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30 years ago my wife and I had a holiday in Greece. We stayed at Neo Makri (which - back then - was a small town just getting to grips with the fact that they were becoming a small holiday destination for Europeans... Brits in particular. We rented a couple of bicycles and rode out to the small (burial?) mound/hill at Marathon. I stood with my back to that mound and looked out towards Athens... trying to imagine that incredible run to Athens by the messenger Pheidippides. I was covered in goose-bumps... to be so close to such an important event in European history was amazing! Greece just drips with history.
Possibly the most important battle in History for Western civilization. Allowed Athens to lay the foundation of who we are today. I always found that the most overlooked part of the battle is the most amazing. All over the world the Marathon race in held in honor of Phidipides but the whole army did it after the battle to be ready on show when the Persian fleet arrived in Athens and scared the off.
@@gioaugustus No Athens had been deliberately evacuated, (That prophesy about, "The wooden walls,") and the decisive battle was Salamis and after that although the Persians wandered around for a bit they didn't achieve much or consolidate the gains, such as they were.
Just read about this battle in a book and I decided to look it up. what an unbelievably high quality video absolutely amazing thank you it cleared up a lot of misconceptions I had about the battle
Among others, the great tragedian Aeschylos took part in this battle. Also his brother, who died horribly (but also heroically), refusing to let go of a persian ship.
@Vector Strike Persian armies had Greeks in them( some times more than the "Greeks" themselves. In this invasion, they had Macedonian and Ionians in their ranks. Even the Spartans themselves will be allied with the Persians during the Peloponnese war and during Alexander's invasion.
@@TheColombiano89 Yeah, mercenaries or those living in Asia Minor. But the Greeks from the European lands weren't subjects of the Persian Emperor and were free to decide their own destiny - which created the Western world as we know it
"Marathon was won because amateur soldiers found the courage to break into a trot when arrows began to fall, instead of grinding to a halt" - Paul Cartledge
I think that we don't give the Greek amateur soldiers enough credit for what they did. They started their charge from a mile away while wearing heavy bronze armor, routed their foe, and then force marched all the way back to Athens to stand atop the walls by the time the Persian ships made it to Athens. I think there are people in special forces units today that would fail at that task.
@@Ian-yf7uf Greek Hoplite Warriors whether amateur or veteran were in incredible peak fitness striking a good balance between strong lean muscle and endurance in stamina and speed.
10.49; To be correct; The Greek army lost 192 men,and the army that came from Plataea (about a 1000 strong) lost 11 men. Callimachus,from Plataea and,one of the Greeks in high command,died on the battlefield. The Persians lost 6 400 men (and seven ships).
There are some inaccuracies but non the less much appreciated video. One more thing to mention. Carthage used the same strategy against the Romans in Cannae with larger force plus cavalry with much greater effects and falsely get credits for the maneuver.
Ah, to watch historians embrace the tale of Marathon, despite its gaping void of evidence, is like observing a cat fiercely defending the integrity of an empty fishbowl-it speaks volumes, and yet, there is nothing in it at all. One cannot help but marvel at the audacity of scholars who, with solemn brows and furrowed foreheads, nod reverently at Herodotus, the illustrious father of fibs, as though he were not a raconteur but an accountant of facts. Here we have a battlefield famed for slaughter, yet bereft of any Persian swords, armor, or helmets, as barren of proof as a poet’s promises. And still, they cling to the notion with the fervor of a gambler insisting his losing hand is a masterpiece. "Ah," they exclaim, "look at the soros of 192 brave Athenians, surely that’s proof enough!"-forgetting that the absence of thousands of Persian remains looms like a gaping plot hole in their historical epic. To defend such a tale with only arrowheads as evidence is akin to claiming a banquet from the crumbs on a plate. One might almost admire the dedication to illusion, if it weren’t so exquisitely detached from reason. The historians who accept it without skepticism resemble nothing so much as the man who, finding a fish tale suspiciously bereft of fish, nonetheless insists it was a whale.
great job great video. It is important to note that all the Greeks were hoplites and not psili (light infantry who were poor athenians and fought as archers and slingers) or cavalry. It is something that hasnt been answered in history. For the Marathon race there are two opinions the first is with the messanger Philipides that he was the one who did the race. Also Phillipides few days before had run to Sparta to request assistance. Today we have the Spartathlon (245 km from Athens to Sparta) and the Phillipidion race (490 km Athens-Sparta and back). The second is because the Persian fleet went to west shore of Athens to Phaliro the Athenians hoplites after the battle run full gear from Marathon to Phaliro. Of course the distance is greater than 42 km. But these are the two opinions concerning the Marathon race. The tomb of the Athenians and the Platecians who died in the battle is still standing in Marathon while on the Athens Archeological museum you can see Miltiades helmet that he offered it to Parthenon for his victory.
Cavalry wasn't popular in Greece before Phillip and Alexander right? I know in fourth century BC they brought the Macedonian war machine but before that Greeks mostly used their infantry in the form of hoplites.
@@starboys3407 not really. Only spartans did not have cavalry. Especially macedonia thessaly and viotia had great cavalry. However it wasnt used in attacks. Phillip the 2nd ( father of alexander the great) used the cavalry for strike. Athens had cavalry and actually xenophon was a cavalryman. However in marathon there wasnt not even one cavalry man
@@starboys3407 cavalry needs fields southern greece has no such an empty vast field like thessaly or macedon thats why they didnt use them if you fight in mountains its not usefull to have a horse plus the money it needed.
@@vasileiospapazoglou2362 That was then. In modern warfare there have been documented uses of horses and mules. Case in point, the use of mules for resupply during the war in the Balkans in the early 90's.
@@georgesakellaropoulos8162 we talk about ancient history not for world war 2 and even in the ancient world the athenians had cavalry but not that strong as the thessalian or macedonian.
Callimachus was brother of Aeschylus. Callimachus death was horrified. He grab a persian ship.with his arm..and a Persian cut it ..then he grab it with the other hand...That.cuted too...Then with his teeth and Persian cut it off...
What do you think it would look like ? The Persian philosophers started Christmas when bringing gifts to Jesus in Bethelehem. Persians also started the notion of ONE God and heaven and hell all comes from their. Europeans would style themselves after Persian Kings and the first Knights came from the Persians. I could keep going on and on...oh your mail delivery was first started by them aswell 😀
@@TheColombiano89 What about the first version of democracy we got from Athens? No way that would of been hold up to something special compared to their persian king :) Tho from the little I know about the persians and their empire. They did not realy care about the lands they own so longs they paid their taxes they could oporate how they wished? If I remmber right or dont get something mixed up hehe :D
I have my own theory regarding this battle, it goes as follows: the Persians had 25,000 infantry at Marathon... we don't know how many but a good portion of them plus their cavalry re-embarked on the ships to sail for Athens, possibly thinking the remaining forces will pin down the Athenian army (it's possible that the landing at Marathon was meant as a diversionary maneuver with the purpose of drawing the Greek army away from Athens). We don't know if this was a deliberate strategy on the part of the Persian commander or if he intended to re-embark the whole army and sail to Athens... it could be that a portion of the army did not have time to get back on their ships before the Greeks saw an opportunity to strike an unprepared enemy, meaning the Persians had to hastily form up in battle formation in a last ditch attempt to defend themselves. Because it is said, that something triggered the Greeks to charge the Persians after several days of stand-off. In any case, it was a gamble on the part of the Persian commander that failed. Now even if 10,000 Greeks engaged with say 10,000 Persians, the losses by modern estimates by Peter Krentz are as follows: anywhere from 1000-3000 dead for the Greeks, 4000-5000 for the Persians. Even with this more realistic casualty figure the Persians have suffered more losses than the Greeks at Marathon. Whatever is left of that demoralized broken force manages to get back on the ships and escapes instead of joining up with the other force. The main Persian force of 15,000 is still on the way to Athens (who possibly have gathered reinforcements from other parts of Greece to defend the city). At arrival they see the main Greek force have returned by force marching, and so they realize that another battle will mean fighting a replenished Greek force ready to defend their city and having lost the advantage of surprise as well as lost an earlier chance to inflict a decisive defeat on the Greeks at Marathon by employing their entire force, they lose all motivation and decide to sail home. So in summation, the Persians very likely fought the Greeks with approximately less than half their force at Marathon. Otherwise with 25,000 men on the field, even with a few thousand losses, they wouldn't have retreated. The Greeks waited for majority of Persian troops to sail some distance away then attacked.
