Answer:
Persians
Explanation:
The above paragraph speaks of the battle of Marathon, which was a battle between the Greeks and the Persians. When the speaker of the text says "the Athenians in Marathon destroyed the might of the gold-bearing Medes", the word "medes" was used to refer to the Persians.
The Battle of Marathon took place in the year 490 BC during the First Medical War.
During the fifth century BC there were several conflicts between the Greeks and the Persian Empire. They vied for control of the Ionian region of Asia Minor. The confrontation broke out when the Greek colonies of Miletus tried to rid themselves of the Persian rule that had been imposed in the region. Rising tension led to the First Medical War.
