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Give up its empire.
pride
The Athenians had a direct democracy. This meant that all Athenian citizens were able to vote on new legislation and laws.
They sold them into slavery as a warning to other cities within their empire not to revolt also.
The batte of Marathon was between the Athenian people or Athens and the greatest empire of that time Persia.
Although Athenians were Greeks, not all Greeks were Athenians.
Taxed them to support their own lifestyle, until Athens over-reached itself and was defeated and stripped of it's empire.
Although Athenians were Greeks, not all Greeks were Athenians.
They turned the alliance of cities against the Persian Empire into an empire of their own and used the financial contributions of the cities to beautify Athens and keep half its population on the public payroll.
Is the 'expert answer' above expert, or helpful? The Athenians withdrew behind their city walls, imported food from their empire by sea, and sent out their navy to harass the home cities of the besiegers.
athenians ;)
That Athens had the resources necessary to defeat the Peloponnesian League and would win if the Athenians organised their empire and its resources, and kept their nerve.