I agree with your theory and I share a similar one as well. It just makes a perfect and realistic explanation that correlates with reality and does make sense.
yeah no, If this was a 10k vs 10k battle the athenians would not need to create a weak centre/ buffed sides battle line. Even so you claim that a 4-5 thousand loses would not be enough to route them. What? It would absolutely be enough to route a demoralised army, especially when they are surrounded and see greeks catching up to their ships, their only way out. Even more so if you consider the Persians fielded a multi-ethnic army that had lower cohesion.
Great presentation. But why does your map show Sparta as the same color as (i.e. part of) the Persian empire? Between what dates was Sparta incorporated in the Persian empire?
Sparta remained a continuous sovereign state until it fell to the romans in 146 BC. The Achaemenid empire here is depicted as red, the Spartans pink. They could’ve picked a different colour, but it is what it is
I'll never understand how a hoplite is going to charge light infantry. Just slowly walk away and they'll never touch you? it seems insanely easy to outflank or outmanouvre the hoplites xd
I have been enjoying watching your videos esp Frederick the Great's series. Can you plz make videos on Timurlane unknown while he did so much in such a short period of time. Please if possible do it but not like the Ottoman series if time allows then make it like Freidreck one
Very nice but it's not Eritrèa but Erètria the accent falls on the 2nd e and it's pronounced E -rè -tri- a Also astonishing are the numbers of casualties relevant to the battle 203 greek casualties 192 athenians and 11 Plataieis to over 6000 dead Persians
i dont think you gave the Athenians the due they deserved for Marathon. the double fists on the wings, i understood to be a last minute decision before the actual battle as they watched part of the Persian army sail for Athens. They had been happy to sit and wait until this point. i understood the Spartans to be on their way. the battle was a race against the Persian navy which meant attack was their only option but they didnt have a large enough force to attack. which was when they thinned the centre and reinforced the wings in an attempt to envelope a larger force. Something Hannibal accomplished 150 yrs later but in reverse. even when they won a hard pressed and brutal battle, killing as many Persians as they could before having to form up and speed march back to Athens to defend it against the Persian navy. the Athenians were well trained and disciplined.
Why? because he didnt portray them as super human god like killing machines freedom fighter ands saviors of western civilizations who easily sqash the barbaric eastern levy Persian army?
@@huss4783 no. i deliberately missed out the implications of victory or defeat. i focused on the battle. the complex position the Athenians were in. they were in a totally defensive position which negated the Persian cavalry, but by a turn of events they had to transition from a good defensive position and attack a much larger force because time had become the bigger enemy. the Phalanx is a slow 1 dimensional weapon and they used it as a quick offensive weapon with an added strategy of enveloping the much larger army. catching the Persian on the wrong foot and creating chaos within the Persian army. then having defeated the Persian army, they had to speed march 22 miles fully ladened with their armour and equipment to get back to Athens to defend it against the naval part of the Persian invasion. that 'barbaric eastern levy Persian army' had laid waste to many armies. the Persians knew how to wage war! i referenced Hannibals success at the battle of Cannae where he is seen as a military genius because of his envelopment of a much larger Roman army. the Athenians did an inversion of the same plan and should have received the same or greater praise as they seemed to have accomplished the manoeuvre first!
@@JustMe-wm9zg yes i know that. its still a more complex manoeuvre with a land battle. his envelopment was outstanding as was the Athenians. added to the time restraints and the perceived rigidness of the Phalanx. i think the Athenians should have been given alot more credit than they got from the makers of the video
Interesting how different people tell Marathon. I thaugt they engaged imidiately on arrival and Ran so fast The first arrows missed their targets and no More volleys manageT to Be launched before Miele.
Good video but here are some points: Persians actually allowed their conquered lamds to have a great degree of autonomy. They only took taxes and manpower when needed. The rest was 90% of the time on the Satraps and their own minor rulers. Persians gave Ionians rights to choose their own rulers after the Ionian revolt( which is very interesting & unexpected.) Darius' campaign against Scythians wasn't like that. His retreat was a pretty normal one. He wasn't even engaged by Scythians. He retreated because of their refusal to give battle and instead harassments of his army.( He neither won nor lost) I do not understand the "becoming a slave" argument by Greeks though. Persians never made a "slave source" out of their occupied lands but satrapies with great autonomy. I think the enslavement was a propaganda.
@@ΙωαννηςΖηκος-φ1κ "superior people" Is that why they didn't have the greatest empire of ancient world for more than 2 centuries? While Greeks failed to even copy the Persian way of ruling, Cyrus the great established a way(Ruling via Satraps) that worked extremely well for governing the greatest empire seen untill the rise of Rome.( Alexander's empire was smaller and you can compare the size of his empire to the empire Darius I ) Persians wrote their inscriptions in 3 languages and literally ruled the half of known world's population. Greeks had many achievements and there's no argue about their greatness but they definitely lagged behind Persians when it came to methods of ruling various peoples under one banner. They just wanted to make them all Hellenistic, while Persians didn't have a desire to make them all Persian. Plus, Greece wouldn't have been a Dystopia or whatever is shown by propaganda. Persians established democracy in Ionia after it's revolt and after the wars between Greeks, many of them fled to Persia. There are tons of reasons why Greece would have continued strong even if it was conquered.
@@artinrahideh1229 The Greeks did not want the Multicultural Empire of Persia. Thats why they killed the Persians . Search the destruction of Thebes by Alexander , it was destroyed because they betrayed the Greek race by siding with Persia. The Greeks were racists as far as one could be.
@@ΙωαννηςΖηκος-φ1κ LMAO Alexander himself became Persianized in Persia. Thebes was destroyed because of its revolt not siding with Persia. To disappoint you further, not only many Greeks lived under the Achaemenid Flag, also the ones that didn't; sought their help. For instance the Spartans wouldn't have been the dominant power without the Achaemenid support.
The reason for the Achaemenid's failure was the lack of knowledge of the Balkan region, otherwise Darius the Great should have first conquered Illyria and Dacia in order to enter Greece from the north, at least if he did not succeed, he could have a strong base there that the Achaemenid could use for a long time and maybe With this tactic, the course of Iran/Greece wars will change
I am particularly interested in the topic of US submarine warfare against imperial japan from 1941-1945. Especially how US subs crushed japan merchant shipping. What were the major forces opposing each other, trade routes, resources and most importantly military and economic strategy! Thx a lot mate!
@@HoH *context* : Within 10 seconds of the Video, (I do not watch YT on Browser & Mobile-App is worse!) So I watch it on my PS4/5 app, the Info-graphic (added text into the video) looked horrific :/ sorry but it did. White text on top of a pale/white background was ass.
