Marathon

Introduction

Marathon is a region in the Northeast part of Attika. It is a coastal level plain that has been inhabited for years dating back to the Mid Neolithic periods. The area has been separated into 4 Demes in 508/7 "Marathon, Probalinthos, Oinoe, and Trikorynthos. Collectively they were known as the Marathonian Tetrapolis (four cities)" (Camp, 2001) Despite being spilt into two different tribes during the Klesisthenic reforms, the area has been fairly unified in identity and cult activity.

Historical

One of the most important things that happened in Marathon was the Battle of Marathon in 490. The battle happened during the Persian Wars. The Athenians meet the Persians in Marathon (on the coast) after camping out in the Herakles Sanctuary. The Athenians despite winning a few battles before were wildly outmatched compared to the Persians. Yet the battle left nearly 6,000 Persians deceased and was a pivotal moment in Athenian history. This victory leads to a joyous period of victory monuments being built.

Map of battle

This gif shows a bit of the plan that the Athenians used in battle. The Persians came in on the ships and the coastline. The Athenians pushed them off the cove and moved into the marshier area, which the Persians were not equipped to fight in. The Persians were not expecting such a battle as they only had their shipmen, not their full army.

Timeline of Battle

In 490: Persians sailed to Marathon

Athens decided to surprise attack the Persians

The Athenians ran down from the mountains to the coastline pushing the Persians back into the sea.

Athenians excited by their success jumped on the Persians ships and continued to slaughter the opponents.

Archaeological remains

Most of the remains found in Marathon are grave remains from the Battle of Marathon. There is currently a column and bronze statue at the site alongside the tumulus, and a museum a few miles from the battlefield.

Tomb

A key piece of evidence we have for this battle is the tombs left to honor the dead soldiers. This was an unusual sight of burying the dead at the battlefield instead of a traditional cemetery.

Horse Tomb

This is an early tomb not connected to the Battle of Marathon. It is a Mycenaean tholos that was cut into the plain not the hillside like normal. It had two horse skeletons flanking the entrance and elaborate designs in the doorway and Dromos. This tomb highlights the individualism and care people took in honoring their dead.

Marathon Tomb

This tomb is a large outcrop from the natural plain. It's a soros, burial mound for the lost Athenians. It is approximately 50 meters long and raises to a peak of 9 meters above the ground. It holds the remains of the 192 Athenians who died during the battle. The tomb is a grand feature jutting out from the plain calling attention to the memorial.

Controversial Tomb

Later discovered was a tumulus holding the remains of Athenian allies, the Plataians. The graves are of men, slaves who were able to fight for the first time, and a separate tomb for "Miltiades, son of Kimon". But the interesting part is that none of the remains show signs of wounds. It's also set up in individual's graves instead of the traditional mass military graves.

Victory Monuments

There was an immediate declaration of victory at the battlefield. There was marble columns set up at the battlefield, with an statue was set up on top. The statue was set up in a place that was most likely a turning part of battle.

"The permanent and large- scale victory trophy was installed later, likely in the second quarter of the fifth century.“ (Paga, 2020 p. 198)

Herakles

The victory also honored the Gods that helped them win the battle. Marathon had a very close divine relationship with Herakles claiming they were the first to worship him. It was said that camping out in the Sanctuary of Herakles helped them win the battle.

“And at Apollo’s sanctuary in Delphi, the victory of Marathon was commemorated by the Athenians with the construction of a marble treasury decorated with sculpted scenes of the labors of Herakles and Theseus." (Camp, 2001)

Old Parthenon

It is said that the construction of the Old Parthenon was in commemoration of the great Victory at Marathon. The large size of the Parthenon is representative of how important the battle was to the Athenians.

“The identification of the Old Parthenon as a victory monument for Marathon was articulated by Dinsmoor (1922, p. 237, and further in his 1934 publication, where the post-490 date is argued in detail)" (Paga, 2020 p. 50)

Significances

This battle helped put Marathon on the map for the Athenians. The battle brought the town's status elevated. The win also brought in a time of international recognition that their new reforms and no tyrants could still be large power. The building of commemorative monuments and the new style of graves and commemoration of the dead kept the memory of a great win alive. This win also leads to Athens continuing to build their military, and specifically their navy to support future battles.

