Term Paper on "Battle of Marathon"

Quoted Instructions for "Battle of Marathon" Assignment:

Explain how the Athenians, despite their lack of numbers, used their knowledge of the land as well as their tactical superiority in order to defeat the Persians during The Battle of Marathon, and clarify the battle's significance within the progress of European culture.

DRAFT PLAN:

INTRO.

The Battle of Marathon, to this day, was believed to have involved some of histories most famed military arrangements. This particular victory is not only reflective of the Athenian's supreme knowledge of the land, but is also an indication of their extensive tactical wit.

P1. - KNOWLEDGE OF THE LAND

P2. - TACTICAL SUPERIORITY

- reflect on the Greek's general way of thinking at the time

P3 - DEVELOPMENT OF EUROPEAN CULTURE

CONC.

Bibliography:

The Histories - Herodotus

A History of Greece - J B Bury and Russell Meiggs

The Greeks and The Persians - Bergstrom

The Persian Wars - Battle of Marathon - NS Gill

The Battle of Marathon, 490 BC - www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2006)

THE BATTLE OF MARATHON - www.library.thinkquest.org (March 2000)

The city of Athens was a thriving and wonderful city. It also had a very small army and no king or queen. Many other kings from far away eyed Athens as a prize colony to add to their kingdoms. So one day the far away Asian country of Persia took action and sent their army out to capture Athens. Of course, when the Athenians heard of this they were extremely scared. They asked other cities for help. One city agreed to help and sent their army to Athens, but they were weak and the Athenians did not think it would help too much. They were particularly hoping to have the war city of Sparta help them in battle, but they were in the middle of a month-long festival to pray to Pan, the god of nature and wildlife, and a god sacred to the Spartans. During this festival they could not go into battle or else Pan would become angry at their disobedience. However, they promised to pray to Pan to help the Athenians. Pan heard them and promised to send a disease to afflict the Persian army. This did not comfort the Athenians much, but the Persian army was drawing nearer and they had to fight. An Athenian general devised a war plan the night before the Persian attack that was original and had never been used before.

The next morning, a battle began at the Battlefield of Marathon. The plan worked well, and confused the Persian Army. Then, the Athenians saw the Persian soldiers were breaking their ranks and nothing could get them back to order. When the Persian army had been confused and worried, the disease Pan had promised suddently attacked. This disease still exists today. It is called panic. The Persian army was easily defeated and one Athenian soldier, who also happened to be a runner, went and told the citizens of Athens of the victory. The distance from the Battlefield of Marathon to Athens, which can be confirmed today if you ever go to Greece, is 26.3 miles. The run to the city was historic in its own little way. How do you think marathons of today were named?

When the runner finally reached the steps to the city of Athens, he could run no farther. He collapsed on the ground and said a final word, "Nike!" This means victory in Greek. Then he died.

SOME NOTES FOR ESSAY FROM ONLINE WRITINGS:

The ancient Greeks were one of the most successful superpowers of the era but their fighters were vastly outnumbered by their enemy army in the battle of marathon. Overcoming the Persians was a critical accomplishment by the Greeks in the Greco-Persian wars of the 5th century and can be attributed to their superior strategizing and exceptional leadership in time of crisis. so how did the Greeks do to conquer such vast areas and win battles against the odds?

The Persian Empire was bigger, richer, and had more manpower, yet the Greeks were able to unite successfully to defeat them. The Greeks did, however, have several advantages which enabled them to be victorious. The Greeks defeated the Persians because of three benefits: the phalanx, the trireme, and their motivation. the persians were badly trained despite being high in number - they relied on sheer weight of massed bow fire to defeat the enemy. greeks were famous for there unique fighting style and tactics- different from tactics of the persians, the persians had more intricate tactics. the Greek armies were small and simplistic. the greeks also had knowledge of the landscape and geography

IN THE BATTLE OF MARATHON

The Persian army had possibly around 19,000 foot solders and 1000 cavalry. (NOT SURE THIS IS ACCURATE ACTUALLY)

The Athenian army was smaller with only 10,000 hoplite and 400 skirmishers.(NOT SURE THIS IS ACCURATE ACTUALLY) (need to describe hoplite?)

( the exact numbers of the two armies are unclear because of exaggerated accounts and the telling of the battle was recounted for entertainment so could be exaggerated)

The battle of Marathon is one of the three most important battles of the Persian Wars. The Persian army, under King Darius, camped on the beach of Marathon and planned on marching to Athens and overwhelm them with their superior numbers. The Athenians mobilised their troops swiftly and assembled in the hills above the beach directly in the path of the Persians. Instead of attacking immediately the Persians camped on the beach for several days, allowing the Athenian generals to hold a council and decide on a course of action. The Council put Miltiades in charge of the conducting of the eminent battle and he was able to find a solution to the problem of being outnumbered by the Persians. His main concern was of being surrounded by the enemy. He decided to weaken the centre lines of the greek troops and put the extra men on the flanks of his three pronged formation.

