Did Pheidippides Invent the Marathon? The True Story Behind the Legend

A King’s Revenge In 490 BC, the Persian Empire was the greatest power the Greek world had ever faced. Its king, Darius I, ruled an empire stretching from Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean to lands far beyond Mesopotamia and Persia. Athens, by comparison, was only one independent city-state on the edge of the Aegean world. But Athens had made itself an enemy of Persia. 8 years earlier, Greek cities in Ionia, on the coast of Asia Minor, had rebelled against Persian rule. Athens and Eretria had sent ships and soldiers to support them. The revolt eventually failed, but the Athenians had already taken part in burning Sardis, one of the Persian king’s important cities. Darius did not forget it. The expedition of 490 BC was intended to punish Eretria and Athens, restore Persian authority in the Aegean, and demonstrate what happened to cities that challenged the Great King. The Persian army crossed the Aegean by sea under two commanders: Datis, a Median noble, and Artaphernes the Younger, Darius’s nephew. They first attacked Eretria on the island of Euboea. After a siege, the city was captured, its people taken away, and its temples burned. Athens was next. The Persian fleet then landed on the plain of Marathon, northeast of Athens. An Exile Returns The landing place was not chosen by chance. The plain of Marathon was broad enough for a large army to deploy and close enough to Athens to threaten the city. It also had another advantage for the Persians: they were accompanied by Hippias, the former tyrant of Athens. Hippias had once ruled Athens with his brother, but he had been expelled years before. Now, as an old man, he returned with a Persian army behind him, hoping that the city would be conquered and that he would be restored to power. For the Athenians, the invasion was not only a threat from abroad. It was also the possible return of tyranny at home. The Persian force was probably much larger than the Greek army, though ancient sources give impossible figures and modern estimates vary. A reasonable estimate is roughly 20,000–30,000 Persian soldiers, while Athens could field only about 9,000–11,000 men. Athens’ only ally was the small city of Plataea, which sent its soldiers to fight beside the Athenians under Arimnestus. Sparta had been asked for help, but religious law prevented the Spartans from marching until the full moon. The Athenians would have to face the Persian army without them. The Decision to Fight The Athenian army was commanded by ten elected generals, known as strategoi. Among them were Miltiades and Aristides. Above them stood the polemarch, Callimachus, who held the deciding vote if the generals disagreed. They did disagree. Some Athenians wanted to wait and defend the roads closer to the city. Others feared that delay would give the Persians time to sail directly to Athens or encourage supporters of Hippias to betray the city. Miltiades argued for battle at Marathon. He believed the Athenians had a chance if they struck before Persian cavalry and reinforcements could change the situation. Callimachus supported Miltiades. It was a decision that required nerve. The Greeks were outnumbered, their strongest ally was absent, and the Persian Empire had already destroyed Eretria. Yet the Athenians marched onto the plain and formed their line between the hills and the marshes. They were not fighting merely to stop an army. They were fighting to decide whether Athens would remain free.