The first Persian invasion and the Battle of Marathon 490 BC: Darius's punitive expedition, the fall of Eretria, the Athenian decision to fight, the role of Miltiades, the tactics and outcome of the battle, and its significance for Athenian self-image.

What this dot point is asking

The first Persian invasion and the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC are the climax of the conflict's first phase. This page covers Darius's punitive expedition, the fall of Eretria, the Athenian decision to fight, the role of Miltiades, the tactics that won the battle, the contribution of Plataea and the absence of Sparta, and the battle's lasting significance for Athenian self-image. The topic rewards both a ranked explanation of the victory and a critical reading of Herodotus's patriotic narrative.

The answer

Darius's expedition and the fall of Eretria

The destruction of Eretria set the stakes: Athens faced the same fate, which sharpened the decision the city now had to make.

The Athenian decision and the role of Miltiades

Athens chose to march out to Marathon rather than wait behind its walls, helped only by a small force from Plataea. Sparta, asked for help, delayed (Herodotus says, for the Carneia festival) and arrived after the battle was over. The Athenian command rotated among the generals, but the decisive figure was Miltiades, who had served under the Persians and understood their army, and who pressed for an immediate attack.

The battle and its tactics

Herodotus gives the casualties as 6,400 Persians to 192 Athenians, a ratio that is patriotically lopsided and partly symbolic. The 192 Athenian dead were buried under a mound (the Soros) that still stands, a sign of how the battle entered Athenian memory.

The significance of Marathon

Marathon mattered out of proportion to its scale:

• It proved that Greek hoplites could defeat Persians, transforming Greek morale before the far larger invasion of 480 BC.
• It became a founding national myth for Athens, the citizen-soldiers (including, in tradition, the playwright Aeschylus) who saved the city, and the legendary run of the messenger to Athens.
• It bought a decade before Xerxes returned, time Athens used (under Themistocles) to build the fleet that would win at Salamis.

Examples in context

A model answer explains why the hoplites won rather than simply narrating the charge, and treats Herodotus's numbers as patriotic rather than precise.

Try this

Q1. Assess the significance of Marathon for Athens and for the wider Greek world. [20 marks, period essay style]

• What the marker wants. An AO1 and AO2 argument that Marathon proved Persians could be beaten, transformed Greek morale, became a founding Athenian myth, and bought time for rearmament, with a judgement on its overall importance balanced against the scale of the later invasion.

Q2. Which Greek city sent help to Athens at Marathon, and which did not arrive in time? [2 marks]

• Cue. Plataea sent a small contingent that fought alongside the Athenians; Sparta delayed (for the Carneia festival, Herodotus says) and arrived after the battle.