The Battle of Marathon: Part 4 - The Finale

I left you with Persia poised to attack Greece, forcing a number of Greek cities to surrender out of the sheer threat of violence. As you remember from 300 (man, I can't stop linking it back to that movie even though it's not even the same battle) the Persians came in and demanded earth and water - in which Leonidas heroically power-kicks him into a seemingly endless pit of death while yelling "THIS - IS - SPARTA!", a line that has now been relentlessly parodied. That is how the Persians went about it. They would send an emissary (probably not Peter Mensah in the real life version) and he would demand earth and water, a symbolic gesture of surrender. While many turned it over and submitted, Sparta and Athens refused, bringing them to war.

The Persian infantry, possibly the
famed Immortals. With that name they
best make sure they're really good.

So how would Athens and Sparta stand a chance against the Persian horde, especially with a number of Greek cities at least kind of on the side of Persia? Their first step was to make the new-found allies of the Persians fear the Greeks more than their new overlords. They went very different than it is now; food cannot be airdropped, proper sanitation is a dream, disease can very well kill more of your army than the enemy ever will.
about trouncing the traitors, preventing the Persians from having cities to land in and host their massive armies while they prepared for the onslaught. Keep in mind that war back in the day was

Before I get to Persia landing on Greece, I would like to establish just how much of a superpower they were. Their total landmass stretched over 7.5 million square miles with 40 million people in their civilization. Athens and the surrounding area was was less than 4,000 and only 150,000 citizens lived within. Now, it's important to note that the larger a civilization gets it's reasonable to assume that they won't be able to control everything as well as a smaller one. Not to mention Athens is fighting on their home turf, so they'll be able to bring in more of their soldiers than the opposition. They also wouldn't be able to send the entirety of their military overseas, especially at once. The author of the book I'm getting this from (see the bottom of the page) makes an educated guess that there were 14,000 Athenian hoplites, 9,000 of those showing up at Marathon with the possibility of slaves added in as well. As for the Persians, they likely had 35,000 infantry and archers with the addition of 1,000 cavalry with the addition of all of the sailors that would accompany the boat (which is more than you'd think - about 50,000). So, in a nutshell: Persia is massive, but cannot bring the entirety of their force to the doorstep of Athens. Athens is significantly smaller, but can bring a much higher percentage of their force. Nevertheless, Persia still has the far superior numbers.

A modern depiction of a hoplite. If I were a horse, I
wouldn't want to go near that either.

So who had the advantage? There are a number of factors to throw in here, and if I were a betting man at the time I'd stay the heck out of it entirely. The Greek defense was a strong, veteran force, the victors of a great number of battles in recent history, allowing their generals to become well-versed in tactics. They were well prepared to git-er-done. In addition to this, the Greek's armour and weapons were vastly superior. They had bronze breastplates, much better suited to keeping them alive than the scale and leather (and sometimes even wooden helmets, apparently) that they would be up against. A persian shield, typically made of wood, could perhaps stop an arrow but it sure as heck was not able to stop a hoplite spear. Now you could argue the cavalry would make a huge difference and tip the tides in favour of the Athenians, but here's the thing - horses don't like running into large numbers of pointed sticks. A phalanx formation, in which all the hoplites essentially go shoulder to shoulder and form a nearly impenetrable wall, prevent the horses from ever wanting to go full throttle in there and scatter the ranks. The Persian fighting style needed the cavalry to displace the enemy infantry, allowing the archers to pick them off afterwards - but against a solid, well-trained force that holds formation, they were going to have to go toe to toe.

While all this looks overwhelmingly in favour of the Greeks now, there are a few things to note; Athens did not bring any archers nor cavalry. They were strictly an infantry force. How would they survive the first initial volleys of arrows that the Persians typically use to slow up a force to allow the cavalry to move through? Second, Sparta (who was vehemently religious) was having a festival and refused to meet them at Marathon during that time. It's like they asked for help during Christmas, but they assured them they'd show up after boxing day. In addition to all this, Persia was not an army to be trifled with. In 300, they were essentially fodder trained in death screams and slow motion falling, but in reality these were battle-hardened soldiers that have been rolling through pretty well everything in their past for the greater part of the past century. They were going to put up a fight.

