Miltiades

Lore & Background

Miltiades was a well-born Athenian, a member of the Aeacidae and the prominent Philaid clan. He came of age during the tyranny of the Peisistratids. His father, Cimon Coalemos, was a renowned Olympic chariot-racer, and his son Cimon became a noted Athenian statesman. He secured his rule by imprisoning local leaders and allying with King Olorus of Thrace through marriage. He later claimed to have tried to sabotage Darius's bridge across the Danube, though historians are skeptical.

Reader's Guide

As one of ten generals, he convinced the polemarch Callimachus to attack the Persians immediately, arguing that a siege would destroy Athens. He devised unorthodox tactics, strengthening the flanks of the phalanx and ordering a run into the Persian archer range, which led to a decisive Greek victory. This victory became a foundational event in Athenian history, demonstrating Greek resistance to Persian expansion. However, his legacy is tempered by his later failure. Charged with treason, he was sentenced to death, commuted to a fine of fifty talents, and died in prison, likely from gangrene. His life illustrates the volatility of Athenian politics, where a hero could quickly become a criminal. A statue of Nemesis was later erected in his honor at Rhamnus, symbolizing the sudden reversal of fortune he experienced.

Did You Know?

• Miltiades was named after his father's maternal half-brother, Miltiades the Elder, an Olympic chariot-racing victor.
• He married Hegesipyle, daughter of King Olorus of Thrace, to secure an alliance.
• After his failure at Paros, Miltiades was charged with deceiving the Athenian people, not treason, and though the death penalty was proposed, it was not carried out; he was instead fined fifty talents.
• A later tradition claims a statue of Nemesis was erected in his honor at Rhamnus, made from marble provided by the Persian commander Datis, though this is not a widely accepted historical fact.