The Battle of Marathon, with the resounding victory of the Athenians over the Persians in 490 BC, is a landmark in Greek as well as global history. It was a battle not just between two armies but between two civilizations with totally different value systems. The Greeks' triumph in the Persian Wars (490-479 BC) was the outcome of their common struggle, for the first time, as a nation to defend their fatherland and the supreme ideal of freedom. The new political system of Athens, Democracy, succeeded in bringing able statesmen and military leaders to the fore, so creating the preconditions for vanquishing the foe. Through the pages of the book unfold, eloquently narrated and lavishly illustrated, the historical events and their impact on the development of Hellenic culture and the enhancement of its power, dissemination and longevity over the centuries.