The battle of Marathon Flashcards
First Greek victory over the Persians
What is a trireme?
A type of Greek ship
How many ships did Darius send to attack Greece? (according to Herodotus)
600
How many infantry did Darius send to attack Greece?
25,000
How many miles is Marathon from Athens?
about 26
When did the battle of Marathon take place?
September 490BC
Why was Marathon chosen?
It was a flat plain, meaning the Persian cavalry could be disembarked
What did Datis and Artaphernes do at Naxos on the way to Marathon?
Destroy the temples and town
What did Datis do at Delos on the way to Marathon?
Sacrifice to the god Apollo in an attempt to gain trust from the Greeks
Who did the Athenians send to ask Sparta for help before the battle?
Pheidippides
What god did Pheidippides meet?
Pan
How many generals were the Athenians commanded by?
ten
How far did pheidippides run from Athes to Sparta?
150 miles
Why did the Spartans say they couldn’t hepl the Athenians?
It was the ninth day of the month so they were engaged in a religious festival, they could not coe until the full moon
Who did help the Athenians?
The Plataeans
Why did the Plataeans decide to help?
The Athenians had previously supported them in a dispute with their neighbours the Thebans
Who is our only nearly contemporary source for this battle?
Herodotus
The Athenian commanders were divided in their opinions of whether to fight or not.
How was the matter settled?
Miltiades convinced Callimachus, the polemarch or war archon, that they should fight
How did the Athenian democratic system work in regards to the leadership of the generals?
Each was in charge for a day
Who led the Greek forces?
Miltiades
Until when did Miltiades feruse to fight?
His own day of leadership
Who commanded the right wing?
Callimachus
Who was on the left wing?
The Plataeans
The Greek forces were very spread out
What effect did this have?
Strong wings and a weaker centre
Why were the Greek forces so spread out?
Because the Persian forces were so wide
