The Soros
The tymbos, the burial mound raised over the 192 Athenian fallen, marked by a marble stele and set in a park. They were buried on the battlefield itself, which was an exceptional honour.
490 BC
Athens and Plataea against the Persian army of Datis and Artaphernes
192
Athenian dead, buried where they fell under a mound you can still walk up to
225 km
the run Herodotus actually describes, and it was not to Athens
What happened on the plain
On 12 September 490 BC, an Athenian and Plataean force met a Persian landing on this coast. The Greek general Miltiades did something deliberate and risky with his line.
Schematic of the formation as recorded, not a survey of troop positions. The point it shows is the trade Miltiades made: match the enemy's width, and accept a weak centre to do it.
Herodotus' numbers: 192 Athenians and 11 Plataeans dead, against 6,400 Persians, with further Persian losses in the marshes. The Athenians and the Plataeans were buried in separate mounds on the battlefield, and an epigram by the poet Simonides was cut into the Athenian tomb.
The run that didn't happen
The race is named after this place. The story behind the name is not the one in the guidebooks.
Everyone knows the story: a runner carries news of the victory from Marathon to Athens, gasps out "we have won", and drops dead. It is a wonderful story. Herodotus, our source for the battle, does not tell it.
What Herodotus describes is a different run, and a harder one. Before the fighting, a professional long-distance runner named Pheidippides was sent from Athens to Sparta to ask for help. That is over 225 km, and he is said to have covered it in roughly a day.
The famous version appears centuries later, in Plutarch and Lucian, who appear to have merged Pheidippides' run to Sparta with the Athenian army's forced march back to the city after the battle. The modern race commemorates a dramatic conflation of two real events rather than a single documented sprint.
None of which makes the place less worth visiting. It just means the mound is the real monument, and the story you were told is the later one.
What else is out there
The battlefield is the reason to come, but it is not the only thing on this stretch of coast.
The Archaeological Museum
The museum for the area holds what has been recovered from the battlefield and the wider plain. Hours and tickets change by season, so check the Ministry of Culture before setting out.
Lake Marathon
A reservoir, not a natural lake. The dam was built between 1926 and 1929 by the American firm ULEN, flooding around 10 km² of forest to supply Athens with water.
Schinias
The long pine-backed beach southeast of the town, the best windsurfing spot near Athens, and home to the Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre built for the 2004 Games.
Full Schinias guide →For runners: Marathon is the start of the annual Athens Classic Marathon, and was the start of the Olympic marathon in both 1896 and 2004.
Visiting from Rafina
North along the coast. A car makes it easy, and pairs the battlefield with a swim.
We may earn a small commission from bookings made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.
Where it is
East Attica, at 38°9′12″N 23°57′43″E, north of Rafina up the coast. The municipality had 31,331 residents at the 2021 census, the municipal unit itself 10,063.
Make it a half-day
The mound and the museum take a morning between them. Schinias is on the same trip, so most people finish on the beach rather than driving straight back.
Going south instead?
The other direction from Rafina gives you Vravrona and Porto Rafti, which pair with each other the same way.
Marathon questions
The ones worth answering before you drive up.
What can you actually see at Marathon?
The Soros, the burial mound raised over the 192 Athenian dead of 490 BC, marked by a marble stele and set in a park, plus the Archaeological Museum of Marathon. The Plataean dead were buried in a separate mound. Lake Marathon and Schinias beach are both nearby.
When was the Battle of Marathon?
12 September 490 BC, on 6 Boedromion in the Attic calendar. Athens and Plataea fought the Persian force commanded by Datis and Artaphernes.
How many died at Marathon?
Herodotus records 192 Athenian and 11 Plataean dead, against 6,400 Persians, with further Persian losses in the marshes. The 192 Athenians are buried under the Soros on the battlefield.
Did someone really run from Marathon to Athens?
Not according to Herodotus, our source for the battle. He describes Pheidippides running from Athens to Sparta, over 225 km, to ask for help before the fighting. The famous story of a runner announcing victory at Athens and dying appears centuries later in Plutarch and Lucian, who seem to have merged that run with the Athenian army's march back to the city.
What did Miltiades do differently?
He thinned his centre to four ranks, against eight on the wings, so that his line matched the wider Persian front. The strong wings held while the thin centre gave ground, then the wings turned inward and enveloped the Persian centre from both sides.
Is Lake Marathon natural?
No. It is a reservoir created by the Marathon Dam, built between 1926 and 1929 by the American company ULEN. It flooded roughly 10 km² of forest and was built to supply Athens with water.
Can I combine Marathon with a beach?
Yes. Schinias lies southeast of the town: a long pine-backed beach, the top windsurfing spot near Athens, and the site of the Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre from the 2004 Games.