@@The1RedRooster All good, thanks! But I'm confused - do you mean the quote in the beginning? The text is on a slightly see-through black background behind which is a marble table.
Really great work! Very professional! I just want to say that Persians were often depicted by Greeks as "evil". However, we must not forget Achamenid Empire did not have slaves while the Spartans did
Almost the entirity of Greece had slaves, but this thing of "black and white" and morality over an ancient topic, has nothing to do with contemporary thinking; in that context slavery was good and now has changed after centuries of bloody wars and progresist politics.
The Persians did have slaves. And also having slaves was not a bad think for the age . Every one had slaves whether that would be the Chinese the Egyptians the Greeks the Romans
I was taught that the runner screamed Nike then died. Nike being a goddess of victory not the shoe but I do believe that Nike means victory in Greek or Latin.. meh
Darius the Great sent a small force to Greece which didn't even include any of his main and elite corps. Greeks totally exaggerated this event. this type of exaggeration in storytelling was so easy and quite common in the ancient world. There was no real fact check, so anyone could say anything and others believed it if they were satisfied
Further, from what we know about the battle, it turns out that the Persian ships were standing right on the shore near Marathon. If this is so, then 600 triremes moored side to side would occupy a space of 3.3 km. But no one moored side to side - you also have to work with oars. Accordingly, 600 triremes would occupy a space of at least 15-20 km. Which is unreal. Another thing is that mooring could be done with a ledge - when some of the ships were on the shore, and some at anchor - this type of mooring was used by the Persians at Artemission. But then the question arises of where the Persians fled, and why the anchored ships did not sail away, but actually evacuated their soldiers. And why didn’t the Persian ships washed ashore go to the Greeks? And that's exactly what happened. Let's go further. We know that the Greeks defeated the Persians, losing 192 soldiers. Moreover, a significant part was lost precisely during the assault on the Persian ships - it was there that the polemarch Callimachus was killed. A total of 7 ships were captured. Persian losses are allegedly 6,400 people. 200 to 6400. One to 32 - not bad, right? You can make a film about 200 Athenians... However, this is also an obvious lie. The same as the description of the battle itself. Think about it - Herodotus says in all seriousness that the Greeks ran 8 stadia (1.5 km) to the Persians. One and a half kilometers of running in full gear, with a shield, spear, and armor! And all these one and a half kilometers these hoplites maintained formation! Not just a lie, but a lie squared. To attack an enemy prepared for defense without formation, running 1.5 km in the September heat... In general, all these nonsense that Herodotus piled up led to the fact that the number of myths around Marathon multiplies in stacks. How could events actually develop? I believe that everything was as follows. Having received information about the Persian landing, the Athenians sent an army to Marathon. The goal and task of the army is to demonstrate readiness for battle and, possibly, negotiate good terms of surrender. The pro-Persian and anti-Persian coalitions are approximately equal in strength, so they send people and messengers to Sparta. At the same time, the Athenians could not seriously rely on the Spartans - after all, quite recently Sparta had seized power in Athens. And the pro-Persian forces, just like in Attica, felt at ease in the Peloponnese. And the support that the Lacedaemonians could provide to the Athenians could hardly have been (and was in reality) so significant that it would have radically changed the balance of power. Indeed, Sparta sent 2000 hoplites, who covered the distance between the city and Athens in 3 days, but they set out, it seems, only on the 9th day after the arrival of the messenger. The addition of 2,000 hoplites to the 10,000 Athenians and Plataeans could only be decisive if the Persians did not outnumber the Greeks very significantly. However, the Athenians, having arrived at Marathon, set up camp and wait. It’s not very clear what they are waiting for, but they are waiting for a long time. Datis is also waiting for something, without starting an attack (and yet, according to Justin, he has as many as 600 thousand soldiers)! They wait, wait, wait, wait, and suddenly, the 10th day comes, when power over the army passes to the strategist Miltiades (he was the tenth strategist, and the strategists took turns commanding), and immediately he shouts “Alga”, and everyone runs 1, 5 kilometers to the Persians, who, in turn, are fleeing from the Greeks to the ships. All supposedly 600 thousand. Yeah. The delusional nature of this version does not need to be considered at all. But why could the Athenians decide to attack? Why did they decide to run 1.5 kilometers to the Persians? Why were Athenian casualties only 192? The answer to this question is perhaps quite simple. The Persians, indeed, received some kind of sign (whether from the Alcmaeonids or from other supporters is unknown) and began to board ships to sail to Athens. It was this - the fact of loading onto ships - that forced the Athenian strategist Miltiades to send Greek troops to the Persian camp. Moreover, it was hardly the idea to break in there at the very beginning of the collapse and withdrawal of the Persians. Most likely, the Greeks waited until most of the troops were already on the ships, and they sailed. The attack was carried out on a small part of the army that remained on the shore. Considering that only 7 ships fell into the hands of the Greeks, it is quite possible to imagine that it was a barrage detachment of two hundred warriors and one thousand and a half sailors and oarsmen, whom the Greeks cut down amid enthusiastic cries, managing even in such a situation to lose 192 soldiers. Perhaps only with the idea of easy robbery could Miltiades force the Athenian soldiers to rush into that fight. This is the only reason they could not wait for the Spartans. That's the only reason they could decide to break the formation. This is the only reason they could run 8 stages to the enemy... After which, of course, the army had no choice but to return to the policy, setting up a camp and awaiting the arrival of the Persian fleet, which, I repeat, sailed from Marathon in perfect order. The fact that the Persians did not consider themselves defeated at all is evidenced by the fact that, having sailed from Marathon, they did not run home to lick their wounds, but, having taken captive slaves on Euboea, they headed to Athens, where their supporters were located. True, having heard about the skirmish at Marathon, the Athenian supporters of the Persians did not dare to speak out. The Persians circled around Athens and went home without eating. And Darius began preparations for a land invasion of Greece. The Spartans, having arrived at Athens some time later, looked with surprise at the broken military camp of the Athenians, marched to Marathon, examined the battlefield, and retired to Lacedaemon. By the way, it cannot be ruled out that the Spartiates hoped that the Persians and Athenians would beat each other up so much that Athens could be taken with their bare hands. But it didn't work out.
@@HoH I realize. However, do not take my comment as a criticism. Your uploads are of such a high quality that they deserve nothing less than the best presentation possible in order to make them truly sing. Hopefully, one day when you have achieved success, you will be able to revisit these videos and give them the final touch they deserve 👍🏻🖖🏻
There was no moment in history when the Greeks did not have high-level military training and organization. Greece's geopolitical position prevented complacency.
