Herodotus On The War For Greek Freedom: Book Analysis
Darius’ mind was made up by 490 B.C.; he had decided to march on Athens. The two forces eventually faced off at Marathon, a small Greek city northeast of Athens. Despite the massive Persian army and naval fleet and the Spartans not coming to help, the Athenians managed to come out on top. Darius made a detrimental mistake when he underestimated the choppy and mountainous topography of Greece. The land of Greece was difficult for the Persians to maneuver and they could never gain any advantage over the Athenians. This was an enormous victory for the Athenians, but they knew Darius’ fury was only greater now that he had been humiliated at Marathon. Next time he would only come back stronger and with a bigger yearning for …show more content…
As Xerxes returned to safety in Persepolis, one of his generals named Mardonius stayed behind to commend the Persian army. Through the winter, Mardonius and the remaining Persian army retreated to Thebes, a medized city in Greece. When Mardonius was ready to fight, he had the Greek forces meet the Persian forces on the flat plains of Thebes, as he had learned not to fight the Greeks in constricted areas. Still, Mardonius made a fatal error. Mistaking a Greek army movement for retreat, he moved his men into the wrong position and the Greeks gained the advantage. Again, the Greeks were victorious and proceeded to kill Mardonius and everyone who had