Athenians Tell About their Tactics at Marathon

By: Lucas

“The Athenians set up a camp on the southern edge of the plain of Marathon and from the Sanctuary of Heracles, a position on Mount Agriliki; they could keep watch on the road to Athens. The approach to this position was narrow, preventing a flanking maneuver by the Persians and keeping their forces stuck on the edge of the plain.” (http//www.pbs.org/empires/)
The Athenians waited, and later ambushed the Persians. The most heavily trained Greek soldiers, called Hoplites, advanced double-time on the Persian bowmen. Many Hoplites died, but they advanced so quickly on the Persians that it was no contest.
Some people say that the Athenian war leader Miltiades persuaded generals to start a war with Persia, but others insist it was the long lasting hostility between the two cultures.
On the battlefield, the Athenian army was built into three rows: strongest on the outside flanks and weaker in the middle. This way, when the flanks fought, instead of following the retreating Persians, they fell back to aid the middle ranks of soldiers. Some people say that over 6,000 Persians were killed at Marathon. Even though the Athenians had won, they had to return home almost immediately to stop an army of cavalry sent against the city. The cavalry eventually fled back to Persia.