The returning soldiers from what army were exposed to rice while on expedition in Asia ?
In 490 BCE , at the Battle of Marathon , the Persian army was defeated by a heavily armed Athenian army , with 9,000 men who were supported by 600 Plataeans , 1,000 soldiers from each of eleven Greek city - states ( 11,000 men in total ) and 10,000 lightly armed soldiers led by Miltiades .