Miltiades

Miltiades was an Athenian aristocrat and general best known for commanding at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC. He had earlier ruled in the Thracian Chersonese and possessed direct experience of Persian power. At Marathon he helped persuade the Athenians to attack and became the principal hero of the victory in later memory. A failed expedition against Paros soon damaged his reputation; fined and imprisoned, he died from an infected wound.

Miltiades appears in Christian Cameron’s Long War series, including Killer of Men and Marathon, which recreates the Ionian revolt and Persian invasion. Historical fiction is drawn to the dramatic reversal from saviour of Athens to disgraced commander. The contrast also reveals how public honour in a democratic city could change rapidly after military failure.

Conn Iggulden’s The Gates of Athens is set in 490 BC. The Athenian general Xanthippus joins the citizen army confronting a Persian landing at Marathon, while political rivalry inside Athens threatens the unity needed for survival.