What was the Battle of Marathon?
What was the Battle of Marathon?
Overview of the Battle of Marathon.
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Transcript
NARRATOR: 490 B.C. - The Battle of Marathon is about to take place. The Greeks get their men in position. Their army, estimated at 10,000 soldiers, is well equipped and sure of itself. They stop the Persians from advancing, with soldiers coming from all walks of life. The result: a stalemate, with the Persians outnumbering the Greeks eight to one. A shroud of dismay hangs over the small Athenian army, who have but a tiny window of opportunity to strike. They send Athens's greatest runner to ask the Spartan army to come to their aid. The runner has nearly 140 miles of ground to cover, and time is of the essence.
At Marathon, the Persian camp begins to lose its focus. The army sends its horsemen back to the ships, while the rest of the soldiers holding the position seem unfazed by the Athenian army and take it easy. Meanwhile, the Athenian messenger arrives in Sparta in just two days and asks the army for assistance. The Spartans agree to help, but require several days before they'll be able to march on Marathon. Back at the Athenian camp, the army is getting restless. The Persians are clearly fatigued and seeing as they have no horsemen - they don't have the advantage after all. The Athenians see their moment to strike.
DR. WOLFGANG HAMETER: "They went for it and marched in on the Persians. They refused to surrender."
NARRATOR: The Athenians begin to attack. They march forward irrespective of casualties. The Persians are caught off guard. So much so, they can't even manage to draw their bows. Despite their extreme numerical advantage, the Persians are overpowered and surrounded by the Athenians. Those that can, run back towards the ships. The battle is long over by the time the messenger returns from Sparta, but the soldiers are nonetheless pleased. They have emerged from combat victorious, even without the pledged aid of the Spartans.
DAVID SCAHILL: "We only have the numbers to go by that were given and that is that 6,400 Persians were killed and only 192 Athenians. So in the end, this is a real route for the Athenians.
NARRATOR: What happened next is the stuff of legend. The messenger is said to have run another 26 miles to Athens to warn his people of a Persian counterstrike. The Athenian army had begun to march back home, doing its best to get there before the Persians. As the story goes, the messenger was the first to arrive and announced to his people: "Rejoice! We were victorious!" whereupon he promptly died of exhaustion.
In all likelihood, the Athenian army did indeed arrive before the Persian armada, just in time to see the Persian ships turn away from Athens. To this day, running a marathon is considered a great feat of endurance, perseverance and inner strength.
At Marathon, the Persian camp begins to lose its focus. The army sends its horsemen back to the ships, while the rest of the soldiers holding the position seem unfazed by the Athenian army and take it easy. Meanwhile, the Athenian messenger arrives in Sparta in just two days and asks the army for assistance. The Spartans agree to help, but require several days before they'll be able to march on Marathon. Back at the Athenian camp, the army is getting restless. The Persians are clearly fatigued and seeing as they have no horsemen - they don't have the advantage after all. The Athenians see their moment to strike.
DR. WOLFGANG HAMETER: "They went for it and marched in on the Persians. They refused to surrender."
NARRATOR: The Athenians begin to attack. They march forward irrespective of casualties. The Persians are caught off guard. So much so, they can't even manage to draw their bows. Despite their extreme numerical advantage, the Persians are overpowered and surrounded by the Athenians. Those that can, run back towards the ships. The battle is long over by the time the messenger returns from Sparta, but the soldiers are nonetheless pleased. They have emerged from combat victorious, even without the pledged aid of the Spartans.
DAVID SCAHILL: "We only have the numbers to go by that were given and that is that 6,400 Persians were killed and only 192 Athenians. So in the end, this is a real route for the Athenians.
NARRATOR: What happened next is the stuff of legend. The messenger is said to have run another 26 miles to Athens to warn his people of a Persian counterstrike. The Athenian army had begun to march back home, doing its best to get there before the Persians. As the story goes, the messenger was the first to arrive and announced to his people: "Rejoice! We were victorious!" whereupon he promptly died of exhaustion.
In all likelihood, the Athenian army did indeed arrive before the Persian armada, just in time to see the Persian ships turn away from Athens. To this day, running a marathon is considered a great feat of endurance, perseverance and inner strength.