Battle of Marathon
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The Battle of Marathon was waged in 409 BC. King Darius I of Persian was infuriated by the revolt of the Greek city-states, and brought his army to the plains of Marathon to invade Athens, which had encouraged the revolt. The Athenians were outnumbered ten to one by the Persians, so they sent an athlete named Philippides to run for help to Sparta, 150 mile away. Ironically, the Spartans—with their military-obsessed society—refused to come, being in the middle of a festival! However, Athens proved strong enough to defeat the mighty Persians on her own and won a staggering victory on the plains of Marathon.