# Marathon, 490 BCE: Athens Meets the Persian Expedition > Study the Persian landing, Athenian and Plataean forces, and the battle near Marathon, separating the military episode from later running legends. Canonical URL: https://aristotree.com/theo-k/marathon-490-bce-athens-meets-the-persian-expedition Language: en Creator: theo-k Last modified: 2026-10-08T08:11:33.832Z Concepts: 10 Relationships: 14 This is a public, user-curated knowledge graph. Follow the cited sources when verifying claims. ## Concepts ### Datis Datis or Datus was a Median noble and admiral who served the Persian Empire during the reign of Darius the Great. He is known for his role in leading the Persian amphibious expedition against Greece in 490 BC during the Greco-Persian Wars. Topics: history, historical episode Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datis - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datis?action=history - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ### Plataea Plataea or Plataeae was an ancient Greek city-state situated in Boeotia near the frontier with Attica at the foot of Mt. Cithaeron, between the mountain and the river Asopus, which divided its territory from that of Thebes. Its inhabitants were known as the Plataeans. Topics: history, historical episode Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plataea - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plataea?action=history - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ### Marathon, 490 BCE: Athens Meets the Persian Expedition Study the Persian landing, Athenian and Plataean forces, and the battle near Marathon, separating the military episode from later running legends. Topics: history, historical episode Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Marathon - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Marathon?action=history - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ### Miltiades Miltiades, also known as Miltiades the Younger, was an Athenian general and statesman known mostly for his role in the Battle of Marathon, as well as for his downfall afterwards. Topics: history, historical episode Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miltiades - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miltiades?action=history - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ### Artaphernes (nephew of Darius I) Artaphernes, son of Artaphernes, was the nephew of Darius the Great, and a general of the Achaemenid Empire. Topics: history, historical episode Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artaphernes_(nephew_of_Darius_I) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artaphernes_(nephew_of_Darius_I)?action=history - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ### Darius the Great Darius I, commonly known as Darius the Great, was the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his death in 486 BCE. Topics: history, historical episode Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darius_the_Great - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darius_the_Great?action=history - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ### Hippias (tyrant) Hippias was the last tyrant of Athens, ruling from 527 to 510 BC. He was one of the Peisistratids, a group of tyrants from the same family in ancient Greece. Topics: history, historical episode Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippias_(tyrant) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippias_(tyrant)?action=history - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ### Pheidippides Pheidippides or Philippides (Φιλιππίδης) was a 5th-century-BC Athenian running courier who was the central figure in the story that inspired the marathon race. Topics: history, historical episode Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pheidippides - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pheidippides?action=history - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ### Marathon, Greece Marathon is a town in Greece and the site of the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE, in which the outnumbered Athenian army defeated the Persians. Topics: history, historical episode Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon%2C_Greece - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon%2C_Greece?action=history - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ### First Persian invasion of Greece The first Persian invasion of Greece took place from 492 BC to 490 BC, as part of the Greco-Persian Wars. It ended with a decisive Athenian-led victory over the Achaemenid Empire during the Battle of Marathon. Topics: history, historical episode Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Persian_invasion_of_Greece - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Persian_invasion_of_Greece?action=history - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ## Relationships - Marathon, 490 BCE: Athens Meets the Persian Expedition — related_to → Miltiades: Athenian commander - Marathon, 490 BCE: Athens Meets the Persian Expedition — related_to → Datis: Persian commander - Marathon, 490 BCE: Athens Meets the Persian Expedition — related_to → Artaphernes (nephew of Darius I): Persian commander - Marathon, 490 BCE: Athens Meets the Persian Expedition — related_to → Darius the Great: Ordered expedition - Marathon, 490 BCE: Athens Meets the Persian Expedition — related_to → Plataea: Athenian ally - Marathon, 490 BCE: Athens Meets the Persian Expedition — related_to → Hippias (tyrant): Persian-backed exile - Marathon, 490 BCE: Athens Meets the Persian Expedition — related_to → First Persian invasion of Greece: Wider campaign - Marathon, 490 BCE: Athens Meets the Persian Expedition — related_to → Pheidippides: Runner tradition - Marathon, 490 BCE: Athens Meets the Persian Expedition — related_to → Marathon, Greece: Battle location - Datis — related_to → Artaphernes (nephew of Darius I): Shared Persian command - Darius the Great — related_to → First Persian invasion of Greece: Ordered the invasion - Miltiades — related_to → Marathon, Greece: Commanded at Marathon - Plataea — related_to → Miltiades: Allied with Athens - Hippias (tyrant) — related_to → Darius the Great: Sought Persian backing