The fertile plain of Marathon was the site of the famous battle won by the Athenians against the armies of the Persian king Darius in 490 B.C. Under the leadership of the general Miltiades, the vastly outnumbered Athenians were able to force the Persians to retreat [how?], thus ending their first major campaign against Greece.

The Battle of Marathon soon became an almost mythical event. Many of the soldiers believed they saw Theseus running ahead of them against the Persians. Legend states that when Athenian citizens became aware of the invasion by Persia, they dispatched a soldier named Phidippides who, according to Herodotus (book VI, 105), ran from the town of Marathon to Sparta for aid. Another legend says that he ran from Marathon to Athens to announce the victory, and then collapsed and died.

At the site of Marathon today, you can see the tumulus covering the graves of the 192 Athenians who lost their lives in the battle. Normally Greek soldiers were not buried on the battlefield, but these dead were regarded as heroes by their fellow citizens and so they were given the honor of being buried where they died.

Welcome to Marathon, a deme of heroes, warriors and athletes. Enjoy your stay!

Take the Marathon Quiz!

1. Marathon was the scene of the great deeds of ________, Athens' national hero.
Herakles
Odysseus
Theseus
Jason


2. Which of these playwrights fought at Marathon?
Sophocles
Euripides
Aristophanes
Aeschylus


3. _________ was besieged by an Athenian fleet under Miltiades in retaliation for siding with the Persians during the Battle of Marathon.
Argos
Paros
Corinth
Sparta


4. This structure stands as the official Athenian 'thanks' to the Oracle after their victory at Marathon.
The Temple of Apollo
The Tripod of Plataea
The Athenian Treasury
The Omphalos


5. After Herakles brought the Cretan Bull to Greece, it wandered up to Attica and eventualy settled in the region of Marathon.
True
False


6. At Marathon, the Persian army estimated at ________ lost approximately _________ men.
100,000 - 40,000
60,000 - 20,000
20,000 - 6,400
5,000 - 2,000

To restart the quiz, refresh the page or click the Reload Page button. (Make sure you answer all the questions again.) When you earn a perfect score, you will also receive an award. Good luck!

-Submitted by Alerissa Nestor