What battle ended the first Persian invasion ten years before Thermopylae?
Answer
Battle of Marathon
Answer
Battle of Marathon
The battle that ended the first Persian invasion ten years before Thermopylae was the Battle of Marathon.
Marathon was fought in 490 BC, during the first Persian invasion of Greece launched under King Darius I. A Persian expedition landed on the plain of Marathon in Attica after punishing Eretria and seeking to force Athens into submission. The Athenians, supported by Plataea, marched out to meet it.
Under the leadership of Miltiades and other Athenian commanders, the Greek hoplites attacked before Persian cavalry could fully influence the battle. Strong Greek wings enveloped the Persian center, and the invading army fled toward its ships. The Persian force then withdrew across the Aegean, bringing that invasion to an end.
Marathon is often mixed up with Salamis and Plataea. Salamis was the major Greek naval victory of the second invasion, while Plataea was the decisive land battle of 479 BC. Thermopylae occurred in the later invasion led by Darius’s son, Xerxes I.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026