The Battle of Marathon Trivia Questions
How much do you really know about The Battle of Marathon? Below are 16 true or false statements. Click each one to reveal the answer and explanation.
1.The Battle of Marathon ended with a decisive Greek victory over the Persians.
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Easy
The Battle of Marathon ended with a decisive Greek victory over the Persians.
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The Athenian-led army defeated the Persians, forcing them to retreat and ending the first Persian invasion of Greece temporarily.
2.The word 'marathon' comes from the legend of a Greek messenger who ran from the Battle of Marathon to Athens and died after delivering victory news.
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Easy
The word 'marathon' comes from the legend of a Greek messenger who ran from the Battle of Marathon to Athens and died after delivering victory news.
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Legend says Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens, announced victory, then collapsed. This inspired the modern marathon race.
3.The Battle of Marathon is the origin of the name for the modern marathon race.
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Easy
The Battle of Marathon is the origin of the name for the modern marathon race.
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The modern marathon race is named after the Battle of Marathon, inspired by the legendary run from Marathon to Athens, though that specific run is not in Herodotus.
4.The Battle of Marathon was fought in 490 BC between Athens and the Persian Empire.
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Easy
The Battle of Marathon was fought in 490 BC between Athens and the Persian Empire.
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The Battle of Marathon occurred in 490 BC during the first Persian invasion of Greece, with Athens and Plataea opposing the Persian forces.
5.The Athenian army at the Battle of Marathon included allies from the city of Plataea.
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Medium
The Athenian army at the Battle of Marathon included allies from the city of Plataea.
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Plataea sent a contingent of about 1,000 hoplites to fight alongside the Athenians at the Battle of Marathon, as recorded by Herodotus.
6.The Persian navy deliberately beached their ships at Marathon to trap the Athenian army on the plain.
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Medium
The Persian navy deliberately beached their ships at Marathon to trap the Athenian army on the plain.
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The Persians beached their ships simply to disembark troops for battle, not as a trap. Their strategy included a possible naval move against Athens itself.
7.The Battle of Marathon was won by a small force of Spartans arriving just in time.
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Medium
The Battle of Marathon was won by a small force of Spartans arriving just in time.
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Spartans arrived after the battle, delayed by a religious festival. Athens and Plataea fought alone.
8.Athenian hoplites outnumbered the Persian army at Marathon by nearly two to one.
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Medium
Athenian hoplites outnumbered the Persian army at Marathon by nearly two to one.
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Athenians had about 10,000 soldiers; Persians had around 25,000. Greece was heavily outnumbered.
9.The Battle of Marathon was won by a combined force of Athenians and Spartans.
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Medium
The Battle of Marathon was won by a combined force of Athenians and Spartans.
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The Spartans arrived after the battle; they had delayed due to religious festivals. Only Athenians and Plataeans fought at the Battle of Marathon.
10.The Battle of Marathon took place in the year 480 BC.
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Medium
The Battle of Marathon took place in the year 480 BC.
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The Battle of Marathon was fought in 490 BC; 480 BC is the year of the Battle of Salamis and Thermopylae during the second Persian invasion.
11.The Persian army at the Battle of Marathon was led by King Xerxes.
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Medium
The Persian army at the Battle of Marathon was led by King Xerxes.
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Xerxes was the Persian king during the second invasion (480 BC); the Battle of Marathon was under King Darius I, commanded by Datis and Artaphernes.
12.The Greeks used a secret weapon of flaming pigs to break the Persian cavalry charge at Marathon.
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Medium
The Greeks used a secret weapon of flaming pigs to break the Persian cavalry charge at Marathon.
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Flaming pigs were used in later ancient warfare, but not at Marathon. This is a popular internet myth.
13.After the battle, a Greek soldier ran 26 miles to Sparta to request reinforcements, not to Athens.
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Hard
After the battle, a Greek soldier ran 26 miles to Sparta to request reinforcements, not to Athens.
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The famous run from Marathon to Athens (about 26 miles) took place after the battle to announce victory, not to request reinforcements. A runner named Pheidippides ran to Sparta before the battle, covering about 150 miles.
14.The Athenian general Miltiades had once fought alongside the Persians before leading the Greeks at Marathon.
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Hard
The Athenian general Miltiades had once fought alongside the Persians before leading the Greeks at Marathon.
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Miltiades was a former tyrant in the Persian-controlled Chersonese and had served in Persian campaigns before defecting.
15.The Persian commander at Marathon, Datis, had previously destroyed the Greek city of Eretria.
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Hard
The Persian commander at Marathon, Datis, had previously destroyed the Greek city of Eretria.
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Before Marathon, Datis sacked Eretria and enslaved its people. This was part of Darius I's campaign against Greece.
16.According to ancient historians, a runner died after announcing victory at the Battle of Marathon.
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Hard
According to ancient historians, a runner died after announcing victory at the Battle of Marathon.
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The story of a runner collapsing after announcing victory is a later legend, not found in Herodotus. He describes a run from Athens to Sparta before the battle.
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