It is called First Medical War to the first invasion of the Persians. In the year 493 B.C. While the Persian fleet and navy were massing for a great expedition against the Greek world, Themistocles appeared on the Athenian political scene. Themistocles began the construction of the fortifications of Piraeus.
In the spring of the year 492 B.C. the Persians, after subduing Western Thrace and Macedonia, withdrew back to Asia. In the year 491 B.C. Darius gave Greek Hellas an ultimatum demanding tribute, threatening invasion.
Most Greek cities accepted submission, except Athens and Sparta, which killed Persian heralds, sparking the First Persian War. Persia sent against the mainland two military expeditions. The first in the year 490 B.C. with a character of conquest or possibly of punishment, directed by Darius I. The second in the year 480 B.C. it was directed by Xerxes as repression or revenge against the Greek world.
In the year 490 B.C. the Persians prepared in Cilica a new expedition under the command of Datis, Artafemes in order to take retaliation against Athens and Eretria for his support of the Ionian insurrection and the destruction of Sardis in 498 BC.
After taking Naxos. whose main city was destroyed, the Persians arrived at Delos, but Datis prohibited looting the island, respecting the sanctuary of Apollo who worshiped and dedicated an offering of three hundred talents, then destroyed Eretria.
The Persians had brought with them the former tyrant Hippias , then an old man, with the evident purpose of restoring him to power and ensuring the fidelity of the Athenians.
Miltiades got the Ekklesia to agree to give battle to the Persians, since Athens was not prepared for a siege. And the help of Sparta was requested.
Possibly due to the delay of the Athenian attack, the Persians began to embark their cavalry. This weakened their forces and they were defeated by the Athenians, in the plain of Marathon, where the battle of Marathon took place thanks to the speed of movement of its troops and the expertise of Milcíades. The Spartan force arrived the day after the battle.
According to the figures given by Herodotus, more than 4,000 Persians died on the battlefield and only 192 Athenians, including his Archon Polemarchus
Battle of Marathon
To see more information there is a complete article on this battle by entering the link:The Battle of Marathon.
ConsequencesoftheBattleofMarathon
The Battle of Marathon had been the first Greek victory of the Persian wars:therefore its consequences were decisive:
- The Athenians gained great confidence in their city and its institutions.
- The Athenian recognition of the hoplites whose way of fighting was associated with a certain social class took place.
- In this battle, the archon polemarch appears for the last time as the supreme leader of the army
The memory of the victory at Marathon created the image of a glorious era for the Athenians. The warriors of this battle were considered heroes of their homeland. The dead were buried with full honors on the same plain, in a monument in the form of a mound, which is still preserved. The survivors considered it the highest honor to have participated in the battle against the Persians in which the victory had been only of Athens.
The decade after the first Persian War
Few data are known about the period between the years 490-480 B.C. although the social and political events were important and decisive.
Miltiades
Greece was unable to take advantage of the victory at Marathon despite the fact that Miltiades proposed a year later to continue the first medical war with an expedition that in addition to establishing a line of naval defense in the Cyclades, it would bring economic advantages to Athens but the expedition failed and after four months he returned to Athens.
Although Miltiades returned seriously wounded, his opponents accused him of swindling the Athenians , standing out in the opposition Xanthippus, father of Pericles and after being acquitted of the death penalty, he was fined fifty talents, which was paid by his son Cimón after his death.
Themistocles
Themistocles seized power after the death of Miltiades in 488 BC. being the indisputable figure of the Athenian political landscape of his time and the inspiring of important measures in the military and institutional field for Athens, such as the construction of a fleet, with which he turned the Athenians into sailors (the thêtes or citizens of the 4th class in the census would be the oarsmen, since then occupying the place of privilege that the hoplites used to have) and the institutional reforms.
Themistocles institutional reforms
He also carried out a series of reforms in the institutions aimed at their democratization:
Arched
- The lottery was established for the election of the archons among five hundred candidates, at the rate of fifty candidates for each tribe.
- Possibility of exercising the archonship of the Hippeis, second registered class.
- The Archon Polemarchus would cease to be supreme commander.
Strategists
- The Strategists ceased to be heads of the army and began to manage the finances.
- His military functions passed to the ten Taxiarchs or heads of the ten battalions or Taxeis (one per tribe).
- Since his position is re-electable , facilitated their stability in power, which was used by Thermistocles and later by other important politicians, such as Pericles, to prolong their rule.
Application of Ostracism
The importance that the institution of ostracism acquired is a clear indication of the political struggles between parties. being notorious the persecution of the aristocracy.
Thus, various characters suffered ostracism:Hipparchus, a member of the Genos of the Pisistratidae (year 487). Megacles (year 486) and Xanthippus (year 484) of the family of the Alcmaeonids. Finally. Aristides, son of Lysimachus. damage 483 BC
After the imminent Persian invasion, ostracism was stopped and even the exiles were called by this procedure and Xanthippus and Aristides did important work during the Second Persian War as generals.