The Persian General Mardonius (the Manly)
Marduniya (𐎶𐎼𐎫𐎹𐎴𐎹 in Old Persian cuneiform)
is derived from the Old Persian word marda, meaning "man" or "warrior," and has connotations of strength and bravery fitting his role as a foremost general of Iran's Achaemenid Empire.
Mardonius had a significant and complex career, marked by many successes and a historically tragic yet heroic last charge.
A close relative of King Darius the Great and advisor to King Xerxes I, the Iranian general Mardonius played a key role in the empire's ambitious attempts to expand its influence into the European side of Greece.
Defeating the Ionian Greek Revolt
Mardonius began his military career with a campaign in Persian ruled Ionian Greece, where he was tasked with quelling revolts. In 492 BCE, he defeater the Greek rebellion both on land and at sea and successfully reasserted Persian control in Ionian Greek cities such as Miletus. He then attempted to establish a friendlier governance approach by abolishing native Greek tyrannies and promoting the democratic systems in Greek cities under Persian rule. However, his fleet faced disaster when a storm wrecked many of his ships near Mount Athos, which forced him to return to Asia.
Invasion of European Greece and victory over the Spartans at Thermopylae
Mardonius was a key advisor to King Xerxes I during the invasion of Greece in 480 BCE. His influence and ambition partially motivated the Persian king’s decision to launch this large-scale invasion. Mardonius commanded a substantial part of the Persian forces at the battles of Thermopylae and Salamis, where he displayed both tactical skill and personal bravery. Although the naval bottleneck of Salamis was a setback, Persia achieved victory over Sparta at Thermopylae.
Mission Accomplished; the Capture and Occupation of Athens
Mardonius then captured and occupied Athens and set fire to its old Acropolis as punishment for the Athenians having set fire to the Persian provincial Capital of Sardis. Seeing his mission as now accomplished, he then attempted to negotiate peace with the Athenians, proposing favorable terms if they would join the Persian side as many other Greek city states had already done.
Heroic final charge at Plataea
Mardonius led the Persian forces in the Battle of Plataea in 479 BCE against over 120,000 unified Greek forces making their last stand.
Final Charge
Ancient Greek historians such as Herodotus recount that this battle was the greatest in history because both sides fought with such valor and bravery.
After three days of battle, Mardonius, gambled by personally leading his elite contingent to break through the heavily armored Spartan hoplite defenses, when he was suddenly struck down, reportedly by a large stone thrown by a Spartan soldier named Arimnestus (or in some accounts, by a spear).
His death resulted in Persian demoralization, turning the tides for in favor of combined Greek armies. Mardonius's heroic final charge marked the end of a heroic career, as he became one of the Persian generals to leave lasting impact on both Persian and Greek history.
Illustration Below
The famous sculture known as 'The Dying Persian' ,
a 2nd century CE Roman copy of a Greek 3rd century BCE original. From the Domus Tiberiana
Forum Museum, Rome
