nd their unorganized way of fighting. Before the victory celebrations could begin, the Athens noticed someone signaling to the Persians at sea by sunlight reflected off from a shield. Suspecting that some Athenians might be collaborating with the Persians and were planning to betray the city to them, the Athenians immediately marched to Athens. They arrived before the Persian fleet was able to reach the city, so the Persians abandoned the invasion and sailed to Asia. Victory had gone to the outnumbered Athenians. The Spartans arrived the next day, too late to be of any help. When they saw the battlefield, they praised the Athenians. The Athenian grave mound still stands as a memorial to one of the worlds greatest battles. To give thanks to Athena, the patron goddess of the city, for the victory, Athens began the construction of the magnificent Parthenon temple atop the acropolis, the hill overlooking the city. The Parthenon was still not complete 10 years later when the Persians returned. These mens fellow citizens raised the mound to commemorate them as heroes. The Battle at Marathon gave the Athenians a feeling that they could do anything. After all they had defeated the Persians without the help of Sparta. A victory trophy was erected over he Persian camp. Indeed, the symbolic importance of the Battle of Marathon far outweighed its military significance. Athenian leaders thereafter boasted that they had stood fast before the feared barbarians, even though the mighty Spartans had not come in time to help them. The victory also demonstrated the superiority of the Greek long spear and armor over the weapons of the Persians, as well as the superior tactics of Miltiades and the military training of the Greek hoplites. The choice of weapons, training of warriors, selection of battle site, and timing had all worked together to help the Athenians prove that size doesnt always matter. Two thousand years after the victory of ...