So where we stand: Persia lands with a huge force, Athens is at their gates ready to meet them soon but not yet leaving their city. Here's how the battle goes.

A... plate? depicting a Persian and Greek fighting.
Dinner must have been a violent event.

Persia was actually in some logistics trouble; running short on food and having far too small of places to crap (this is actually a much larger issue than you'd think, going back to the whole disease thing I mentioned earlier) and they were planning on temporarily retreating back to their boats. They started loading stuff up, most notably the cavalry. Imagine trying to pack 1,000 horses in and out of boats - it's a brutal task, and one that would take a very long amount of time. The Athenians knew they had to attack then, before the cavalry could be set up, and damage their force enough that they would no longer wish to return or at least be so damaged when they did they'd have a better chance. So they moved out of their city and got in battle formations. The Persians were at this point not too worried about this; they did this fairly often, almost as a way of keeping the enemy on their toes. But this time something was a little different; the Athenians started to sing.

Now this wasn't some campfire singing stuff, this was battle hymn, terrify the enemy and bolster your forces kind of singing. That's when they started walking. The Persians were not horribly ill-prepared, the archers having been in place but the cavalry mostly absent. The Athenians crept closer, and as they moved they broke out into a light jogging pace. This is the time the Persian archers would typically shine; they'd level the forces as they approached, leaving room for the rest of the army to take care of the rest. But that's when the Athenians went into full battle mode and decided it was best to run, full sprint, right at the enemy. Having never seen this before, the archers greatly mistimed their shots and most sailed off into nothing, missing their marks due to the the speed throwing them off. The Greeks met them with such force they practically rolled over the Persian army, breaking through and finding the relatively defenseless archers. The Persians moved into full retreat, with a resulting resounding Athenian victory. 6,000 Persians were killed at the cost of 192 Greeks.

The Greeks sent a messenger back to Athens to tell them of their victory, and if he actually did run the length of a marathon (probably slightly less) and then die after declaring the win is a little muddled. Without getting into a massive discussion on if this actually happened... lets just leave it at a "maybe".

The Spartans arrived the following morning to see the devastation. It makes you wonder if they were disappointed they missed the show.

The Battle of Marathon: Part 3 - The Greeks and the Beginnings of War

When you think about ancient classes of warriors of hundreds or thousands of years ago you'll typically find yourself with some variety of picture in your mind - stereotypical depictions of lone samurai or knights clad in gleaming, beautiful armour - and when you read about the actual style, visually or otherwise, you might find yourself rather disappointed. Knights back in the day don't look as closely to my Diablo III characters as much as I would hope, and I'm getting the sneaking suspicion that Samurai Jack might be fictional. Athens and Sparta in their prime, however, live up to all the hype and all the excitement that you see in movies. In fact, in the latest, mediocre 300 movie where the Athenians are depicted as simple farmer folk who can't fight all that well (but are still inexplicably jacked beyond belief) actually sells them short a little. Sparta on the other hand is just as battle hardened and fear inspiring as everything you've heard.

But anyways - time for historical fact. There will be plenty of time (and one should always make time) for 300 later.

A statue of an Athenian, the richer,
weaker version of a Spartan. Still
pretty tough to beat though.

Athens came to flourish not as a warrior state (well, not entirely), nor as a farming one. The soil wasn't particularly great around the area so they had to make a living through other means, and those means just happened to be trade. They became exceedingly wealthy, although still far, far, far less wealthy than Persia out east through means of being the go-between from all the other Greek cities. A lot of people, 300: Rise of an Empire included, depict them as militarily weak due to this very reason - but that's simply not the case. They still fought with fair regularity, at one point holding off the advance of Sparta itself. At the time of Marathon they still had generals that had fought in previous wars that provided a sense of calm and a veteran backing to their military force. In addition to all this, they were the founders of democracy; that doesn't just mean they can feel a pompous sense of superiority (although it totally does mean that) but it would also mean that they very well might fight harder. A soldier that is fighting for himself and his people rather than for a tyrant or king is going to be more inclined to put it all on the line.