When the battle started the Persian centre was able to break through Miltiades centre but their flanks were overwhelmed and the Persian phalanx collapsed upon itself. The two flanks met in the center and subdued the entire army due to Miltiades strategy and execution. The Athenians were able to capture 7 Persian ships, kill 6,400 Persians, and only lose 192 men; it was a complete victory.

The Athenians set up with a deliberately weak centre and strong flanks.

The Persians advanced and managed to break through the Athenian centre, but the Persian flanks were destroyed and the Athenians were able to surround and slaughter the Persians in the centre.

The hoplite himself would be equipped with an Iron spear (about 2.3 meters long) and a short sword (about 2ft or 60cm long.) They also had a shield around 1 meter in diameter called a Hoplon (this is where the Hoplite get there name from.) They would wear a bronze carcass (beast plate) and leather grieves (thigh guards.) The design of the Hoplon meant that the Hoplite was entirely dependent

on the warrior on the right hand side of him for protection and this is how the phalanx formation was devised as it gave every warrior full body protection.

The phalanx was the military system that the Greeks used to organize their troops which had been perfected through centuries of fighting one another. It consisted of a column of heavy infantry carrying long spears and swords. The spears, called pikes, were six to twelve feet long. They were not thrown but were used for thrusting. The soldiers in the phalanx were called hoplites, named after the hoplon which was the round shield they carried into battle. The hoplites wore metal armor on their chest, forearms, and shins, plus a metal helmet. These soldiers were extremely well trained. They made up for their lack of numbers with superior equipment and discipline. (2)

The Persians, on the otherhand, were able to raise an immense army due to the enormous size of their empire. However, these warriors were by far not as well trained or as well equipt as the Greek armies (2). The Persians did not fight as a unit like the Greeks did.

The superiority of the Greek phalanx can be seen by analyzing the battle which took place at Marathon in 490 BC. At this battle, the Athenian phalanx was able to defeat the entire invading Persian force without the help of the Spartans, who had promised to send their army towards Marathon but their religion forbid them to move before the moon was full (2). The Greek forces consisted of 10,000 hoplites while the Persians army was numbering in more than 120,00 men although some sources have the Persian forces at around 50,000 (4). The great Athenian general Miltiades came up with a shrewd battle plan. He decided to thin out the ranks in the center of the phalanx to strengthen the wings. During the battle, the Greek wings crushed the Persian wings and forced them to retreat. At the same time, the Persians in the middle managed to break through the weakened center of the phalanx. Instead of pursuing the retreating Persian wings, the Greek wings moved backward to attack the Persians that had broken through the Greek defenses. The Greek centre then turned around so that they had the Persians surrounded. The Persians were slaughtered (5). According to the Greek historian Herodotus, the Persians lost 6400 men while the Greeks lost only 192 (4).

The ancient Greeks were one of the most successful superpowers of the era conquering large parts of the Middle East. They are also very famous for there unique fighting style which was completely different from the exotic and intricate tactics of the Middle Eastern countries. But why were they so effective? What did the Greeks do to conquer such vast areas?

The Persian army's were, like the Assyrians, vast and ill trained, relying on sheer wait of massed bow fire to defeat the enemy. The Infantry were divided up into Hazarabam= 1000 which themselves where divided into Sataba= 100 which in turn were split into Dathabam= 10. On of a Dathabam would carry a Spara (shield) whilst the rest carried bows. This infantry force would be backed up by cavalry and a strong Chariot arm.

In stark contrast with the vast ill trained and tacitly complex armies of the Middle East the Greek armies were small and simplistic. They comprised of heavy infantry known as Hoplites arranged into Taxis of around 120-130 men which were grouped into Speira, which comprised of about two taxis, these in turn were grouped into fours known as Chilliarchia and these were grouped into strategia of about 4000 men. However in many ways the Greeks were more advanced than the Persians and Assyrians as their fighting style was the one adopted by one of the most famous civilisations ever, the Roman Empire. Possibly one of the best examples of the Greek military superiority over the Persians is the Battle of Marathon:

The Persian army was made up of about 19,000 foot solders and 1000 cavalry. The Athenian army was allot smaller with only 10,000 hoplite and 400 skirmishers. The Athenians set up with a deliberately weak centre and strong flanks. The Persians advanced and managed to break through the Athenian centre, however the Persian flanks were destroyed and the Athenians were able to surround and slaughter the Persians. After the battle it is said that one of the Athenians had to run all the way back to Athens to warn them of the Approaching Persian army, on arriving at Athens he relayed the news to the king and dropped dead from exhaustion! It must be noted that the only spectator of the battle was Herodotus who is known to have exaggerated his accounts as in the time history was written for entertainment more than any factual benefit so the exact numbers of the two armies are unclear.

