Battle of Marathon
490 BCE · Greece
The Battle of Marathon was fought in 490 BCE in Greece between Athens and Plataea vs the Achaemenid Persian Empire; decisive Athenian victory that ended the first Persian invasion of Greece.
Battle of Marathon: quick facts
- Date
- 490 BCE
- Location
- Greece
- Belligerents
- Athens and Plataea vs the Achaemenid Persian Empire
- Commanders
- Miltiades vs Datis and Artaphernes
- Result
- decisive Athenian victory that ended the first Persian invasion of Greece.
- Era
- 🏺 Ancient Greece & Rome
- Quiz difficulty
- medium
What happened at the Battle of Marathon?
Athenian hoplites charged a Persian force twice their size and achieved a stunning victory, losing only 192 men while inflicting 6,400 Persian casualties. A messenger named Pheidippides reportedly ran 26 miles to Athens to announce the victory, inspiring the modern marathon. This battle proved that Greek citizen-soldiers could defeat the mighty Persian Empire.
Did you know?
The 26.2-mile marathon race is based on the legend of Pheidippides running from Marathon to Athens, but Herodotus actually wrote that he ran 150 miles from Athens to Sparta before the battle to request help.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Marathon on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.