The Importance Of The Battle Of Marathon

On a mid-September afternoon, 490 B.C.E., the commanding general of the Athenian forces, Miltiades, was preparing for the first and final attack. This was where he’d make his final stand, going down in history as one of the greatest upsets in military history. This pivotal battle pushed back the Persians for the time being, saved the city of Athens, and bought time for the Greek city-states to re-organize, preventing Greece and the rest of Europe from being subjugated under Persian rule. This unexpected triumph by the Athenians during the Battle of Marathon was pivotal in shaping Western Europe and positioning Europe to be a major power throughout history.

The Battle of Marathon was vital to the survival of Athens. After all, the invasion by the Persians was a strike of revenge against Athens for the city-state’s part in the Ionian Revolution. “Soon, other Ionian Greek cities joined the revolt. Athens was quick to lend support with both money and warriors, even helping the rebels to burn the regional capital, Sardis.” (Meyers 1). After the failure of the …show more content…
Persia and the rest of the Middle East would never recover from these two losses. After the Battle of Marathon, the great Persian Empire went into a long decline, marking a turning point in the scheme of power in the world. “Although the Persian invasion was ended by the battles at Plataea and Mycale, fighting between Greece and Persia continued for another 30 years. Led by the Athenians, the newly formed Delian League went on the offensive to free the Ionian city-states on the Anatolian coast.” (Encyclopedia Britannica 1). The eventual fall of the Persian Empire sent echoes throughout the world. No other Middle East based empire would reach the height or length of the Persians. This would leave the Middle East out of the running as a world power for a great length of time, while it's rival, Europe, began to