The hoplite himself would be equipped with an Iron spear (about 2.3 meters long) and a short sword (about 2ft or 60cm long.) They also had a shield around 1 meter in diameter called a Hoplon (this is where the Hoplite get there name from.) They would wear a bronze carcass (beast plate) and leather grieves (thigh guards.) The design of the Hoplon meant that the Hoplite was entirely dependent

on the warrior on the right hand side of him for protection and this is how the phalanx formation was devised as it gave every warrior full body protection.

the Ancient Greeks were one of the most effective military machines ever.

----------------------------------------------------------

EXAMPLE writing from online;

The Ancient Greek city-states of the 5th century BCE took on one of the most powerful and dangerous empires of the ancient world in a struggle to maintain independence from the Persians. The Persians represented the opposite in ideals of everything that is Greek and threatened the end of political sovereignty, higher thinking, and innovation. Overcoming the Persians was a critical accomplishment by the Greeks in the Greco-Persian wars of the 5th century and can be attributed to their superior strategizing and exceptional leadership in time of crisis.

the army moved to Marathon which is about 26 miles from Athens.

The battle of Marathon is one of the three most important battles of the Persian Wars. The Persian army, under King Darius, camped on the beach of Marathon and planned on marching to Athens and overwhelm them with their superior numbers. Mobilizing their troops quickly, the Athenians swiftly assembled in the hills above the beach directly in the path of the Persians. Instead of attacking immediately the Persians camped on the beach for several days, allowing the Athenian generals to hold a council and decide on a course of action . The Council wisely put Miltiades in charge of the conducting of the eminent battle and he was able to find a solution to the problem of being outnumbered by the Persians. His main concern was of being enveloped by the enemy. He decided to weaken his centre lines of troops and put the extra men on the flanks of his three pronged formation. When the battle started the Persian center was able to break through Miltiades centre but their flanks were overwhelmed and the Persian phalanx collapsed upon itself. The two flanks met in the center and subdued the entire army due to Miltiades strategy and execution. The Athenians were able to capture 7 Persian ships, kill 6,400 Persians, and only lose 192 men; it was a complete victory.

Athens sent the Persians and King Darius back to Persia after the battle of Marathon with its tail between its legs. He was out-smarted by the Athenian general Miltiades even with the advantage of numbers. In 486 BCE Egypt revolted and the next year Darius died. It was not until 484 that Xerxes, his son, subdued Egypt and was able to organize a second European campaign.

The victorious Ancient Greek city-states accomplished the unthinkable. They overcame insurmountable odds by taking on the Great Persian Empire and forever ensuring the security of their homeland from further Persian invasions. They relied on their strong leadership, cooperation, and strategy to defend themselves.

---------------------------------

EXAMPLE FROM ONLINE:

The Persian Wars: How the Greeks Won

The Persian Wars were a series of conflicts fought between the Greek states and the Persian Empire from 500-449 BC

*****¦.King Darius sent another Persian expedition in 490 which destroyed Eretria and then faced the Athenians at the battle of Marathon. The Persians were defeated and forced to return home.

The Persian Empire was bigger, richer, and had more manpower, yet the Greeks were able to unite successfully to defeat them. The Greeks did, however, have several advantages which enabled them to be victorious. The Greeks defeated the Persians because of three benefits: the phalanx, the trireme, and their motivation.

The phalanx was the military system that the Greeks used to organize their troops which had been perfected through centuries of fighting one another. It consisted of a column of heavy infantry carrying long spears and swords. The spears, called pikes, were six to twelve feet long. They were not thrown but were used for thrusting. The soldiers in the phalanx were called hoplites, named after the hoplon which was the round shield they carried into battle. The hoplites wore metal armor on their chest, forearms, and shins, plus a metal helmet. These soldiers were extremely well trained. They made up for their lack of numbers with superior equipment and discipline. (2)

The Persians, on the otherhand, were able to raise an immense army due to the enormous size of their empire. However, these warriors were by far not as well trained or as well equipt as the Greek armies (2). The Persians did not fight as a unit like the Greeks did. They fought like Indians did in old western movies: they would weave and dart as individuals instead of slugging it out in infantry warfare like the Greeks (3). The Persians were courageous, but they were no match for a Greek hoplite on the battlefield. Their shield was obsolete and they wore practically no armor. One of their main weapons was the short bow, which was of little use against the heavily armored Greeks. The Persian army also consisted of cavalry which added a lot to their army mostly because of its speed, but still they were never able to defeat a well organized phalanx (2).

