Battle Of Marathon Analysis

The epic and historic Battle of Marathon took place, almost 2500 years ago, 25 miles’ northeast of the present-day capital city of Greece, Athens, on the plains of Marathon. The adversaries were none other than the city-state of Athens (Athenians), and the powerful Army of Darius, the King of Persia (Persians). Darius sent his Army to subjugate Athenians and punish them for their alleged involvement in the burning and destruction of Sardis, the then capital city of Persia. The Persians were a far superior force. They had the numbers and the weaponry.

The Athenians, in contrast, were less in number and less equipped. What makes this battle epic and significant, is that despite all the odds, the Athenians won, and the Persians lost. The battle itself is one of history’s most memorable. It is also the earliest battle with a recorded history. In his book, Marathon: How One Battle Changed Western Civilization, Richard Billows argues, and rightfully, that the Battle of Marathon was a crucial point in European Civilization. Had Darius managed to crush Athens and win, the culture, history, and

civilization of Greek and the West, to include the U.S., would have been different than what it is to the present day.
Strategically, the Athenians were at a disadvantage at Marathon. Despite their effort to summon every war-able body, the Athenians overall force was 2 to 1 against the invading Persian force. Unfazed by the sheer size of the Persian forces, the Athenians managed to recruit 10,000 warriors in a short period. At the time, independent city-states made up Greek. The other city-state was Sparta. The Spartans could not come to the aid of Athenians because of a religious holiday celebration. In effect, the Athenians were facing off a mighty Persian army all alone, except for a modest support from the city-state of Plataea (Plataeans).
Regarding the force structure, heavily armed foot soldiers called “hoplites” made up the Athenian force. The Persians, on the other hand, were mostly cavalry. Terrain-wise, the battlefield, was very flat. Hills and sea encircled it. This terrain feature made an ideal battlefield for the Persian cavalry. Tactically, the Athenians had no choice but to dedicate the bulk of their force to the battle at Marathon, leaving their city operationally vulnerable to attack from the larger Persian force. Consequentially, a loss at Marathon, no doubt, meant the complete defeat of Athens.
With this strategic analysis as a backdrop, and analyzing numerous literature on the battle, one can infer that Athenians had no choice but to keep the Persian pinned in Marathon. One theory is that the Athenians managed to accomplish this goal by cutting off entry and exit points, and ferociously outflanking and successfully attacking the Persians.
On the Persian side, one can deduct that they were hesitant to take the Athenians head on initially as the Persian foot soldiers were lightly armored compared to the Athenian hoplites.

No two historians would disagree that the Persians had the cavalry advantage. However, they could not use that capability effectively because of the marshes that surrounded the battlefield.

For the battle itself, most historians hold true that the Athenians attacked first. Some historical sources indicate that the distance between the two armies at the point of battle had narrowed to a distance not less than 1,500 meters. A notable Greek or Athenian general was Miltiades. Initially, due their numerous disadvantages, the Athenians were hesitant to attack. Observing this, Miltiades, took the lead. He pleaded with his fellow commanders to be brave, to show no fear. He motivated his officers

impassioned.
Having convinced his formations for a need for a ferocious attack. He, Miltiades, instructed the force that was at the center of his battle formation to be arranged in the depth of four ranks. He instructed the forces at the flank of his battle formation to be eight ranks in depth. Some modern day commentators of historical battles suggest that this kind of arrangement had enabled the Athenian line to look as long as the Persian line, thereby confusing the Persians and giving the impression that it cannot be outflanked. Once the Athenian line was ready, upon the order of their commander, the Athenians ran the whole distance to the Persian lines, taking the Persians by surprise given the heavy armor the Athenian hoplites or foot soldiers were wearing.