On this date in 490 BC the Battle of Marathon took place.10 things you might not know about the battle:
Why did this battle take place? A couple of years earlier, the Greeks in Ionia had revolted against Persian rule, and the cities of Athens and Eretria had come to their aid. The Persians crushed the rebellion, but it had mightily peed off the King of Persia, Darius I. He was so determined not to forget this affront that he gave one of his servants the task of reminding him after dinner every night: “Remember the Athenians”. Darius swore to burn Athens and Eretria to the ground.
In 490 BC Darius set out to keep his promise. 600 triremes (oar-powered warships) set sail across the Aegean, most likely along with more ships carrying supplies and Horses. It was the biggest invasion by sea that the world had ever seen.
Darius was advised by an exiled tyrant from Athens named Hippias, who was living at the Persian king’s court. It was he who selected the Bay of Marathon as a good place to land. The bay consisted of a plain, eight miles long, which was perfect for light cavalry and archers, the Persian army’s strengths.
The Greek army were formidable at hand to hand combat, but had reason to fear the Persian archers who might stick them through with an arrow before they had the chance to use that skill. Athens knew they’d need help to see the Persians off and they called on their allies from the central Greek city of Plataea, and thus raised an army of around 11,000.
However, they figured this wouldn’t be enough and sent an envoy to Sparta to request reinforcements. Athens and Sparta had a mutual defence pact against the Persians. The timing wasn’t great as there was a religious festival going on in Sparta at the time and while the Spartans agreed that they would come and help out, their religious laws stated that they couldn’t do so until after the full Moon. By that time, it was all over. Hence there were no Spartans at Marathon.
One person who was present was the playwright Aeschylus, then aged 35. Aeschylus’s experiences at Marathon helped inspire one of his most famous plays, The Persians.
There was, at first, a bit of a stand off. The Athenians didn’t want to surge onto the plains where the Persians had the advantage with their cavalry and archers, and the Persians were reluctant to try and breach the Athenian stronghold on the mountain side. The Persian leader Datis was under some pressure to get the battle started before the Spartans showed up. He then did something which seemed completely counter-intuitive. He loaded his cavalry onto ships and had them sail away. Perhaps he’d decided attacking Athens was a better use for them, or perhaps it was a ruse to lure the Athenians into battle when they thought they had a better chance.
If this was the case, it worked. The Athenian army, commanded by Miltiades, attacked. Miltiades, however, almost made a fatal mistake. He beefed up the flanks at the expense of the centre, which almost collapsed as the battle raged. Luckily the flanks were strong enough to defeat the Persian flanks and then come to the aid of the centre.
The Athenians lost 192 men at Marathon, the Persians 6,000. The Athenians buried their dead on the plain and the burial mound, known as “Soros” can still be seen today. The Persian casualties were left unburied.
The Athenians sent a runner named Pheidippides to announce the victory in Athens, 26 miles away. Legend has it that on arrival, he exclaimed, “Nike!” (the Greek word for victory) and promptly died of exhaustion. This is why the modern marathon is so called and why it is 26 miles long.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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