Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the events leading to the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, focusing on the Persian King Darius I and his response to Greek interference in the Ionian Revolt. Drawing extensively from The Histories by Herodotus, they trace how a seemingly minor attack on the Persian city of Sardis escalated into a full-scale invasion of Greece.

The episode begins with Darius's rise to power through a brutal coup in 522 BC, where he and six conspirators murdered the legitimate king Bardia (or possibly an imposter). Darius consolidated his rule through systematic violence, impaling rebels across the empire while developing an innovative religious justification for conquest - casting enemies as agents of cosmic lies opposing divine truth.

The narrative then follows the Ionian Revolt of 499-494 BC, sparked by Aristagoras of Miletus who convinced Athens and Eretria to join his rebellion against Persian rule. Though the Greeks initially succeeded in burning Sardis, they were quickly routed by Persian cavalry and retreated. The revolt's brutal suppression, including the destruction of Miletus, set the stage for Darius's punitive expedition against mainland Greece, culminating in the Persian landing at Marathon.

Darius's Bloody Rise to Power Through Palace Coup

In 522 BC, Darius and six conspirators murdered King Bardia in the Zagros Mountains, claiming he was an imposter magus who 'exactly resembled Bardia' - though this was likely cover for a straightforward coup

Darius crushed subsequent rebellions across Persia, Media, and Elam with spectacular violence, impaling rebels on 'an immense forest of stakes' and displaying mutilated leaders 'where everyone could see them'

The Persian method of impaling was designed for maximum suffering: 'A very skilled impaler will impale you in such a way that none of your vital organs are pierced' so victims survived for days

Revolutionary Religious Warfare and Imperial Ideology

Darius weaponized Persian cosmic dualism by casting enemies as agents of 'Drauga' (the lie) opposing 'Arta' (truth and order), making conquest a moral duty rather than mere expansion

In 520 BC, Darius promised soldiers fighting the Elamites 'divine blessings, both in their lives and after death' - the first recorded promise of paradise for holy war

This ideology enabled Darius to present himself as 'a friend to the right' while justifying universal empire: 'If the Empire of the Persians is to be cast as a kind of earthly reflection of the divine order of the cosmos'

The Ionian Revolt Sparks Persian-Greek Conflict

Aristagoras of Miletus launched the Ionian Revolt in 499 BC after his failed expedition to Naxos left him facing dismissal by Persian governor Artafernes

Athens contributed 20 ships to the revolt, motivated by democratic ideology and fear they were already at war after rejecting Persian demands to restore the tyrant Hippias

The Greeks successfully burned Sardis and its temple to Cybele in 498 BC, but were routed by Persian cavalry during their retreat - Athens immediately withdrew from the conflict

The revolt's suppression was merciless: Miletus was destroyed in 494 BC, 'her men are slaughtered, her women raped, her sons castrated, her daughters enslaved'

Darius's Sacred Vow and Persian War Preparations

Upon hearing of Sardis's burning, Darius fired an arrow skyward declaring: 'Zeus, do not deny me the chance to punish the Athenians' and ordered servants to remind him daily 'Master, remember the Athenians'

The Histories compares this moment to 'George W. Bush being told about 9-11' - the most powerful man on earth learning of a devastating terrorist attack

Darius viewed Greece as 'what Afghanistan was to the Americans in the wake of 9-11' - a terrorist stronghold requiring military intervention to prevent further attacks

Athens Chooses War Over Submission

Miltiades, the Athenian strongman who had ruled Gallipoli, escaped the Ionian revolt's collapse and was elected as one of Athens's ten generals despite his tyrannical past

When Persian ambassadors demanded earth and water in 491 BC, Athens tried and executed them on Miltiades's initiative, ensuring 'there is no way back now for Athens'

Sparta also rejected Persian demands, throwing ambassadors down a well with the message: 'if they wanted earth and water, they could find it there' - the famous scene from the film 300

The Persian Armada Approaches Marathon

In 490 BC, Darius dispatched 25,000 troops under generals Datis and Artafernes with orders to 'reduce Athens and Eritrea to slavery and bring the slaves before the king'

Datis demonstrated Persian dual strategy by quickly capturing Naxos while burning incense at Apollo's altar on nearby Delos - showing how Persians could 'intimidate and to woo'

After destroying Eretria through internal betrayal, the Persian fleet sailed to Marathon bay with its 'long, long open beach' and 'flat level plane' ideal for cavalry operations