Battle of Marathon

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The Battle of Marathon was a pivotal 490 BCE clash in the Greco-Persian Wars where outnumbered Greek forces halted a major Persian invasion, becoming a symbol of Athenian courage and military skill.


Statements (47)
Predicate Object
instanceOf battle
military conflict
aftermath Athens built the Marathon Tumulus for the fallen
Persian forces withdrew from Attica
alliedState Plataea
associatedWith Athenian civic identity
Athenian democracy
belligerent Achaemenid Persian Empire
Athenian city-state
Plataean city-state
campaignObjectiveGreek defense of Attica
campaignObjectivePersian subjugation of Athens
combatantStrengthGreek approximately 10,000–11,000 hoplites
combatantStrengthPersian significantly larger Persian force
commander Artaphernes (Persian general)
Callimachus of Aphidnae
Datis
Miltiades the Younger
commemoratedBy Marathon tumulus (Soros) for Athenian dead
inscriptions and monuments in Athens
conflict First Persian invasion of Greece
date 490 BCE
GreekCasualties around 11 Plataeans killed
around 192 Athenians killed
historicalSource Herodotus
legacy enduring symbol in Western military history
inspiration for later Greek resistance to Persia
location Ancient Greece
Attica
Marathon
opponentEmpire Achaemenid Empire of Darius I NERFINISHED
partOf Greco-Persian Wars
patronState Athens
PersianCasualties several thousand Persians killed
relatedEvent Battle of Plataea
Battle of Salamis
Battle of Thermopylae
result Persian invasion of Attica repelled
decisive Greek victory
rulerOfPersianEmpireAtTime Darius I of Persia NERFINISHED
strategicSignificance boosted Athenian prestige in the Greek world
demonstrated effectiveness of hoplite phalanx against Persian forces
halted first major Persian attempt to conquer mainland Greece
symbolism symbol of Athenian courage
symbol of Greek resistance to Persia
tacticalFeature Greek double-envelopment maneuver
use of hoplite phalanx


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