabbed whatever food they had and headed to Marathon
Generals sent runner Pheidippides to tell Sparta
• Spartans have to wait for full moon
• Historians debate if really pious or just wanted athens to fall
Sent another runner to Plataea
• Reminded Plataeans how Athenians saved them from Theban attack 30 years prior
• Send 1000 hopilites
Men of athens marched all night to Marathon and reached at dawn
Set up strong position line, plataeans join them
Athenian leadership split down middle
• 5/10 generals urged for Athens to sit a siege
• 5/10 generals sided with Militates who feared the city would be betrayed
• 11th official (Polemarch), the war archon, voted for a fight
Lasted a week
Militades extended line to a mile, same length as persians, so they were not out flanked
Herodotus says that 6400 persians killed, 192 athenians
• But 192/3 x100 = 6400
Traitors wished to betray athens and persians hoped to reach athens by sea before hopilites
march and win war despite losing battle
Greeks set off for the 26 mile march
Sent runner to athens with the message ‘we have won’ and then dies of exhaustion
Athenians manned defenses
Monday, October 24/11
Introduction to Greek History
D. Nakassis
Greeks and Persians
• Athenian hoplites reached athens before persians, took position outside city and readied for
battle. Won the war!
• Persians sailed back to asia
Tomb of the Heroized Athenian War Dead
• Athenians made a big deal about Marathon
• Dead of Marathon buried here
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Nike of Kallimachos
Acropolis has depiction of Nike atop a column
Dedicatory inscription probably memorial of Kallimachos
Kallimachos recorded as dead by Herodotus, perhaps dedicated by Kallimachos family
He was Polemarch at battle of Marathon
Treasury of Athenians at Delphi
• Athenians dedicated to Apollo from the Medes (Persians) the first fruits of the battle of
Marathon
• This inscriptions looks like an addition to the building
Athenian
city as a whole
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The Hoplite
Basic equipment:
• Basic shield and spear = 1 months wages
• Bronze breastplate = 3 months wages
• All you really need is a spear and sword
• Trope - once rank is broken, turn and run. Marker (Tropeion) left where this happens, from
which comes our word ‘trophy’
Average hoplite owned 10-15 acres of land worth 2000-3000 drachmas
Had to pay for own equipment, therefore the army was not a homogenous system
Aristocrats would have not only better equipment but more time on their hands to train
Hard to coordinate activity and communication effectively on the field of battle