Modern Name

It is located approximately 42 Km away from the city center of Athens. When the battle was finally won, a solider ran to Athens to tell people the news of victory. He entered in the Agora yelled in victory then promptly fell dead. In commemoration people who run 42 km is now considered a marathon. (Gaitanis, A., Kalogeropoulos, 2015)

Paintings of Battle told by Pausanias

"part of the painting consists of those who fought at Marathon. ... In the inner part of the fight the barbarians are fleeing and pushing one another into the marsh; at the extreme end of the painting are the Phoenician ships and the Greeks killing the barbarians who are tumbling into them. (Paus. 1.1 5.3)"

Much like the other victory monuments, not many have been preserved later on. This great painting was painted on wood and later destroyed so we only have written knowledge of its existence.

Bibliography

Camp, John M.. The Archaeology of Athens, Yale University Press, 2001. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cwm/detail.action?docID=3420295. Created from cwm on 2021-04-07 12:18:35.”

Fromherz, P. (2011). THE BATTLEFIELD OF MARATHON: THE TROPAION, HERODOTOS, AND E. CURTIUS. Historia: Zeitschrift Für Alte Geschichte, 60(4), 383-412. Retrieved April 26, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41342858

Paga, J. (2020). Building Democracy in Late Archaic Athens. Oxford University Press.

Gaitanis, A., Kalogeropoulos, K., Detsis, V., & Chalkias, C. (2015). Monitoring 60 Years of Land Cover Change in the Marathon Area, Greece. Land, 4, 337–354. https://doi.org/10.3390/land4020337

Raubitschek, A. (1940). Two Monuments Erected after the Victory of Marathon. American Journal of Archaeology, 44(1), 53-59. doi:10.2307/499590

Times, T. N. Y. (1970, May 3). Greek Warriors’ Bones Found At Site of Battle of Marathon. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1970/05/03/archives/greek-warriors-bones-found-at-site-of-battle-of-marathon-bones-of.html

Van der Veer, J. (1982). The Battle of Marathon a Topographical Survey. Mnemosyne, 35(3/4), fourth series, 290-321. Retrieved April 26, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4431149

Vanderpool, E. (1966). A Monument to the Battle of Marathon. Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 35(2), 93-106. doi:10.2307/147299

Images Bibliography

Paintings of Battle told by Pausanias. (2008). [Illustration]. http://agora.ascsa.net/id/agora/image/2008.20.0086?q=references%3A%22Agora%3AMonument%3AStoa%20Poikile%22&t=&v=icons&sort=rating%20desc%2C%20sort%20asc&s=3

Tumulus of Marathon. (2018). [Photograph]. https://athensattica.com/things-to-see/sightseeing/tumulus-of-marathon/

Tholos Tomb. (2016). [Photograph]. https://myartsyodyssey.wordpress.com/tag/burial-mound-at-marathon/

Athens Marathon. (2020). [Photograph]. https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1099056/athens-marathon-cancelled-covid

A VIEW OF MARATHON FROM PENDELI. (2019). [Photograph]. https://europeupclose.com/article/marathon-greece-ghosts-ancient-warriors/

Battle Of Marathon Illustration. (2020). [Illustration]. https://ancientwarfare101.weebly.com/battle-of-marathon.html

Herakles. (2003). [Statue]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lansdowne_Heracles

Plan of the Acropolis. (2019). [Illustration]. http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/ARTH209/Parthenon_gallery.html

The Trophy of the Battle of Marathon. (2018). [Photograph]. https://www.kastra.eu/castleen.php?kastro=tropaio

Greek and Persian soldiers. (2015). [Photograph]. https://www.historynotes.info/the-importance-of-the-battle-of-marathon-1115/

Marathon Map. (2015). [Map]. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275343358_Monitoring_60_Years_of_Land_Cover_Change_in_the_Marathon_Area_Greece

Marathon Battle gif. (2011). [Gif]. http://joseph_berrigan.tripod.com/ancientbabylon/id27.html

Marinatos. (1970). Tumuli I & II [Photograph]. https://vranas-marathonos.com/site/

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