Ancient, Ancient warfare, Articles, Battle Maps

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The Battle of Marathon saw wo entirely antithetical military and political traditions: cavalry, archery, and light-armed troops versus heavy infantry; coerced
subjects against free militia; wealthy imperial invaders turned away by pedestrian defenders of farm and family.

The verdict of Marathon proved that far from being rudimentary, the introduction of a true heavy-infantry militia and shock battle was, in fact, a brilliant and a revolutionary idea.



One Comment

  1. Robby House
    September 13, 2013 @ 5:20 pm

    I am confused about just where the Greeks where deployed when the battle started in earnest. I thought their backs would have been facing the towards the valley between either the Agriliki and Kotroni hillocks or the Kotroni and Stavrokoraki hills? I’m inclined to believe they used the latter where they had both flanking ends anchored and eventually advanced out from into the beach area in order to gain thin the center and effect a salient around the Persians.

    By my thinking and understanding of the surviving text your deployment of the Greeks and Persians should be 90 degrees (clockwise) and probably a little further inland where the vallies open up into the coastal plain area.

    I look forward to your thoughts.

    Robby
    robertghouseiv@gmail.com

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