No, I only you studied real history. How dare they say the Greeks were not freedom loving super godlike super soldiers who defeated the evil easterners and protected the world from tyranny and gifted democracy "the true example of a pure judicial and complex society"
@@huss4783I love them BECAUSE they are not all that. They fought to preserve themselves, their lands,their rule, their influence. They wanted to fight amongst themselves in peace and not under some annoying Persian ruining the status quo. Imagine if they were some boring boy scouts ,🥱 boring
@@huss4783 paradoxical, but the Athenians mainly fought for their inter-governing polity the democracy they considered it the highest honor for citizens, something else suited for slaves
@@nappa1413 paradoxical, but the Athenians mainly fought for their inter-governing polity the democracy they considered it the highest honor for citizens, something else suited for slaves
It wasn't an invasion That army was sent to punish Athens and Eretrians because they supported the Ionian revolt If Darius really wanted to conquer Greece, he wouldn't have sent only 26,000-30,000 men
@@Billswiftgti Do you know how many times Greeks lost to his army before Marathon ? If he really wanted to conquer Greece he would've been there himself with a way larger army But his main goal was to retaliate what they had done to Sardis and he thought 26,000-30,000 might have been enough and that army did burn Eretrians and few other cities Don't underestimate Darius He was a cunning smart man and nothing like his son He's the guy who took the throne without even a battle against the royal family, successfully defeated all the rebels from each province of the empire, added more lands to the empire and made it even more prosperous than before If he hadn't died due to illness or old age there's a high chance that he could've conquered Greece (that is, if this was actually his plan) since after this defeat, he decided to personally go there with an army
@@Billswiftgti As far as i remember, Greeks were the ones who got their asses kicked by the Iranic people aka the Parthians and went under foreign rulers for over 2000 years We Iranians kept establishing more empires and kingdoms
@@ramtin5152 if we Greeks wanted to rule the world, people like Iranians, Parthians etc wouldn't exist. We didn't and we don't want to. We try to live in harmony.
A narrated history in which both the individual word stress and sentence stress is so rushed that whole phrases are lost to the listener, an unecessary criticism ? All criticism is thought of as rude by the younger generation now. Use this constructive criticism to improve, or education will be lost to your children.
That’s was the first double envelopment in history except that I wish you was studying better the history of that battle first the numbers of Persians was much way bigger second the Greek hoplites they changed to Persian ranks the last few hundreds meters in full run! just to avoid the Persian arrows in single formation not separate in 3 different groups as you showed on the video except that after the battle the hole army marched back to Athens in quick pace to prevent the Persians landing and take the city but when they come close and upon seeing the army waiting them they lost heart and set sai back
Here in this video the understanding of English is poor. The wrong words are used, example "they retreated to the shores" As there is and was only one shore then it is singular ~ "They retreated to the shore" ~ several simple mistakes throughout ..like this.. you need a native English speaker to help edit
Honestly, I don't see why we modern Europeans should be glad the Greeks were never conquered by the Persians, given that the Greeks lived in constant infighting, abject politics and institutionalized peadoFilia (you know what I said). Persia was a much better place to live. And all this BS about ancient Greece being the 'cradle of our civilization' is just pathetic... It originated from the 18th-19th century British scholars who were envious of glorious past other nations had - so they decided to pretend they are direct inheritors of ancient Greece, because why? Greek philosophers were still being read in Europe?
Yes, they were. The basis of most sciences dates back to Greece same as culture (you know small things such as math, physics, theatre, drama, philosophy). Literally half the words you use as a scientist or a doctor today are Greek. So calm down and so some respect for the people because of which Europe became the center of the modern world.
You tell me how I to support this video clip. On the map doesn't Greece exist. If doesn't exist, why bother mentioning. In other way you want to convince me that Greece under name (Ancient) exist. Well it doesn't exist. Obviously your study with out thinking just what they tell you, good listener, and trying to convince me, I to support, I wont, because you didn't done your homework here is a prove: Greece: (OTTO THE FIRST AND THE ONLY ONE KING OF GREECE. German Bavarian: Otto Fredrich Ludwig von Bayern, 1 June 1815 - 26 July 1867 AD) was a first Bavarian Prince as a King who Ruled Greece from the establishment of the monarchy on 27 May 1832 AD, under the Convention of London, until he was deposed on 23 October 1862 AD. Prove me if I'm wrong. The history is gone up to shit. Greece got nothing absolutely nothing to do with this period of time. Existence of Greece is only 192 Years, Why Italy is not called ancient, but Roman. I think you got to go back to school, they to give you money back, they didn't teach you right.
Wow what a philosopher... Ancient Greece DID exist as ΕΛΛΑΣ,you under educated guy. Your envy dont let you see in front of you. We still speak almost the same language. I asume that you are per....Iranian right? Go learn your broken history books of the mighty Persian empire and how good and democratic was... democratic... oh no im sorry 😒 Greeks invented this😉. Sorry dude... Long live persian empire...
Місяць тому
Obviously, it is you who didn't have proper and valid education. Lack of valid education along with systematic brainwashing, results to people laying out bullshit on historical facts and ultimately make yourself look like a fool...keep on amusing us and the rest of the world with your total stupidity and ignorance on history pal, no self respect at all ah?
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30 years ago my wife and I had a holiday in Greece. We stayed at Neo Makri (which - back then - was a small town just getting to grips with the fact that they were becoming a small holiday destination for Europeans... Brits in particular. We rented a couple of bicycles and rode out to the small (burial?) mound/hill at Marathon. I stood with my back to that mound and looked out towards Athens... trying to imagine that incredible run to Athens by the messenger Pheidippides. I was covered in goose-bumps... to be so close to such an important event in European history was amazing! Greece just drips with history.
Absolutely love learning about ancient Greece, most pivotal battles and early tactics that we use today.
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Ok
Possibly the most important battle in History for Western civilization. Allowed Athens to lay the foundation of who we are today. I always found that the most overlooked part of the battle is the most amazing. All over the world the Marathon race in held in honor of Phidipides but the whole army did it after the battle to be ready on show when the Persian fleet arrived in Athens and scared the off.
This comment makes no sense. Not less than 12 years later the persians would sack Athens.
@@gioaugustus
No Athens had been deliberately evacuated, (That prophesy about, "The wooden walls,") and the decisive battle was Salamis and after that although the Persians wandered around for a bit they didn't achieve much or consolidate the gains, such as they were.
Just read about this battle in a book and I decided to look it up. what an unbelievably high quality video absolutely amazing thank you it cleared up a lot of misconceptions I had about the battle
You’ll never know when leg day might pay off.
Among others, the great tragedian Aeschylos took part in this battle. Also his brother, who died horribly (but also heroically), refusing to let go of a persian ship.
We Run! .. Aeschylus, Athenian father of tragedy and veteran of the battle. Thanks for the video!
This battle and Salamis were two of the most decisive battles in History!
How so ? The Persians still controlled the Greeks by playing them off of each other
@@TheColombiano89 But didn't rule them, what is the most important result of such battles
@Vector Strike Persian armies had Greeks in them( some times more than the "Greeks" themselves. In this invasion, they had Macedonian and Ionians in their ranks. Even the Spartans themselves will be allied with the Persians during the Peloponnese war and during Alexander's invasion.
Agesilaus of Sparta . Xenophon , Clearchus and many more from that era disagree lol
@@TheColombiano89 Yeah, mercenaries or those living in Asia Minor. But the Greeks from the European lands weren't subjects of the Persian Emperor and were free to decide their own destiny - which created the Western world as we know it
Well done Oscar!! I really enjoyed this episode on the Battle of Marathon.. Keep up the great work!😃
The best description of the Battle of Marathon is in the book "The 15 Decisive Battles" by Creasy...
"Marathon was won because amateur soldiers found the courage to break into a trot when arrows began to fall, instead of grinding to a halt" - Paul Cartledge
I think that we don't give the Greek amateur soldiers enough credit for what they did. They started their charge from a mile away while wearing heavy bronze armor, routed their foe, and then force marched all the way back to Athens to stand atop the walls by the time the Persian ships made it to Athens. I think there are people in special forces units today that would fail at that task.
@@Ian-yf7uf Big facts.
@@Ian-yf7uf
Greek Hoplite Warriors whether amateur or veteran were in incredible peak fitness striking a good balance between strong lean muscle and endurance in stamina and speed.
