Marathon 490 BC: The first Persian invasion of Greece

Osprey Campaign #108

by Nicholas Sekunda, Richard Hook (Illustrator)

Osprey's study of the first Persian invasion of Greece in 490 BC. The story of the Marathon campaign is an epic of the Ancient World. When the Ionian Greeks revolted against their Persian overlords in 499 BC, the cities of Athens and Eretria came to their aid. The Persian King Darius swore vengeance and in 490BC a fleet of 600 ships packed with troops was sent to take revenge on the Athenians. At Marathon the Greeks met the Persians in battle and drove them in rout back to their ships. The moral effect of this victory was enormous – for the first time a Greek army had defeated the Persians and demonstrated the superiority of hoplite tactics.

Genres: History, Ancient History, Military History

96 pages, Paperback

First published October 16, 2002

About the author

Dr. Nicholas Victor Sekunda was born in 1953. After studying Ancient History and Archaeology at Manchester University, he went on to take his Ph.D. in 1981. He has taken part in archaeological excavations in Poland, Iran and Greece, participated in a research project on ancient Persian warfare for the British institute of Persian Studies. He has published numerous books and academic articles, and is currently he is Head of the Department of Mediterranean Archaeology at Gdansk University, Poland, and is co-director of excavations at Negotino, Republic of Macedonia.

Reviews

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book if you want to know what happened before and during the Battle of Marathon - - without having to read too much fluff. Tells you of events leading up to the invasion and the battle itself. Also mentions what happened - or possibly happened - in regards to the runners between Athens and Sparta before the battle - - and Marathon and Athens after the battle - - which led to the modern marathon race.