the persian force then sailed for attica. they landed on schinias beach on the east end of marathon bay. the broad field, called the plain of marathon, was flat, level and ideal for battle. the athenians, joined by a small force from plataea, marched to marathon, and blocked the two exits from the plain of marathon. stalemate ensued for five days. then, for reasons that are not clear, the athenians decided to attack the persians. despite the numerical advantage of the persians, the greek hoplites proved very effective against the more lightly armed persian infantry. they routed the persian wings before turning in on the centre of the persian line.