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The Soldier of Marathon Announcing the Victory (1834) by Jean-Pierre Cortot; Louvre, Paris. The Greek historian Herodotus was the first person to write about an Athenian runner named Pheidippides participating in the First Persian War. His account is as follows: [10] Before they left the city, the Athenian generals sent off a message to Sparta ...
The Battle of Marathon is a rhymed, dramatic, narrative poem by Elizabeth Barrett (later Browning). Written in 1820, when Barrett was aged 14, it retells the Battle of Marathon , during which the Athenians defeated a much larger invading force during the first Persian invasion of Greece .
The Battle of Marathon was a watershed in the Greco-Persian wars, showing the Greeks that the Persians could be beaten; the eventual Greek triumph in these wars can be seen to have begun at Marathon. The battle also showed the Greeks that they were able to win battles without the Spartans, as Sparta was seen as the major military force in Greece.
The Athenians, joined by a small force from Plataea, marched to Marathon, and succeeded in blocking the two exits from the plain of Marathon. [92] At the same time, Athens' greatest runner, Pheidippides (or Philippides) was sent to Sparta to request that the Spartan army march to Athens' aid. [ 92 ]
[14] In 1896, at the first modern Olympics, the very first modern-day marathon was run. To honor the history of Greek running, Greece chose a course that would mimic the route run by Athenian army. The route started at a bridge in the town of Marathon and ended in the Olympic stadium. Another event in the ancient Olympic Games was the pentathlon.
The Spartathlon is based on the run of Pheidippides, [1] who ran from Athens to Sparta before the Battle of Marathon in a day and a half to seek aid against the Persians. Five Royal Air Force officers attempted the course in 1982 and the competition was started the next year. [2]
For example, at the Battle of Marathon in 490 it was said that Pan, Theseus, and another hero, fought against the Persians. [4] It was also widely believed that the runner, Pheidippides, on the eve of the battle of Marathon, met with Pan on Mount Parthenion, where the god promised to support the Athenians. After their unexpected victory, the ...
While there are debates around the accuracy of this historical legend, [16] whether Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens or between other cities, how far this was, and if he was the one to deliver the victory message, [17] the marathon running event of 26.2 miles / 42.195 km is based on this legend.