So what about Sparta? I said earlier they live up to their high modern standards of the pinnacle of warrior-hood, and the reason being they had to make everything about war out of necessity of keeping their lifestyle. Some time ago they grew to dominate the surrounding people, not quite enslaving them, but... pretty darn close. They gave them terrible enough conditions (making them send their resources up the line, high taxes, that sort of stuff) that the lowers - called Helots - may very well revolt. If they're to revolt, then Sparta had better make sure they won. The best deterrent to revolt is to get so, so, so ridiculously good at warfare that no one dare try to fight them. The result was a Spartan society that didn't have to worry about farming, and focus entirely on becoming a living, breathing force of military power. The problem is they couldn't really venture out a conquerin' because the moment the bulk of the military wandered off, the Helots would revolt. Essentially, Sparta was so tough that the toughest nails would say they were as tough as Spartans. But to convince them to leave their door, no matter how high the stakes, is another matter altogether. 

Spartans made of bronze are actually
softer than the real life version.

So that's what's going on back home in Greece when they get word that Ionia is revolting over the high taxes and ruined economy that Persia has caused. Athens moves to help, but Sparta, taking a look at some shifty-eyed half-slaves, decides to stay home and work out a little more. The Athenians, to their credit, went and burned down Sardis, the former capital of the Lydians turned Persian city, but had to bid a hasty retreat after confronting too strong of a Persian force. After they leave, Ionia, the Greek-owned city states south of Lydia and across the water from Greece, falls to Persian might. In addition to that, Athens just poked the bear that clawed them. 

Persia at this time is essentially an unstoppable war machine. They're taking territory left right and centre, created the greatest empire the world had known at that time, and were poised to attack mainland Greece. Their army was so strong that the cities of Greece didn't fight, but instead just rolled right over and agreed to join Persia out of fear of, you know, the whole death and destruction thing that happens when you don't immediately surrender to a ridiculously giant army. Well, I guess I should say most Greek cities turned.

Sparta and Athens are making a stand.

Famous Historical Figures Say the Darndest Things!

1. "For after they had completed the conquest of the cities, they picked out the most handsome boys and castrated them, making them eunuchs instead of males. And they dragged off the most beautiful virgins to the King. After they had carried out these threats, they also set fire to the cities and to their sanctuaries, too." This. This right here is why they surrendered to the Persians.
2. "The Spartan's life is so unendurable that it is no wonder he throws it away lightly in battle." An Athenian said this about the Spartan way of growing up, notoriously a brutal way of living that makes you pretty well unbreakable.

The Battle of Marathon: Part 2 - Cyrus

I know this goes well, well before the Battle of Marathon, and perhaps the title of the last couple blogs is a touch misleading, but gosh darn it the Persian stuff is crazy interesting. There's been baby prejudice (though both eating them and attempting to murder them), psychotic kings, and enough political intrigue to pass for a "poignant" television show on HBO. And just like a good HBO drama, there are a plethora of characters with separate backstories that all somehow link together into one little package. Lets meet them:

Astyages, the king of Media - brutal and cold, fond of infanticide.
Harpagos, general in Astyages army - he may have eaten his own son, but notably against infanticide.

Without the taking of Lydia,
Cyrus the Great may have only
been known as "the pretty good".

Cyrus, Persian baby - narrowly avoiding his murder as an infant, he's rising up and a little angry.

Cyrus grew up to become a member of what was a very small Persian population. They were also a population that was rather upset with the rule of Astyages, and understandably - I believe I've done well enough to show that he was not a pleasant fellow. Eventually the Persians got fed up with him to the point that a revolt was now in the cards. Astyages, in all his infinite wisdom, decided to send Harpagos to quell the rebellion. Keep in mind this is the very same Harpagos that quite possibly ate his own son earlier due to the trickery of the king (at least according to the Greek historian that is going to be pretty well the only source we're going to get on the matter). Somehow - somehow! - Astyages didn't see any possible discontent within the ranks. The result was a Median force that went to stomp out a rebellion, but ended joining it instead. Suddenly, Harpagos was buddy buddy with the leader of the rising Persian force - none other than Cyrus, the child prophesized to usurp the king of Media, Astyages.