They were not exactly amateurs, all the Athenians had a military training, and the Greeks had many civil conflicts, war was not something new for them
@@crom9011 a lot of hoplites only job was to train for war, sun bathe, and slather themselves in olive oil.
This was very well done and referenced! I really enjoyed this video!
Thank you!
Great video as always!
10.49; To be correct; The Greek army lost 192 men,and the army that came from Plataea (about a 1000 strong) lost 11 men. Callimachus,from Plataea and,one of the Greeks in high command,died on the battlefield.
The Persians lost 6 400 men (and seven ships).
Wow, top tier content! You're so underrated!
Great video!
There are some inaccuracies but non the less much appreciated video. One more thing to mention. Carthage used the same strategy against the Romans in Cannae with larger force plus cavalry with much greater effects and falsely get credits for the maneuver.
Ah, to watch historians embrace the tale of Marathon, despite its gaping void of evidence, is like observing a cat fiercely defending the integrity of an empty fishbowl-it speaks volumes, and yet, there is nothing in it at all. One cannot help but marvel at the audacity of scholars who, with solemn brows and furrowed foreheads, nod reverently at Herodotus, the illustrious father of fibs, as though he were not a raconteur but an accountant of facts. Here we have a battlefield famed for slaughter, yet bereft of any Persian swords, armor, or helmets, as barren of proof as a poet’s promises.
And still, they cling to the notion with the fervor of a gambler insisting his losing hand is a masterpiece. "Ah," they exclaim, "look at the soros of 192 brave Athenians, surely that’s proof enough!"-forgetting that the absence of thousands of Persian remains looms like a gaping plot hole in their historical epic. To defend such a tale with only arrowheads as evidence is akin to claiming a banquet from the crumbs on a plate. One might almost admire the dedication to illusion, if it weren’t so exquisitely detached from reason. The historians who accept it without skepticism resemble nothing so much as the man who, finding a fish tale suspiciously bereft of fish, nonetheless insists it was a whale.
"NIKE!" Victor in Greek!
Hoc est bellum covers the ionian revolt that was previous to this battle.
Would love to see an episode on the Scythian defeat of the Persians
Superb video, as usual!⚔🙏👍
Thanks for sharing 👍🏻 😊
great job great video. It is important to note that all the Greeks were hoplites and not psili (light infantry who were poor athenians and fought as archers and slingers) or cavalry. It is something that hasnt been answered in history.
For the Marathon race there are two opinions the first is with the messanger Philipides that he was the one who did the race. Also Phillipides few days before had run to Sparta to request assistance. Today we have the Spartathlon (245 km from Athens to Sparta) and the Phillipidion race (490 km Athens-Sparta and back).
The second is because the Persian fleet went to west shore of Athens to Phaliro the Athenians hoplites after the battle run full gear from Marathon to Phaliro. Of course the distance is greater than 42 km. But these are the two opinions concerning the Marathon race.
The tomb of the Athenians and the Platecians who died in the battle is still standing in Marathon while on the Athens Archeological museum you can see Miltiades helmet that he offered it to Parthenon for his victory.
Cavalry wasn't popular in Greece before Phillip and Alexander right? I know in fourth century BC they brought the Macedonian war machine but before that Greeks mostly used their infantry in the form of hoplites.
@@starboys3407 not really. Only spartans did not have cavalry. Especially macedonia thessaly and viotia had great cavalry. However it wasnt used in attacks. Phillip the 2nd ( father of alexander the great) used the cavalry for strike. Athens had cavalry and actually xenophon was a cavalryman. However in marathon there wasnt not even one cavalry man
@@starboys3407 cavalry needs fields southern greece has no such an empty vast field like thessaly or macedon thats why they didnt use them if you fight in mountains its not usefull to have a horse plus the money it needed.
@@vasileiospapazoglou2362 That was then. In modern warfare there have been documented uses of horses and mules. Case in point, the use of mules for resupply during the war in the Balkans in the early 90's.
@@georgesakellaropoulos8162 we talk about ancient history not for world war 2 and even in the ancient world the athenians had cavalry but not that strong as the thessalian or macedonian.
Weak center with best troops and strong sides? This is the classic! I already knew how this was going to end just by hearing this!
This became "the classic" because of this battle.
@@Billswiftgti yeah, people tend to forget that. They take this tactic for granted as if it was there from the birth of humanity.
Great courage and tactics from those great Greeks that day
Callimachus was brother of Aeschylus. Callimachus death was horrified. He grab a persian ship.with his arm..and a Persian cut it ..then he grab it with the other hand...That.cuted too...Then with his teeth and Persian cut it off...
cant believe you only have 150k subs
Hopefully 2023 will be a year of growth!
Loved it
Thanks for the video.
Sparta was a city. The state was called Lacedaemon
This was a nice video. I just hope we get to see the next video on Frederick the Great soon.
Athens, you were so great!
Heroes fight like Greeks
Great video, as always
Amazing video mate!!! :) Very famous battle indeed, who knows what greece/rest of europa would look like if they lost here.
What do you think it would look like ? The Persian philosophers started Christmas when bringing gifts to Jesus in Bethelehem. Persians also started the notion of ONE God and heaven and hell all comes from their. Europeans would style themselves after Persian Kings and the first Knights came from the Persians. I could keep going on and on...oh your mail delivery was first started by them aswell 😀
@@TheColombiano89 What about the first version of democracy we got from Athens? No way that would of been hold up to something special compared to their persian king :) Tho from the little I know about the persians and their empire. They did not realy care about the lands they own so longs they paid their taxes they could oporate how they wished? If I remmber right or dont get something mixed up hehe :D
Excellent work here Sir and your Team
Its only Oscar no team
I have my own theory regarding this battle, it goes as follows: the Persians had 25,000 infantry at Marathon... we don't know how many but a good portion of them plus their cavalry re-embarked on the ships to sail for Athens, possibly thinking the remaining forces will pin down the Athenian army (it's possible that the landing at Marathon was meant as a diversionary maneuver with the purpose of drawing the Greek army away from Athens). We don't know if this was a deliberate strategy on the part of the Persian commander or if he intended to re-embark the whole army and sail to Athens... it could be that a portion of the army did not have time to get back on their ships before the Greeks saw an opportunity to strike an unprepared enemy, meaning the Persians had to hastily form up in battle formation in a last ditch attempt to defend themselves. Because it is said, that something triggered the Greeks to charge the Persians after several days of stand-off. In any case, it was a gamble on the part of the Persian commander that failed. Now even if 10,000 Greeks engaged with say 10,000 Persians, the losses by modern estimates by Peter Krentz are as follows: anywhere from 1000-3000 dead for the Greeks, 4000-5000 for the Persians. Even with this more realistic casualty figure the Persians have suffered more losses than the Greeks at Marathon. Whatever is left of that demoralized broken force manages to get back on the ships and escapes instead of joining up with the other force. The main Persian force of 15,000 is still on the way to Athens (who possibly have gathered reinforcements from other parts of Greece to defend the city). At arrival they see the main Greek force have returned by force marching, and so they realize that another battle will mean fighting a replenished Greek force ready to defend their city and having lost the advantage of surprise as well as lost an earlier chance to inflict a decisive defeat on the Greeks at Marathon by employing their entire force, they lose all motivation and decide to sail home. So in summation, the Persians very likely fought the Greeks with approximately less than half their force at Marathon. Otherwise with 25,000 men on the field, even with a few thousand losses, they wouldn't have retreated. The Greeks waited for majority of Persian troops to sail some distance away then attacked.
