… and Died Shortly Thereafter in an Athenian Prison
Faced with Persian numerical superiority, the Athenians, who had ten generals and a rotating command with each general in charge for a day, wavered. For over a week, they simply watched the Persians from heights that overlooked Marathon, until Miltiades’ turn to take command. He convinced a closely divided war council to give battle. Miltiades descended from the heights, assembled the army with reinforced flanks and a weakened center, and advanced. Once within Persian archery range, Miltiades ordered his men to charge at a full run in order to minimize the time in which they were exposed to enemy arrows. The heavily armed and armored hoplites rapidly closed the distance to their enemy, and smashed into the more lightly armed Persians. The Athenians’ reinforced flanks pushed back their opposition. That transformed the Persian line into a bulge, surrounded on three sides by Miltiades’ men.
The Athenians in the reinforced flanks then wheeled inwards to attack the Persian center. It panicked, broke, and fled in a rout to their beached ships. It was a major victory: the Athenians and their allies lost about 200 dead, to the Persians’ 6400. Miltiades returned to Athens in glory, but it did not last. A year later, he led a strong expedition against some Greek islands that had supported the Persians, but bungled it badly, and suffered a severe leg wound. The defeat seemed so absurd to the Athenians, that they figured only deliberate treachery could explain it. His fellow citizens, whom he had so recently saved, tried him on treason charges. He was convicted and sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to a heavy fine. Miltiades was sent to prison, where he died when his leg wound became infected.