Watch Great Battles in History Season 1 Episode 4 Online

The Battle of Marathon was an armed confrontation that defined the outcome of the first medical war. It happened in the year 490 a. C. and took place in the fields and the beach of the city of Marathon, located a few kilometers from Athens, on the east coast of Attica. He faced on the one hand the Persian king Darius I, who wanted to invade and conquer Athens for his participation in the Ionian revolt, and, on the other hand, the Athenians and their allies (from Plataea, among others). A feat remembered in this battle by Herodotus was that of Pheidippides, who walked the road from Athens to Sparta to ask for help from the Spartan army. Sparta refused to help the Athenians, claiming to meet on dates of religious celebrations.