Marathon -
A trip to Maraihon and a visit
to the archaeological site and
its Musewn is one of the things
you must do when in Athens.
Maraihon is still one ofAttica's
loveliest spots, as you are bound to
find out long before you reach your
destination. The road passes
through v~table gardens,
vineyards, olive groves and wild
vegetation which are nature's
contribution to the uniqueness
of this land. There are many lovely
beaches where you can swim
and sunbathe. The most renowned
of them all is the beautiful
shinias beach, where the pine
woods end almost where the sand
begins. Your trip to Marathon
can be combined with a visit to
the archaeological site of Ramnous
which is only 12kms away.
The battle of Marathon -
The main source of information
about the battle of Marathon is the
ancient historian Herodotus.
According to him, the Persian fleet
landed 100,000 troops in
Marathon, in the year 490 B.C.
Against this huge army there were
only 11,000 Greek soldiers (10,000
Athenians and 1,000 from Plataia).
The Greeks were victorious, thanks
to an ingenious plan of the Greek
army commander, Miltiades.
Following the heroic victory,
Pheidippides, an Athenian soldier
who was dispatched to bring the
good news to the city, ran all the
way from the battlefield to the
Athenian Agora. He collapsed and
died immediately after he delivered
his one word message:
Nenikikamen (We have won).
Pheidippides' run is the event
which today's Marathon runs
commemorate and which is
symbolised by the falling
ceremony at each Olympic
Games.
The Marathon Tomb -
Near the ancient battleground, and
at a distance of about 1km from
the road to Marathon, you will find
the single tomb of the 192
Athenian soldiers who died during
that famous battle. On the other
side of the road, about 5kms away,
stands the tomb where the dead
Plataians, who helped the
Athenians, were buried.
The Marathon Museum -
The Museum is small but, apart
from the finds from the nearby
sites, it houses exhibits from other
places and different periods as
well. Important finds from the
Neolithic Age, like those found in
the Cave of Pan in Oenoe, coexist
with a collection of stelae, believed
to date from the 2nd century AD.
Ramnus -
Kato Souli.
The archaeological site of
Ramnous includes the remains
of two temples. The Great one was
dedicated to Nemesis, the
goddess of divine justice, while
the Little one was dedicated to
Themis, the goddess of human
justice. Both temples were erected
in the 5th century BC. The name
of the site is derived from the word
ramnos, the name of
the variety
of bush covering
the whole area.
In ancient time,
Ramnous was known
for its port and its
fortress. If you now
feel that your visit
to Marathon and
Ramnous has sated
your thirst for historical
facts for a day, you
can rest under the
shade of the big pine
tree by the temple
and enjoy the view
to Euboea and the
Euboeic Gulf. It is one
of these moments that
only places as full
of history and natural
beauty as Greece,
can offer their visitors.
Getting there -
You can take the Paralia
Marathonos bus, which departs
from Mavromataion Street, near
the Pedion tou Areos.
Various tour operators organise daily visits to Marathon.
Top - Marathon Museum: The stele of Pausimache