The superiority of the Greek phalanx can be seen by analyzing the battle which took place at Marathon in 490 BC. At this battle, the Athenian phalanx was able to defeat the entire invading Persian force without the help of the Spartans, who had promised to send their army towards Marathon but their religion forbid them to move before the moon was full (2). The Greek forces consisted of 10,000 hoplites while the Persians army was numbering in more than 120,00 men although some sources have the Persian forces at around 50,000 (4). The great Athenian general Miltiades came up with a shrewd battle plan. He decided to thin out the ranks in the center of the phalanx to strengthen the wings. During the battle, the Greek wings crushed the Persian wings and forced them to retreat. At the same time, the Persians in the middle managed to break through the weakened center of the phalanx. Instead of pursuing the retreating Persian wings, the Greek wings moved backward to attack the Persians that had broken through the Greek defenses. The Greek center then turned around so that they had the Persians surrounded. The Persians were slaughtered (5). According to the Greek historian Herodotus, the Persians lost 6400 men while te Greeks lost only 192 (4).

While the phalanx ruled on the land, the trireme ruled on the sea. The trireme was a type of warship which could be seen for the first time in the Mediterranean during the sixth century BC. The trireme completely changed war at sea. In former days sea battles were mostly fought out by soldiers who jumped from one ship onto the other. But with the introduction of the trireme the emphasis came on the battle between the ships. The trireme had a battering-ram with which it would ram opposing ships and attempt to sink them. The keel was 40 meters long and stuck out 3 meters at the front, where it was armored with bronze plates. The length-width ratio was 10:1, and ensured a minimum of resistance in the water. To get as many oarsmen in the small ship as possible the designers placed three benches above each other in a sloping way. The copper battering-ram was often shaped as the nose of a boar, while at both sides of the front often huge eyes were painted and the top of the sides were often covered with pelts. The trireme must have been a fearful sight for the enemy. (2)

The third advantage that the Greeks had over the Persians was their motivation. The Greeks were defending their homeland from a foreign invasion. They were willing to die for the land they loved and for the protection of their families. The Persians, on the other hand , were not fighting for the defense of their homeland. The Persian warriors were simply doing what their king told them to do. They had traveled to a land far from their home, a land they had little interest in. Their only motivation was to not disappoint their ruler. At that time in history the Persians ruled over much of the known world. A loss to the Greeks would not mean very much to the Persian Empire other than a hurt ego. For the Greeks however, it was do or die. They either had to be victorious or be conquered. It was this attitude that allowed the Greeks to continually defeat the Persians despite seemingly insurmountable odds. Superior military equipment and techniques can only take you so far. The Greeks wanted it more and that is why they won. (3)

Because of the phalanx, the trireme, and their motivation, the Greeks were able to defeat the mighty Persian Empire despite being severely outnumbered. For the Persians, the defeat did not mean too much. As for the Greeks, they took great pride in their success against overwhelming odds and became even more proud of their culture. Their victory marked the beginning of the Classical Period, considered to be the Golden Age of Greece (3).

------------------------------

The Persian king Darius started an offensive maneuver to gain control of Greece. The Darius sent word to the Greeks requesting "earth and water", which was a sign of surrender. Many of the city-states in the region accepted the Persian offer, but Athens and Sparta refused. The first battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. was won by the Athens, the sister city-state and second superpower of Greece. The Spartans arrived after the battle of Marathon and were surprised that the Athens had already fought off Persia and achieved a temporary victory.

The significance of the Battle of Marathon is that this was the first time that Athens and Sparta would unite together for the sake of preserving Greece against an outside threat but this would not be the last unification of the region. The main differences between these two city-states were the contrasting values: Dorian Sparta and Ionian Athens. "Sparta and the Dorians must stand for the Indo-European tradition unredeemed by the feminine influence of Crete, while Athens and the Ionians enjoyed a direct inheritance from Mycenaean civilization that had long tempered that tradition and helped them to create ideals of grace and harmony." Although Sparta and Athens had their differences in cultural values, one warrior and one artistic, the two were now banded together against one common enemy, Persia. Athens had the Greeks finest navy and Sparta was the greatest Grecian land army.

---------------------------------

--------------