The Battle of Marathon; BC 490. Miltiades; bearing in mind that on the whole the Athenian defensive armour was greatly superior to that of the Persians; saw that his best plan was to come to close quarters at once; and smash his way through the enemies' ranks by weight of the dense Grecian formation. The victory was decisive; the Persian horde; utterly routed; fled headlong to the ships; pursued and harried by the triumphant Greeks. Illustration for Hutchinson's History of the Nations (Hutchinson; c.1920). Note: Image has been digitally enhanced to facilitate repro.