ipl-logo

The Pros And Cons Of The Battle Of Marathon

1110 Words5 Pages

There have been countless battles and wars in the ancient world that have astonished historians. Thousands of bloody, inhuman battles that were fought by opposing sides. None of which have astonished historians like the battle of Marathon between the Greeks and Persians. “The battle of Marathon is one of history's most famous military engagements”(Stern, 11) according to William Stearns based off of Herodotus account. The war between the Persians and the Greeks was an extremely unique war for its time period. No military force had ever been brought together larger than what the Persians brought together. No military had ever trained and valued war as much as the Greeks had. Two runaway trains were headed right towards one another. One of the …show more content…

The Greeks were fighting on their own land. Fighting for their home. This made the war mean a tremendous amount more to the Greeks than it did to the Persians. Many of the Persian soldiers had been forced to fight at Marathons while the Greeks were ready to die to defend their homeland. On the other hand, One of the major disadvantages for the Greeks during the Battle of Marathon was that the Spartans were not around to fight the battle. The most well trained military in the ancient world wasn’t able to arrive at Marathon fast enough to help fight during this battle. Unlike Athens which was a mere 28 miles North of Marathon, Sparta was over 200 miles away from Marathon(Fosten, 24). This called for at least a 3 day journey to Marathon from Sparta. Also, the Spartans were engaged in a festival when the battle had broken out. They promised to send help after their festival, the “Carnie” ended. This festival was extremely important to the Spartans. The Spartans thought that if they left it early, the gods would in turn punish them on the battlefield. This meant that the Spartans would have no factor in the Battle of Marathon(Stern,

Show More
Related

How Did The Persians Build The Largest Empire

362 Words | 2 Pages

The Persian army was considered one of the strongest in the ancient world due to several factors. Firstly, they had a large and well-trained army with skilled cavalry and archers. Secondly, they had a sophisticated military strategy that relied on a combination of speed, surprise, and overwhelming force. Thirdly, they were able to fund their military campaigns through a vast network of trade and taxation. Finally, they were able to adapt to new technologies and tactics, often incorporating them into their own military practices.

Read More

Battle Of Bull Run Essay

1258 Words | 6 Pages

If the Union won at The First Battle of Bull Run The purpose of this paper is to examine the historical events that occurred during the Battle of Bull Run. Although it is known that the Confederate Army defeated the Union Army in July 1861, I believe the battle would have ended differently if not for valuable intelligence that was given to the Confederates during the beginning of the battle. The information the Confederates received helped them redirect their efforts and defeat the Union Army at Henry Hill.

Read More

Battle Of Bull Run Essay

122 Words | 1 Pages

The Battle of Bull Run, the principal real conflict in the Civil War, finished in a Confederate triumph. It smashed illusions that either side would win rapidly or effectively. The fight came to fruition when President Lincoln requested General Irvin McDowell to strike Confederate powers at Mananas Junction, as a stage toward taking Richmond. He needed to move rapidly against the foe, trusting a conclusive triumph would suppress the resistance. Assaulting at a young hour in the morning, Union powers initially appeared to be winning, yet the Confederates checked their development.

Read More

Herodotus Histories: Xerxe Tigranes

805 Words | 4 Pages

In Herodotus’ Histories, Tigranes teasingly says, “Zounds, Mardonios, what manner of men are these that you have brought us to fight withal? ‘Tis not for money they contend but for glory of achievement!’. Tigranes makes this offhand comment, but it implies a difference between Spartan and Persian culture. Xerxes understands the implications of the comment itself and reacts badly to it. During battle, Xerxes finds out that the Spartans’ difference in values makes the Spartans better warriors.

Read More

Why Athens Is Better Than Sparta

681 Words | 3 Pages

Athens and Sparta are individually a single unit, but they have differences that set them apart. Athens has numerous social classes in it’s government, they are known for their strong navy, they have democratic values, and Athens has a bigger population than Sparta. Sparta only has three social classes, they are known for their strong army, which consists of the best and most feared fighters on land, and they have militaristic values. There is a debate on which polis is superior, Athens or Sparta. Athens and Sparta are both well-developed societies, however, Sparta stands out as the superior polis because Spartan women have more rights, education was distributed equally among boys and girls in Sparta, and Sparta had a strong and united culture.

Read More

How Did The Greek Empires Contribute To The Rise Of Persian Society

977 Words | 4 Pages

28 Feb. 2017.) King Leonidas of Sparta sent a small force to Thermopylae to hold off the Persians while Athens gets ready for an attack. The 300’s bravely held off the Persians for a total of 10 days. But then a problem arose. “The Greek traitor, Ephialtes, showed the Persians another path which enabled the invaders to enter the pass from the rear” (Greece Funk & Wagnalls, Encyclopedia Article.

