At the Battle of Marathon, the Persians and Athenians fought. The Persians outnumbered them, but Athens still won.
The Athenian and Plataian infantry remained in the hills around the Plain of Marathon where they were safe from the Persian cavalry. They were awaiting the reinforcement of the Spartan army.
The observed the Persian cavalry being embarked, and took the opportunity to run down and defeat the inferior Persian infantry unprotected by its cavalry, and routed them.
They then realised the Persian cavalry was being shipped around Cape Sounion to land near Athens and gallop up and take the undefended city as the gates were opened by traitors within. They ran back the 26 miles to the city and formed up in front of the gates just in time. The Persians gave up and went home.
The Athenians made this run in sandals, carrying armour and weapons, after having already fought the battle at Marathon.
Today's marathon runners who think they replicate this run get it pretty easy by comparison.
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Marathon is a plain which was in the territory of Athens when a Persian punitive expedition was sent to takeover Athens in 490 BCE. It was the locale for the battle in which the Persian force was beaten and went home.
the Persians outnumbered the athenians by 4 to 1. As the perisans hed never been beaten they were very suprised when the Athenians ran at them. the Spartans made a deal with the Athenians that they would be there to fught with them but they did'NT because the athenians finished them off so quickly only losing 192 and killing 3,500. the Spartans had a religious festivla so the next day the Spartans ran all the way to marathon and then got htere and jogged all the way back.
Greece provided many things, but one of the most I think is Democracy. With Democracy, or at least the idea, it allowed the idea to travel around. (Western World) That being said, America wouldn't have a Democratic-Republic Government, as well as a working successful economy. (Not now though.)
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The Persian intent was to reinstall ousted Athenian tyrant Hippias to keep them quiet. Had this succeeded, this would not have prevented Athens heading to democracy again - it did thirty years later when an aristocratic regime was overthrown, led by Ephialtes and continued on by his lieutenant Pericles after his death. Marathon stood as a rallying example to some of the Greek cities, but had no effect on the world as democracies came and went according to the will of peoples over the past two and a half thousand years, and will continue to do so.
Their success in defeating at Marathon the Persian punitive expedition sent against it gave the Athenians confidence, and also encouraged many other Greek cities that they could resist the slow move of the Persian Empire to establish dominance over Greece.
It also convinced the Athenians that Persia would be back for another attempt to subdue it, to stop it interfering in the Greek cities in Asia Minor which were part of the Persian Empire. When the Persians mounted a full scale invasion ten years later, the southern Greek city-states banded together to successfully resist the takeover.
Another factor was that, knowing that the Persian king had vowed to take them under control, when Athens struck a rich silver lode, Themistocles persuaded them, instead of dividing up the spoils, to spend the money on 100 warships against the threat. They eventually built another 100 as well, and this fleet formed the core of the combined Greek city-state resistance when the invasion came.
The Athenians and the Persians fought the Battle of Marathon. The Athenians won the battle though.