Marathon was just the fight by the city-state of Athens to repel a Persian punitive expedition sent in response to Athens' meddling in supporting rebellions by Greek cities within the Persian empire. The intent of Persia was to instal an Athenian ex-tyrant Hippias to keep Athens under control. There was no plan to do anything to Greece, which comprised hundreds of independent city-states.
Failure at Marathon led the Persians to think that the only way to keep things quiet was to bring the city-states in mainland Greece within their empire and establish an ethnic frontier, so they invaded peninsula Greece ten years later. If this had succeded, we should remember that even under Persian rule, the Greek cities in Asia Minor prospered and maintained their identity, their cultural and scientific advances outpointing that of mainland Greece. They survived there until 1923 CE when evacuated at the end of the Turkis-Greek war which continued on after World War 1.
And of course there were the western Greeks of Italy, Sicily and the islands who would not have been under Persian rule.
It is interesting to note that more recenty mainland Greece spent hundreds of years under Ottoman Turk rule until it fought for and regained independence in 1832 CE. We just can't know for sure, but the Greeks were cultural survivors who would almost certainly have made a comeback against the Persians, just as they did 2,000 years later against the Turks.
Eretria and Athens would have been placed under control of a local tyrant to keep them quiet, and the other city-states in mainland Greece would have been cautious of meddling in the Greek city-states in Asia Minor within the Persian Empire.
If the Persians had won the battle of Marathon, they would have carried out their plan to appoint exiled Athenian tyrant Hippias to rule the city and keep it from interfering in the Greek cities within the Persian Empire. For a period there would have been a more stable era, but the Greek cities would have continued fighting amongst themselves, as they indeed continued to do after they repelled the subsequent Persian invasion ten years later, so little would have changed.
If the Persians had won the battle of Marathon, they would have carried out their plan to appoint exiled Athenian tyrant Hippias to rule the city and keep it from interfering in the Greek cities within the Persian Empire. For a period there would have been a more stable era, but the Greek cities would have continued fighting amongst themselves, as they indeed continued to do after they repelled the subsequent Persian invasion ten years later, so little would have changed.
Marathon
The Greek world comprised over 2,000 independent city-states. Eretria and Athens had interfered in an uprising in Asia Minor against Persian rule. Persia sent an expeditionary force to take control of Athens and install an Athenian tyrant to stop the city from causing trouble again. If it had succeeded, Athens may have been prevented from its later expansion and generation of later wars between the Greek city-states.
The Greek world comprised over 2,000 independent city-states. Eretria and Athens had interfered in an uprising in Asia Minor against Persian rule. Persia sent an expeditionary force to take control of Athens and install an Athenian tyrant to stop the city from causing trouble again. If it had succeeded, Athens may have been prevented from its later expansion and generation of later wars between the Greek city-states.
The Athenians fought the Persians in the Battle of Marathon, a town in Attika. Thy myth says a soldier, Feidippides, ran to Athens, 40 km, to tell about their victory. The battle is history, the running is a myth.
The Persians had brought along the Athenian ex-tyrant Hippias who had been ousted twenty years before, who they intended to have rule Athens for them and keep it quiet. The Athenians would in due course have got rid of Hippias again and gone back to their own ways. So the history of Greece might have just paused for a decade then gone on just the same.
The battle of Marathon ended very shortly after it began when Persians tried to flee by retreating to ships and swimming in swamps. I believe it was less than 3 hours because it started in midday and ended when the sun was still shining in the sky. I'm no history expert, just trying to help.......
marathon
Herodotos.
Their significance is imperceptible.
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