I agree with your theory and I share a similar one as well.
It just makes a perfect and realistic explanation that correlates with reality and does make sense.
So much BS in a single comment is a record breaker
@@Billswiftgti only BS written here is your fruitless sense of extreme nationalism.
yeah no, If this was a 10k vs 10k battle the athenians would not need to create a weak centre/ buffed sides battle line. Even so you claim that a 4-5 thousand loses would not be enough to route them. What? It would absolutely be enough to route a demoralised army, especially when they are surrounded and see greeks catching up to their ships, their only way out. Even more so if you consider the Persians fielded a multi-ethnic army that had lower cohesion.
Because anyone alive has any more than an educated guess as to anything that happened, we can be certain you're all correct
Great presentation. But why does your map show Sparta as the same color as (i.e. part of) the Persian empire? Between what dates was Sparta incorporated in the Persian empire?
Sparta remained a continuous sovereign state until it fell to the romans in 146 BC. The Achaemenid empire here is depicted as red, the Spartans pink. They could’ve picked a different colour, but it is what it is
Fuck yeah this just randomly popped up, let’s go 😎
I'll never understand how a hoplite is going to charge light infantry. Just slowly walk away and they'll never touch you?
it seems insanely easy to outflank or outmanouvre the hoplites xd
I have been enjoying watching your videos esp Frederick the Great's series.
Can you plz make videos on Timurlane unknown while he did so much in such a short period of time.
Please if possible do it but not like the Ottoman series if time allows then make it like Freidreck one
That's a topic I definitely want to explore in 2023.
Very nice but it's not Eritrèa but Erètria the accent falls on the 2nd e and it's pronounced E -rè -tri- a
Also astonishing are the numbers of casualties relevant to the battle
203 greek casualties 192 athenians and 11 Plataieis to over 6000 dead Persians
If Darius the Great had taken this battle seriously, history and even today the world would have been different
Did the greeks know about horses and their superior speed compared to humans?
Ayy the Greeks they were known for having tree trunks for legs bro they could really drive forward
i dont think you gave the Athenians the due they deserved for Marathon. the double fists on the wings, i understood to be a last minute decision before the actual battle as they watched part of the Persian army sail for Athens. They had been happy to sit and wait until this point. i understood the Spartans to be on their way. the battle was a race against the Persian navy which meant attack was their only option but they didnt have a large enough force to attack. which was when they thinned the centre and reinforced the wings in an attempt to envelope a larger force. Something Hannibal accomplished 150 yrs later but in reverse. even when they won a hard pressed and brutal battle, killing as many Persians as they could before having to form up and speed march back to Athens to defend it against the Persian navy. the Athenians were well trained and disciplined.
Why? because he didnt portray them as super human god like killing machines freedom fighter ands saviors of western civilizations who easily sqash the barbaric eastern levy Persian army?
@@huss4783 no. i deliberately missed out the implications of victory or defeat. i focused on the battle. the complex position the Athenians were in. they were in a totally defensive position which negated the Persian cavalry, but by a turn of events they had to transition from a good defensive position and attack a much larger force because time had become the bigger enemy. the Phalanx is a slow 1 dimensional weapon and they used it as a quick offensive weapon with an added strategy of enveloping the much larger army. catching the Persian on the wrong foot and creating chaos within the Persian army. then having defeated the Persian army, they had to speed march 22 miles fully ladened with their armour and equipment to get back to Athens to defend it against the naval part of the Persian invasion. that 'barbaric eastern levy Persian army' had laid waste to many armies. the Persians knew how to wage war! i referenced Hannibals success at the battle of Cannae where he is seen as a military genius because of his envelopment of a much larger Roman army. the Athenians did an inversion of the same plan and should have received the same or greater praise as they seemed to have accomplished the manoeuvre first!
Hannibal got idea for envelopment from naval battle fought during first punic war just south of sicily
@@JustMe-wm9zg yes i know that. its still a more complex manoeuvre with a land battle. his envelopment was outstanding as was the Athenians. added to the time restraints and the perceived rigidness of the Phalanx. i think the Athenians should have been given alot more credit than they got from the makers of the video
@@huss4783 THAT'S EXACTLY WHY! You are good at history after all....LoL
Interesting how different people tell Marathon. I thaugt they engaged imidiately on arrival and Ran so fast The first arrows missed their targets and no More volleys manageT to Be launched before Miele.
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Good video but here are some points:
Persians actually allowed their conquered lamds to have a great degree of autonomy. They only took taxes and manpower when needed. The rest was 90% of the time on the Satraps and their own minor rulers. Persians gave Ionians rights to choose their own rulers after the Ionian revolt( which is very interesting & unexpected.)
Darius' campaign against Scythians wasn't like that. His retreat was a pretty normal one. He wasn't even engaged by Scythians. He retreated because of their refusal to give battle and instead harassments of his army.( He neither won nor lost)
I do not understand the "becoming a slave" argument by Greeks though. Persians never made a "slave source" out of their occupied lands but satrapies with great autonomy. I think the enslavement was a propaganda.
@@fullmontyuk can't deny the possibility. Even the word "Immortals" may have been a mistranslation of "companion"
Nah, the Greeks were a superior people , they wouldnt allow themselves to be governed one way or another by some multicultural empire.
@@ΙωαννηςΖηκος-φ1κ "superior people"
Is that why they didn't have the greatest empire of ancient world for more than 2 centuries?
While Greeks failed to even copy the Persian way of ruling, Cyrus the great established a way(Ruling via Satraps) that worked extremely well for governing the greatest empire seen untill the rise of Rome.( Alexander's empire was smaller and you can compare the size of his empire to the empire Darius I )
Persians wrote their inscriptions in 3 languages and literally ruled the half of known world's population.
Greeks had many achievements and there's no argue about their greatness but they definitely lagged behind Persians when it came to methods of ruling various peoples under one banner. They just wanted to make them all Hellenistic, while Persians didn't have a desire to make them all Persian.
Plus, Greece wouldn't have been a Dystopia or whatever is shown by propaganda. Persians established democracy in Ionia after it's revolt and after the wars between Greeks, many of them fled to Persia. There are tons of reasons why Greece would have continued strong even if it was conquered.
@@artinrahideh1229 The Greeks did not want the Multicultural Empire of Persia. Thats why they killed the Persians . Search the destruction of Thebes by Alexander , it was destroyed because they betrayed the Greek race by siding with Persia. The Greeks were racists as far as one could be.
@@ΙωαννηςΖηκος-φ1κ LMAO
Alexander himself became Persianized in Persia. Thebes was destroyed because of its revolt not siding with Persia.
To disappoint you further, not only many Greeks lived under the Achaemenid Flag, also the ones that didn't; sought their help. For instance the Spartans wouldn't have been the dominant power without the Achaemenid support.
I love your videos. I would like to request that the camera rotation stop or atleast diminish. Makes my head hurt every time.
It was an experiment - I won't do it anymore. Thanks for the feedback!
@@HoH Thanks! Can't wait for your next video!
The reason for the Achaemenid's failure was the lack of knowledge of the Balkan region, otherwise Darius the Great should have first conquered Illyria and Dacia in order to enter Greece from the north, at least if he did not succeed, he could have a strong base there that the Achaemenid could use for a long time and maybe With this tactic, the course of Iran/Greece wars will change
And you didn't mention that all the sources are 1 side from greeks, specially from the Herodotus the novelist
Hellas forever
LOL HE SAID THE GREEKS DIDNT HAVE A MILITARISTIC CULTURE. Dude Xerxes just wanted a token sign of earth and water 😅
🇬🇷
Why is the Peloponnese shown as part of the Persian empire?