Fearing the worst after hearing the news of his general moving to the other side, he sent out another force to meet them - but that force brought the king in chains and turned him over. It really makes you think just how terrible this guy was to his people. He gets undermined at every turn. While Astyages' fate becomes a little muddled after this (but we can presume it didn't lead to a very positive outcome) what's really important is the fact that Persia and Media essentially merged - well, not entirely, but for all we need to know, they're essentially one and the same. Unfortunately for them, they had little time to celebrate as Lydia, the powerful and rich land to the west got word and wasn't really too fond of having a strong military power on their border while not knowing of their intents.

Croseus, the leader of Lydia, feels it's a good idea to let the Greeks know of the impending threat and sends for some help before this force to the east truly becomes a powerful and established army. They quickly hop on board, knowing that any army that's big and strong but isn't of their own flesh and blood is inherently a negative. Feeling confident in their wealthy, Greek-supported fighting force, Croseus sets out to check on the Persians. He moves to defend the city of Sardis before his allies arrive. He's also a little overconfident; thinking these Persians won't put up much of a fight, he sends home a large number of his men, except for his trump card - his expert cavalry force, enough to rival anyone against him basically on their own.

Croesus, shares my personal desires of being immortalized
on jars after my death.

The Persia/Media army, with Cyrus at the helm, suddenly realize that war is coming and the stakes are high. If they don't hit them now, they're going to be going against one heck of an army when the Greeks arrive, so they have no choice but to knock these guys off before they can become unified and stronger than ever. Croesus, powerful army of cavalry at his side, moves to meet the Persians in the open field. However, Cyrus had a trick up his sleeve, as he knew this was to be the case.

Camels.

Horses are notoriously skittish creatures, and when they see something new and unexpected they may not be so willing to charge into battle towards it. Knowing this to be true, Cyrus leads a great number of men on camels into the fray, terrifying the horses and sending them anywhere but where they needed to go. The Persian archers only had an undefended, scared, and defenceless infantry to deal with. It was a rout. Lydian forces retreated as fast as they could, back towards Sardis to defend the walls and lick their wounds.

Camels. The beast that scared the tremendous
cavalry force of Croesus into submission.
Camels. Really.

Unfortunately for Cyrus, attacking a walled city usually ended up in siege warfare that could take weeks, and time was not on his side. Knowing reinforcements were on the way, he had to act fast and take them out as soon as possible. Now, there's a story that Herodotus relates to the siege that should be taken with a grain of salt. It's hard to say exactly how true it is, or if it's just a good story to pass along. He says the Persians spotted a section of the walls where it was so tall that it was virtually undefended. A Persian scout was watching this section and saw a defender drop his helmet off the edge by accident, and climbed down a section of the wall to retrieve it, and returned without much issue. A Persian scout saw this and reported it back to the generals, showing them how to climb a section of seemingly unscalable wall where the defenders would be scarce. They had the rather easy decision of saying that was the place to attack from. The end result was an annihilation of the city much faster than a traditional siege. Croesus had an unknown fate, but that hardly matters - Persia took their capital and made it their city. While the story may sound far fetched at first, archaeological evidence was found (somehow) that could very well relate it to truth. After finding what is very likely to be the spot of attack, they found the remains of a man the appropriate age for a soldier, with arms broken from what may be desperately defending sword attacks, in a position that likely would have had him thrown from the wall. The icing on the cake was finding a helmet roughly the age of when Cyrus would have attacked just feet from his body. Who knows? Could be true.

So I leave you with Cyrus at the helm, strong as ever, having defeated the Lydians. Greece is already not too fond of them. We'll see how this plays out.