Read More

Athens Vs Sparta Essay

592 Words | 3 Pages

The Spartans were called upon during many different confrontations to help “police” the Ancient Greece. Darius, the king of Persia started an offensive attack to gain control of Greece. The king sent word to the Greeks, requesting “earth and water”, which was a sign of surrender. Many of the city-states in the region accepted the Persian offer, but Athens and Sparta refused. The first battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. was won by the Athens, the other rather powerful city-state of Greece.

Read More

Ancient Greek Hoplites

1120 Words | 5 Pages

Warfare played a major role in the history of ancient Greece. Wars and skirmishes between rival city-states, Greek leagues and empires, and foreign threats such as Persia greatly shaped the way the ancient Greeks conducted warfare and politics, also greatly influencing the way modern scholars view the history of Greece. Hoplites were the mainstay of ancient Greek armies for several centuries and the way they fought characterised many of the Greek city-states throughout their history. This essay aims to outline the way the hoplites of Classical Athens fought, and how these modes of combat fit in with the prevailing Athenian attitude of andreia, or manly courage. Evidence from ancient and modern sources will be used to evaluate the way hoplites

Read More

The Greece Persian Wars: The First Persian War

348 Words | 2 Pages

The start of the first Persian war. The Greece Persian wars are a sequence of wars fought between the great empire of Persian and the coalition of Greek city states. It lasted for about half a decade from 499 BC to 488 BC even as we say Greece Persian wars it 's not always that all of Greece and authority was much greater. And the pelopnnesian islands in the Aegean Sea. Athens had already removed their wealth from these islands and controlled them through navy.

Read More

Athens Vs Sparta

814 Words | 4 Pages

By the middle of the 5th century B.C. Athens and Sparta, the two most powerful Greek city-states, found themselves on the brink of a full-scale war. According to Thucydides, at the beginning of the war both Athens and Sparta were at the pick of their might and flourishing and could trade and cooperate to each other’s benefit; instead, they got involved into an armed confrontation, in which the rest of the Greek cities participated, on one side or on the other. The growing military and financial power of Athens as well as its policy of forcing smaller city-states to join its Delian League was shifting the prevalent balance of power in Hellas and raising anxiety among Spartans, their allies and neutral cities. Sparta’s decision to get involved

Read More

Herodotus Analytical Essay

1246 Words | 5 Pages

Sometime around the year 425 B.C., the writer and geographer Herodotus published his magnum opus: a long account of the Greco-Persian Wars that he called The Histories. In the introductory lines of Herodotus of Halicarnassus’ this book, he says “The purpose is to prevent the traces of human events from being erased by time, and to prevent the fame of the important and remarkable achievements produced by both Greeks and non-Greeks; among matters covered is, in particular, the cause of the hostilities between Greeks and non-Greeks.” Herodotus makes it clear from the beginning exactly what he intends to do. He certainly did achieve his goal. To support the aforementioned statement, the author has stated several fair, balanced facts and examples in his writing that are going to be discussed in this paper.

Read More

How Did The Military Culture Influence The Roman Military

415 Words | 2 Pages

This along with the harsh training tactics such as lack of food and dealing with changes in temperature further helped young Spartans acquire the basic elements of military for their fighting. The Spartans were fully invested in being militarily dominant. Like the Roman legions, Spartans had an undying loyalty to their country and fellow soldiers. Both Roman and Spartan soldiers would rather die than concede their honor by

Read More

Minoan And Mycenaean Civilization

1442 Words | 6 Pages

Many of the Greeks city states submitted but not the Athens and Sparta. In 499 B.C., the Ionian Greeks of Asia Minor rebelled against the Persians, resulting in the Athens sending twenty ships to assist in the revolt. Furious, Darius I (king of Persia), sent a small army to fight the Greeks in Attica on the plain of Marathon, twenty miles north of Athens. The battle here was known as The Battle of Marathon, where the Persians had been defeated by the Greeks. It was the first time the Greeks had beaten the Persians, meaning the Persians were not invincible.

Read More

Importance Of Heroic Code In The Iliad

1785 Words | 8 Pages

(R 23-35). The Greeks hearing Achilles return, gain strength, will and perseverance to carry on the war. The responsibility that Achilles takes plays massive role, affecting the men 's actions throughout the

Read More

300 Movie Essay

473 Words | 2 Pages

Upon hearing of Xerxes plans King Leonidas of Sparta and 300 of his warrior set out to defend the mountain pass of Thermopylae and stop the Persian advances. At first, the Spartans were successful at defeating the Persian army due to their use of the hoplite phalanx. However, when the secrets of Sparta’s success

Read More

More about The Pros And Cons Of The Battle Of Marathon

Related Topics

Open Document