Miltiades (c. 550 – 489 BCE), also known as Miltiades the Younger, was a prominent Athenian statesman recognized for his leadership during the Battle of Marathon. He was the son of Cimon Coalemos, an Olympic chariot-racer, and the father of Cimon, another notable Athenian figure.Miltiades belonged to a distinguished Athenian family, part of the Aeacidae and the Philaid clan. He grew up during the tyranny of the Peisistratids. His father, Cimon, gained fame through his Olympic victories, which led to his popularity and eventual murder by the sons of Peisistratos out of jealousy. Miltiades was named after his uncle, Miltiades the Elder, who also achieved success in chariot racing. His daughter, Elpinice, is noted for her political interactions with Pericles.In approximately 555 BCE, Miltiades the Elder established a colony on the Thracian Chersonese, becoming a semi-autonomous tyrant under Athenian protection. Miltiades the Younger rose to prominence in Athens, serving as eponymous archon under the Peisistratid tyrant Hippias around 524/23 BCE. After the death of Miltiades the Elder around 520 BCE, his nephew Stesagoras inherited the tyranny. Following Stesagoras's murder in 516 BCE, Miltiades was sent to claim the Chersonese. He consolidated power by imprisoning local leaders and marrying Hegesipyle, the daughter of King Olorus of Thrace.In 513 BCE, Darius I of Persia invaded the region, making Miltiades a vassal. He participated in Darius's campaign against the Scythians, where he claimed to have suggested sabotaging the bridge used by the Persian forces, although this account is debated. After fleeing around 511/510 BCE, Miltiades joined the Ionian Revolt against Persian rule and returned to the Chersonese around 496 BCE, capturing the islands of Lemnos and Imbros and ceding them to Athens.Following the collapse of the Ionian Revolt in 494 BCE, Miltiades and his family fled to Athens in 493 BCE. Upon his return, he faced hostility due to his previous tyrannical rule. However, he successfully argued that he had defended Greek freedoms against Persian despotism, which allowed him to avoid punishment. He played a crucial role in the execution of Persian heralds who demanded submission from Athens.Miltiades was elected as one of the ten generals for the Athenian forces in 490 BCE. He advocated for an immediate attack on the Persian forces at Marathon, successfully persuading the polemarch Callimachus to support this decision. Miltiades implemented innovative tactics, deploying more hoplites on the flanks to counter the Persian cavalry and ordering his troops to charge the Persian lines. The Greek forces achieved a decisive victory, preventing the Persians from advancing further into Attica.In 489 BCE, Miltiades led an unsuccessful expedition against the island of Paros, motivated by a personal grievance. He sustained a severe leg injury during this campaign, which led to his incapacitation. Upon returning to Athens, he faced charges of treason due to the failure of the expedition. Although initially sentenced to death, his punishment was commuted to a fine of fifty talents. He died in prison, likely from complications related to his injury, with his son Cimon paying the fine.A statue of Nemesis, symbolizing retribution, was erected in Miltiades's honor by Pheidias in the temple at Rhamnus. Aeschines noted that while Miltiades wished for his name to be inscribed in the Stoa Poikile, the Athenians instead depicted him in a painting urging soldiers in battle, which became part of a series illustrating significant military events.