The Persian War: The Ionian Revolt and the Battle of Marathon

The Persian War

Introduction

The Persian War is one of the most famous wars in history and was also known as the Greco - Persian Wars. “The Persian war was remarkable not only for its ferocious battles, which showcased the superiority of Greek military methods, but also for the striking personalities involved, the democratic character of the military command, and the ability of the fractious Greeks to drop their strong divisions and unite behind a single cause.” (Church A. 1). It started from 499 BC and ended in 479 BC. The persian war is a series of wars, including the battle of the Ionian Revolt, Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, and Plataea. In this battle, the Greeks faced an enemy, the Persian Empire. The Greeks were almost demolished by the Persians.

The Ionian Revolt and the Battle of Marathon

The first battle of the Persian War is the Ionian Revolt, which occurred in 499 BC. Ionia, a Greek city-state, was under Persian Rule at the time. They were unhappy about the Persian rule and revolted in 499 BC that led to the first invasion in Greece. Ionia asked Athens, Eretria, and Greek city-states for support. The Ionian army advanced toward the Persian Empire to the city of Sardis. After burning the city down, Athenian and Eretrianian allies went back home. The Ionians were left alone to fight the final engagement off the Island of Lade. 350 Ionian ships lost against 600 Persian ships. After the battle, the Persian sacked and burned the richest and brilliant Ionian city, Miletus, to the ground to rebuke the Greeks. The Greeks lost their first battle against the Persians. The Persians second attempt for an invasion was located at Marathon in Greece in 490 BC. The Persian generals Datis and Artaphernes had 48,000 men and a few sh...

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...ve victory in the war, the Athenians could rightly be said to have saved all Greece from Persian domination.” (Jona 4). The Greeks stopped the Persians from conquering the rest of Persia. The city of Athens is in ruins, but sooner or later the Greeks will rebuild it to be a more fabulous city. Greeks fought bravely and defend their Greek city-states from the Persian Empire.

The Persian Wars were a heroic epoch for Greece in general and for Athens and Sparta in particular. Asia Minor was restored to independence, and Athens and Sparta were the undisputed leaders of Hellas.In the longer term, vicotry meant Greece was now free to follow its own destiny, and free from outside influences on its culture and society. What it did with that freedom forms the subject of the next narrative. (Knox 1)

The Persian Wars is one of the most historical event no one could ever forget