Facts about the Marathon
- 07
Persian commander Datis chose to bypass the Marathon plain and sail directly toward Athens after the battle, exposing his fleet to Athenian naval interception at the port of Phalerum.
- 06
Athenian casualties at Marathon numbered 192 soldiers, while Persian losses reached approximately 6,400, making it one of history's most decisive victories despite numerical disadvantage.
- 05
A mound of earth and stones called the Soros, built by Athenians to honor their 192 dead at Marathon, still stands approximately 33 feet high on the battlefield today.
- 04
Archaeological evidence from the Marathon battlefield reveals Persian arrowheads and weaponry concentrated in specific zones, indicating Miltiades deliberately positioned Athenian hoplites to absorb and repel successive cavalry charges.
- 03
The Marathon plain's topography, with its narrow coastal pass, allowed the Athenian general Miltiades to neutralize the Persian cavalry advantage by forcing engagement in confined terrain.
- 02
According to legend, a Greek messenger named Pheidippides ran approximately 40 kilometers from Marathon to Athens to announce victory, then collapsed and died after delivering the news.
- 01
In 490 BCE, the Battle of Marathon saw approximately 10,000 Athenians defeat a Persian force estimated at 25,000 soldiers across a 22-mile plain near Athens.