Famous Men of Greece · Ch. XIII · Unit 5: The Persian Wars

18. Miltiades, the Hero of Marathon

Goal: Your child can tell why Persia attacked Greece and how the Athenians won at Marathon.

⏱ About 30 minutes · 7 steps

Open it at the Internet Archive ↗

You'll need

  • A map or globe (a free online map works well)
  • A notebook or paper and colored pencils
  • Your timeline (a long strip of paper on the wall, or a notebook page)
  • A tape measure (optional)

What's in the book

Darius, the "Great King" of Persia, demands earth and water from Greece. The Athenians and a thousand men of Plataea face the Persians at Marathon, and Miltiades leads the charge on August 12, 490 B.C. A runner carries the news to Athens. Later Miltiades fails at Paros, is fined, and dies of his injury.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Set the scene

    Find Persia (today's Iran) and see how huge its empire was compared with Greece. Then find the plain of Marathon on the coast northeast of Athens. The book says it is twenty-two miles from Athens.

  2. Read the chapter together

    Read pages 128–132 aloud, or let your child read and help with the hard names.

  3. Narration

    Close the book. Ask your child to tell the story back in their own words, from the beginning. Don't correct as they go; just listen. If they get stuck, use a prompt:

    - What did the Persian heralds ask for, and what did that mean?

    - How was the Athenian army commanded?

    - How did the news of the victory reach Athens?

    - What went wrong for Miltiades afterward?

  4. Talk it over

    Ask:

    1. How did the Athenians and Spartans answer the heralds?

    2. How did the traitors try to help the Persians, and how did Miltiades stop them?

    3. Were the Athenians fair to Miltiades at the end?

  5. Remember it

    "Rejoice! Rejoice! We are victors!"

    SayToday's marathon race is named after this run. Historians are not sure about the runner story, but it has been told for a very long time.

  6. Add to your timeline

    Add "490 B.C.: battle of Marathon." This is the first battle of the Persian Wars.

  7. Something extra

    Look at how far 22 miles is: pick a town about that far from home and imagine running it after a battle.

Afterwards

Your child draws the plain of Marathon, the Persian ships, and the runner heading for Athens.

Answers to the book's problems

1. The Athenians threw the heralds into a ditch; the Spartans threw them into a well and said, "There you will find both earth and water for your master." 2. They flashed a signal with a polished shield to tell the Persians to sail to Athens; Miltiades marched straight back so the Persians found his army waiting. 3. Not really; they fined him, though they were sorry later and buried him with honor at Marathon.

Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.

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