Battle Of Marathon Research Paper

The first battle of the Persian War, the Battle of Marathon, took place in 490 BC. King Darius sent troops to Greece which stopped at each Greek island along the way demanding "earth and water," which both literally and symbolically represented submission to the Persian empire. The Battle of Marathon exemplifies the heroic action of the Greeks. The Athenians, led by one of their ten generals, Miltiades, unflinchingly faced the Persians, an army over twice the size of theirs, and triumphed. The Athenians won the Battle of Marathon because they employed superior military strategy. There are some discrepancies, however, between different literary sources about how the Greeks fought the Battle of Marathon. For instance, Herodotus claims that the ten Athenian generals could not decide whether to go into battle. He writes that Miltiades talked the other generals into fighting. Herodotus writes that they waited for days for Miltiades to lead the army, and then they went into battle (Hdt. 6.110-111.2). According to Nancy Demand, however, Herodotus, unaware of the right of the polemarch to make all final decisions, wrote that Miltiades decided when to lead the men into battle, because the longer they delayed the battle, the better chance the Athenians had that the Spartans would make it in time to help. Regardless of any conflict between sources, the heroism of the Athenians cannot be denied. Marathon represents "the victory of a small contingent of men fighting

Who created the source? Did the author produce the source for personal use, for one or more individuals, or for a large audience? What is the source’s purpose? If the source is recollecting an event, how long after the event is the retelling?

The first Battle of the Persian War was the Battle of Marathon. The Persian king Xerxes led 100,000 troops into battle against 10,000 Greeks. The Persians outnumbered the Greeks ten to one, but the Greeks had strategy and their terrain on their side. They were led by the brilliant strategist Miltiades, who had a plan. The Persians charged at the Greeks. Then, Miltiades sent his men to the sides, surrounding the Persians. This is known as the pincer movement, or double envelopment, because the soldiers from the flanks envelop the enemy. The Persians were trapped, and were soon defeated. Miltiades’ maneuver is still regarded as one of the greatest strategies of all time.

Assess the reasons for the Greek victory over the Persians in 490 to 480/479 BC. Make a judgement based on outcome, results and values.

The pre-eminence of the Greek soldier proved decisive in the Battle of Marathon. Although only ‘citizen soldiers’, the Greek hoplites were far more disciplined than their Persian counterparts and also better protected, with their bronze-visored helmets, solid bronze breastplates, shields and javelins. The Persians on the contrary were generally lightly dressed, with wicker shields and bows and arrows and sometimes had body armour of scales sewn to leather vest. Herodotus states that the Persians were “deficient in armour, untrained and greatly inferior in skill”. This crucial element destabilized the Persian assault as they fell at the hands of a much more skillful, better equipped and tactically superior Greek army. With their unprecedented use of battle strategy and intimate knowledge of their surroundings, the Greeks were able to defeat their Persian enemy.

Scholars, artists, authors, and filmmakers in recent years have been interested in Herodotus’s depiction of the Battle of Thermopylae, creating several different versions and interpretations of the story across multiple forms of media. The legendary battle of Thermopylae, in 480 B.C.E, demonstrated the strength, courage and bravery of the Spartan Army that went up against the Persians. The Spartans held off the Persian army of Xerxes for two days until their position was flanked by a secret trail. However, in the face of unbeatable odds and with the knowledge of a victory being almost impossible, they fought with the utmost confidence in themselves and proved that the Spartan army was one of the strongest armies in Greece, even though they were eventually defeated. Although, some of the representations of the battle in today’s media do not accurately tell the same story that Herodotus did. Frank Miller and Zack Snyder depict the Battle of Thermopylae with more action and entertainment in their versions to appeal to a larger audience. Thus, by analyzing Herodotus’ description of The Battle of Thermopylae, as well as Miller’s and Snyder’s versions, today’s media have portrayed the original story differently in order to captivate a larger audience.

One of the most significant battles in antiquity was fought on the narrow, tree strewn plain of Marathon, in September, 490 BC. There, the Athenian army defeated a Persian force more than twice its size, because of superior leadership, training and equipment. The battle of Marathon has provided inspiration to the underdogs throughout history. In 490 BC, the Athenians proved that superior strategy, and technology can claim victory over massive numbers.

What type of primary source is this? How is this type of primary source different from or unique when compared to other types of primary sources?

Marathon, Greece is located about 22 miles from Athens, Greece. This is the site of the famous Battle of Marathon which took place in 490 B.C. between the Athenians, led by Platea, and the Persians, led by Datis and Artaphernes. The Persian War was sparked by the Greek involvement and support in the Ionian revolt, Ionia was a small Greek polis. The Athenians sent forces to aid the Ionians in their endeavor to overthrow Persian rule. King Darius I of Persia swore he would get revenge on the Athenians. The Battle of Marathon marked a turning point in the Persian Wars, which ended the Persian invasion. The Greeks took a victory over Persian in this battle and Persia was at a loss of more than just dignity. They lost the chance of expansion which was necessary to acquire more resources and wealth for their kingdom.

The source presents the information in a passive tone, this means that the source is less likely to persuade the reader and demonstrate no bias meaning the source is more trustworthy. This website provided detailed information on Ancient Athenian government particularly on the governments implemented in ancient Greece due to the information given being detailed it makes the source more useful. This website was also useful in providing background information in the government systems previously implemented in Ancient Greece this in turn provided substantial information to the first paragraph of my essay and inform the reader on the government systems that triggered the development of

Credible sources are beneficial for me as a tertiary learner to enable me not to plagiarise in my assessments and to be able to learn from experts in the field. Reliable sources help me to use the information to learn successfully, raise new knowledge, work around problems and make judgements (Bundy, 2004).

Living from 86 to 35 BC, Gaius Sallustius Crispus, more commonly knowns as Sallust, was the

In 480 BC, when the Persian horde, estimated by some historians to range from 300,000 to 1.7 million soldiers, landed on the shores of Thermopylae, the Persian King Xerxes sent emissaries to the leaders of the Greek city-states demanding their surrender and patronage to the Persian Empire (Frye, 2006). Despite the massive threat that was encamped on the shores off the Gulf of Maliakos in small town known as Trachis, the Greeks refused. Sparta, known for their superior military might, were chosen by the Greek leaders to lead a coalition of Greek warriors to defend their homeland from the invading Persian army (Frye, 2006).

The infamous Battle of the Marathon was the greatest battle ever recorded in the earliest history of Ancient Greece. In addition, it was the first victorious Battle of the Marathon for the Athenians and an unsuccessful First Persian War for the Persians, but it was not the last battle

Today Chieftain Brennus led twelve thousand of us tenacious Celts into battle against twenty-four thousand dotard Roman legions. At the start of the battle I hefted my sword above my head, daring any Roman to engage in single combat. When my offer was refused, I released a fearsome battle cry calling unto my brothers to accompany me into the brawl. My brothers, true to their duty, hurled their javelins at the opposing front and rushed the field alongside me.