Different shades. Close but not the same
Solid rock
You failed to mention that Miltiates was thrown in jail first
I am particularly interested in the topic of US submarine warfare against imperial japan from 1941-1945. Especially how US subs crushed japan merchant shipping. What were the major forces opposing each other, trade routes, resources and most importantly military and economic strategy! Thx a lot mate!
How UA-camr's such as yourself think that White Text on a White/Pale background is a good idea? I'll never know.
Fantastic work
What text are you talking about?
@@HoH There is the info-matic, at the start. It's in 'Plain/white-colour' text?
@@HoH *context* :
Within 10 seconds of the Video, (I do not watch YT on Browser & Mobile-App is worse!) So I watch it on my PS4/5 app, the Info-graphic (added text into the video) looked horrific :/ sorry but it did. White text on top of a pale/white background was ass.
@@HoH So please, remember, I'm not here to be a dick but try to suggest a better Shade, for next time.
Let me know if I helped
🙏
@@The1RedRooster All good, thanks! But I'm confused - do you mean the quote in the beginning? The text is on a slightly see-through black background behind which is a marble table.
What do you have, of the original hungariens,going back half a million years.
Really great work! Very professional! I just want to say that Persians were often depicted by Greeks as "evil". However, we must not forget Achamenid Empire did not have slaves while the Spartans did
Almost the entirity of Greece had slaves, but this thing of "black and white" and morality over an ancient topic, has nothing to do with contemporary thinking; in that context slavery was good and now has changed after centuries of bloody wars and progresist politics.
The Persians did have slaves. And also having slaves was not a bad think for the age . Every one had slaves whether that would be the Chinese the Egyptians the Greeks the Romans
The Persians took a ton of Greek captives as slaves
@@ΔΗΜΗΤΡΗΣΚΙΤΣΟΣ-φ1μ Cyrus outlawed slavery in the Bible and he created Cyrus's cylinder. It was a bigger step toward freedom than Greeks
@@ΔΗΜΗΤΡΗΣΚΙΤΣΟΣ-φ1μ They did not have slaves to the extent Greece look up Cyrus Cylinder bro
I was taught that the runner screamed Nike then died.
Nike being a goddess of victory not the shoe but I do believe that Nike means victory in Greek or Latin.. meh
Really, you dont belive that "nike" means victory in Greek!!! I tell you what I belive: You do not speak greek, right?
After reading again yor post, I saw that you do belive, and you are is correct. So I recall of what I wrote to you! Sorry!
Nike was the godess of victory in music, athletics and War.
"Nike" is the literal definition of victory not just a god , it's an actual word
Darius the Great sent a small force to Greece which didn't even include any of his main and elite corps. Greeks totally exaggerated this event. this type of exaggeration in storytelling was so easy and quite common in the ancient world. There was no real fact check, so anyone could say anything and others believed it if they were satisfied
Cool story. What is then your excuse about what happened with Alexander? Did your king not take that seriously as well?
Well.....
You have yet to cover Napoleon's Rise as a Military Master, or Hannibal or Julius Caesar.
The best I guess.
Persian expansion in India is over extended in the map, they never reached that far...
India did not exist back than
at some point indians will start claiming their subcontinent was never even invaded lmao
@@jaif7327 like how the western scholars whitewashed peeing in pents of Greek soldiers in front of nanda's army
@@TheColombiano89 indian subcontinent
At 2:16, a word-to-word translation would be "Defending in behalf of the Greeks the Athenians in Marathon, gold-worn Persians castrated their power"
Further, from what we know about the battle, it turns out that the Persian ships were standing right on the shore near Marathon. If this is so, then 600 triremes moored side to side would occupy a space of 3.3 km. But no one moored side to side - you also have to work with oars. Accordingly, 600 triremes would occupy a space of at least 15-20 km. Which is unreal.
Another thing is that mooring could be done with a ledge - when some of the ships were on the shore, and some at anchor - this type of mooring was used by the Persians at Artemission. But then the question arises of where the Persians fled, and why the anchored ships did not sail away, but actually evacuated their soldiers. And why didn’t the Persian ships washed ashore go to the Greeks? And that's exactly what happened.
Let's go further. We know that the Greeks defeated the Persians, losing 192 soldiers. Moreover, a significant part was lost precisely during the assault on the Persian ships - it was there that the polemarch Callimachus was killed. A total of 7 ships were captured. Persian losses are allegedly 6,400 people. 200 to 6400. One to 32 - not bad, right? You can make a film about 200 Athenians...
However, this is also an obvious lie. The same as the description of the battle itself. Think about it - Herodotus says in all seriousness that the Greeks ran 8 stadia (1.5 km) to the Persians. One and a half kilometers of running in full gear, with a shield, spear, and armor! And all these one and a half kilometers these hoplites maintained formation! Not just a lie, but a lie squared. To attack an enemy prepared for defense without formation, running 1.5 km in the September heat... In general, all these nonsense that Herodotus piled up led to the fact that the number of myths around Marathon multiplies in stacks.
How could events actually develop? I believe that everything was as follows. Having received information about the Persian landing, the Athenians sent an army to Marathon. The goal and task of the army is to demonstrate readiness for battle and, possibly, negotiate good terms of surrender. The pro-Persian and anti-Persian coalitions are approximately equal in strength, so they send people and messengers to Sparta.
At the same time, the Athenians could not seriously rely on the Spartans - after all, quite recently Sparta had seized power in Athens. And the pro-Persian forces, just like in Attica, felt at ease in the Peloponnese. And the support that the Lacedaemonians could provide to the Athenians could hardly have been (and was in reality) so significant that it would have radically changed the balance of power. Indeed, Sparta sent 2000 hoplites, who covered the distance between the city and Athens in 3 days, but they set out, it seems, only on the 9th day after the arrival of the messenger. The addition of 2,000 hoplites to the 10,000 Athenians and Plataeans could only be decisive if the Persians did not outnumber the Greeks very significantly.
However, the Athenians, having arrived at Marathon, set up camp and wait. It’s not very clear what they are waiting for, but they are waiting for a long time. Datis is also waiting for something, without starting an attack (and yet, according to Justin, he has as many as 600 thousand soldiers)! They wait, wait, wait, wait, and suddenly, the 10th day comes, when power over the army passes to the strategist Miltiades (he was the tenth strategist, and the strategists took turns commanding), and immediately he shouts “Alga”, and everyone runs 1, 5 kilometers to the Persians, who, in turn, are fleeing from the Greeks to the ships. All supposedly 600 thousand. Yeah. The delusional nature of this version does not need to be considered at all. But why could the Athenians decide to attack? Why did they decide to run 1.5 kilometers to the Persians? Why were Athenian casualties only 192? The answer to this question is perhaps quite simple. The Persians, indeed, received some kind of sign (whether from the Alcmaeonids or from other supporters is unknown) and began to board ships to sail to Athens. It was this - the fact of loading onto ships - that forced the Athenian strategist Miltiades to send Greek troops to the Persian camp. Moreover, it was hardly the idea to break in there at the very beginning of the collapse and withdrawal of the Persians. Most likely, the Greeks waited until most of the troops were already on the ships, and they sailed. The attack was carried out on a small part of the army that remained on the shore. Considering that only 7 ships fell into the hands of the Greeks, it is quite possible to imagine that it was a barrage detachment of two hundred warriors and one thousand and a half sailors and oarsmen, whom the Greeks cut down amid enthusiastic cries, managing even in such a situation to lose 192 soldiers.
