More from author
-	The Final Greek Victory II
-	The Final Greek Victory
-	The Battle of Thermopile and the Naval Battle of Salamis
-	A Message to Garcia 9
-	The Battle of Marathon

See news about

activism AKP Al Yamamah alcoholism treatment Angelina Jolie BAE Systems Bill Murray bizarre news BRIT Awards Buick car crash Celebrity Commonwealth Bank Series Cricket Demi Moore extradition formula one France Gambhir genocide geri Halliwell headlines single Health Care Commission Heather Mills Hutu Hyperinflation Impeachment James Earl Katie Holmes Kylie Minogue Mika military tribunal MRSA Mugabe music Pakistan Pakistan Tour Paris Hilton Politics Ponting Prince Harry and Chelsy Rod Stewart Saudi Arabia SCG Secularists security Serious Fraud Office Sienna Miller Stockholm Syndrome Symonds terrorism The Huff Tim Burton Tutsi usic Victoria Beckham Victoria Beckham nude Yves Leterme00710 Worst Nude Film Scenes2nd amendment50 Cent50-Centa-teamA-Team movieABBAAbbie CornishAbi TitmussAbigail BreslinAcademy AwardsaccidentsAdam SandleraddictionsAdeleAdnan GhalibAfghanistanAfton SmithAgyness DeynAir IndiaAishwarya RaiAl GoreAl Pacinoal QaedaAl-QaedaAlan ArkinAlan RickmanAlanis MorisseteAlanis MorissetteAlbert Einsteinalcoholalcohol addictionalcoholismAlec BaldwinAlesha DixonAlex TurnerAlexandriaAli CampbellAli LarterAlicia KeysAlicia SilverstoneAllahAlli SimsAmanda HoldenAmanda PeetAmanda SeyfriedAmazonAmelle BerrabahAmerican IdolAmerican PieAmy AdamsAmy RyanAmy WinehouseAmy Winehouse is planning a massive Christmas bingAnatole TaubmannAndhraAndrew MortonAndy HilfigerAndy SerkisAng LeeAngela MerkelAngelina Jolieanimal rightsAnjelica HustonAnna NicoleAnna Nicole SmithAnne HathawayAnnie LennoxAnthony HopkinsAnthony MinghellaAnti-IconAntonio BanderasAppleArctic MonkeysAretha FranklinAri SandelArmaniArnieArnold SchwarzeneggerArpad BussonAshantiAshely TisdaleAshlee SimpsonAshley ColeAshley JuddAshley OlsenAshley TisdaleAshton KutcherAsif Ali ZardariAsley OlsenAssamastronautAtonementAtonement\'Audrey HepburnAustraliaAvril LavigneAyda FieldBabelbabyBackstairs BillyBackstreet Boysbad influencesBaftaBaghdadBalticBangladeshBar RafaeliBar RefaeliBarack ObamaBarry ManilowBasraBattlestar GalacticaBBCBeatlesbeauty pageantBeckhambecome news reporterBeethovenBelgiumBen AffleckBenazirBenazir assassinationBenazir BhuttoBenazir Bhutto assassinationBenazir Bhutto photosBenazir Bhutto stampsBenazir Bhutto willBenezir Bhutto assassinationBeowulfBernardo BertolucciBest ActressBest Dressed in 2007best haircutbest motorcycle movie momentsbest moviesBeth DittoBethlehemBette MidlerBeverly Hills 90210BeyonceBeyoncé KnowlesBeyonc¨¦ KnowlesBilawal ZardarBilawal ZardariBill GatesBillie PiperBillionaireBilly JoelBilly Zanebinge drinkingBipasha Basubird fluBismarckBizarre NewsBjorkBlack CrowesBlack Eyed PeasBlake FielderBlake Fielder CivilBlake Fielder-CivilBlaze Media ProblogbloggerbloggingBlurBMWBo DerekBob DylanBobby BrownBollywoodbombBon JoviBondBond 22Bond girlBond girlsBonoBoratBotoxBoy GeorgeBrad PittBrad RenfroBrainBrandon RouthBrandyBrazilbrazil prisonbread thievesBrendan FraserBrian MayBrian McFaddenBrian WilliamsBridget JonesBridget MoynahanBRIT AwardsBritish royal familyBritish Secret IntelligenceBritney SpearBritney SpearsBritney Spears adoptionBritney Spears body doubleBritney Spears lawyerBritney Spears psychological evaluationBritsBrittany MurphyBrooke ShieldsBruce LeeBruce SpringsteenBruce WillisBruneiBryan AdamsBuckingham Palacebulletproof vestBushBusta RhymesCairoCalista FlockhartCalvin KleinCameron DiazCameron MackintosCamila AlvesCamillaCanadaCanada¡¯s Juno AwardscancercannabisCannesCannes Film FestivalCapri Hollywood Film FestivalCarey HartCarla Bruni-SarkozyCarmen ElectraCarmit BacharCaroline KennedyCarrie UnderwoodCasablancaCasey AffleckCasey AldridgeCash WarrenCasio keyboard

 

After ten days march from Athens, Miltiades spread his forces as to form a line as wide as the terrain available in Marathon, to preclude the enemy from flanking and surrounding his forces. This maneuver of necessity made his front line thin, but Miltiades reinforced both flanks in detriment of the center of his line. Miltiades counted on a fast rush to avoid as much as possible the peril of the Persian arrows and engage in hand-to-hand combat, at which the Greeks were better.

The Persians could hardly believe that such an inferior force was attacking them. They had the majority of their forces at the center of the line and thus, in spite of the fast and relentless Greek attack, they eventually were successful in overcoming the center of the Greek line and push well forward in order to encircle them. Miltiades had anticipated this and both of his flanks continued forward, against the remaining of the Persian army. Soon, two-thirds of the Persians were either dead, wounded, disarmed or in retreat. When this was accomplished, Miltiades turned his attention to the remaining Persian forces that had penetrated his lines and advanced inland. The Greeks went now to the flanks, hitting the Persians from both sides. The Persians resisted valiantly for some time, but the Greek fury was too much and the Persians retreated to their vessels. The Greek tried to keep them from reaching the vessels, because they wanted to take them, but the Persian archers protected their retreat and the Greeks were able to take only seven vessels, as the Persians embarked and retreated.

The Greeks were left as undisputed masters of Marathon. The Persians had abandoned a large amount of treasure in their precipitous retreat. There were 192 dead Greek soldiers, 6,400 Persians. A Spartan force, coming to take part in the battle, arrived too late and returned home.

Legend has it that Miltiades dispatched a runner to go to Athens at once and relay the news. This runner ran the 22 miles or about 33 kilometers to Athens, gave the long-awaited result of the battle, the good news of the Greek victory and then fell dead, presumably of a heart attack. This race of the distance from Marathon to Athens is still run all over the world today, in remembrance of this event.

The Greek army received a great hero welcome in Athens. As the news spread throughout Greece, the fear of the mighty Persian Armies lost much of its hold on the Greeks. It was actually more than a Greek victory; it was a victory of the free and civilized peoples of the world over the brute force and despotic rule of oppressors over the oppressed. It was the first time the mighty Persian Empire had been defeated in battle. All western nations should celebrate the Battle of Marathon, not only in races, but also as a symbol of freedom.

Next issue... The Battle of Thermopyla