Perhaps only with the idea of easy robbery could Miltiades force the Athenian soldiers to rush into that fight. This is the only reason they could not wait for the Spartans. That's the only reason they could decide to break the formation. This is the only reason they could run 8 stages to the enemy... After which, of course, the army had no choice but to return to the policy, setting up a camp and awaiting the arrival of the Persian fleet, which, I repeat, sailed from Marathon in perfect order.
The fact that the Persians did not consider themselves defeated at all is evidenced by the fact that, having sailed from Marathon, they did not run home to lick their wounds, but, having taken captive slaves on Euboea, they headed to Athens, where their supporters were located. True, having heard about the skirmish at Marathon, the Athenian supporters of the Persians did not dare to speak out.
The Persians circled around Athens and went home without eating. And Darius began preparations for a land invasion of Greece.
The Spartans, having arrived at Athens some time later, looked with surprise at the broken military camp of the Athenians, marched to Marathon, examined the battlefield, and retired to Lacedaemon. By the way, it cannot be ruled out that the Spartiates hoped that the Persians and Athenians would beat each other up so much that Athens could be taken with their bare hands. But it didn't work out.
Consider why this didn't work.
Respect to Miltiades
Lol i don’t think 200 dudes with modern swords could kill 6000 unarmed middle schoolers
God damn, this John Frederick Charles Fuller wrote some real cringey stuff not gonna lie.
Come back to this video with a real voice actor someday
It is just me creating these videos. There is no team or voice actor.
@@HoH I realize. However, do not take my comment as a criticism. Your uploads are of such a high quality that they deserve nothing less than the best presentation possible in order to make them truly sing. Hopefully, one day when you have achieved success, you will be able to revisit these videos and give them the final touch they deserve 👍🏻🖖🏻
Lmao saying the greeks didn't have a militaristic culture except for the spartan. You're sure you studied history?
There was no moment in history when the Greeks did not have high-level military training and organization. Greece's geopolitical position prevented complacency.
No, I only you studied real history. How dare they say the Greeks were not freedom loving super godlike super soldiers who defeated the evil easterners and protected the world from tyranny and gifted democracy "the true example of a pure judicial and complex society"
@@huss4783I love them BECAUSE they are not all that. They fought to preserve themselves, their lands,their rule, their influence. They wanted to fight amongst themselves in peace and not under some annoying Persian ruining the status quo. Imagine if they were some boring boy scouts ,🥱 boring
@@huss4783 paradoxical, but the Athenians mainly fought for their inter-governing polity
the democracy
they considered it the highest honor for citizens, something else suited for slaves
@@nappa1413 paradoxical, but the Athenians mainly fought for their inter-governing polity
the democracy
they considered it the highest honor for citizens, something else suited for slaves
It wasn't an invasion
That army was sent to punish Athens and Eretrians because they supported the Ionian revolt
If Darius really wanted to conquer Greece, he wouldn't have sent only 26,000-30,000 men
So, if he really wanted more dead Persians.
@@Billswiftgti Do you know how many times Greeks lost to his army before Marathon ?
If he really wanted to conquer Greece he would've been there himself with a way larger army
But his main goal was to retaliate what they had done to Sardis and he thought 26,000-30,000 might have been enough and that army did burn Eretrians and few other cities
Don't underestimate Darius
He was a cunning smart man and nothing like his son
He's the guy who took the throne without even a battle against the royal family, successfully defeated all the rebels from each province of the empire, added more lands to the empire and made it even more prosperous than before
If he hadn't died due to illness or old age there's a high chance that he could've conquered Greece (that is, if this was actually his plan) since after this defeat, he decided to personally go there with an army
@@ramtin5152 still crying after 2.500 years wtf xD
@@Billswiftgti As far as i remember, Greeks were the ones who got their asses kicked by the Iranic people aka the Parthians and went under foreign rulers for over 2000 years
We Iranians kept establishing more empires and kingdoms
@@ramtin5152 if we Greeks wanted to rule the world, people like Iranians, Parthians etc wouldn't exist. We didn't and we don't want to. We try to live in harmony.
A narrated history in which both the individual word stress and sentence stress is so rushed that whole phrases are lost to the listener, an unecessary criticism ? All criticism is thought of as rude by the younger generation now. Use this constructive criticism to improve, or education will be lost to your children.
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That’s was the first double envelopment in history except that I wish you was studying better the history of that battle first the numbers of Persians was much way bigger second the Greek hoplites they changed to Persian ranks the last few hundreds meters in full run! just to avoid the Persian arrows in single formation not separate in 3 different groups as you showed on the video except that after the battle the hole army marched back to Athens in quick pace to prevent the Persians landing and take the city but when they come close and upon seeing the army waiting them they lost heart and set sai back
Here in this video the understanding of English is poor. The wrong words are used, example "they retreated to the shores" As there is and was only one shore then it is singular ~ "They retreated to the shore" ~ several simple mistakes throughout ..like this.. you need a native English speaker to help edit
Honestly, I don't see why we modern Europeans should be glad the Greeks were never conquered by the Persians, given that the Greeks lived in constant infighting, abject politics and institutionalized peadoFilia (you know what I said). Persia was a much better place to live.
And all this BS about ancient Greece being the 'cradle of our civilization' is just pathetic...
It originated from the 18th-19th century British scholars who were envious of glorious past other nations had - so they decided to pretend they are direct inheritors of ancient Greece, because why? Greek philosophers were still being read in Europe?
Yes, they were. The basis of most sciences dates back to Greece same as culture (you know small things such as math, physics, theatre, drama, philosophy). Literally half the words you use as a scientist or a doctor today are Greek. So calm down and so some respect for the people because of which Europe became the center of the modern world.
I would've supported the persians..
Garbled narration, practically incomprehensible. How about re-recording the soundtrack using a native speaker of English ?
Bit rude and unnecessary.
Atleast he watched the video
You tell me how I to support this video clip. On the map doesn't Greece exist. If doesn't exist, why bother mentioning. In other way you want to convince me that Greece under name (Ancient) exist. Well it doesn't exist. Obviously your study with out thinking just what they tell you, good listener, and trying to convince me, I to support, I wont, because you didn't done your homework here is a prove: Greece: (OTTO THE FIRST AND THE ONLY ONE KING OF GREECE. German Bavarian: Otto Fredrich Ludwig von Bayern, 1 June 1815 - 26 July 1867 AD) was a first Bavarian Prince as a King who Ruled Greece from the establishment of the monarchy on 27 May 1832 AD, under the Convention of London, until he was deposed on 23 October 1862 AD. Prove me if I'm wrong. The history is gone up to shit. Greece got nothing absolutely nothing to do with this period of time. Existence of Greece is only 192 Years, Why Italy is not called ancient, but Roman. I think you got to go back to school, they to give you money back, they didn't teach you right.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greece
Wow what a philosopher...
Ancient Greece DID exist as ΕΛΛΑΣ,you under educated guy.
Your envy dont let you see in front of you.
We still speak almost the same language.
I asume that you are per....Iranian right?
Go learn your broken history books of the mighty Persian empire and how good and democratic was... democratic... oh no im sorry 😒 Greeks invented this😉.
Sorry dude...
Long live persian empire...
Obviously, it is you who didn't have proper and valid education. Lack of valid education along with systematic brainwashing, results to people laying out bullshit on historical facts and ultimately make yourself look like a fool...keep on amusing us and the rest of the world with your total stupidity and ignorance on history pal, no self respect at all ah?