Marathon

One day in the August or September of 490 BC, a man arrived exhausted in the centre of Athens. Marathon today is a rather less heroic place, but it is also far more than just an ancient battlefield. Remains of the Persian dead, said to have been numbered in their thousands, have been found on the edge of what is now a marshy area about 3 kilometres to the north of the mound of the Athenians. Although much of Marathon’s past can still be seen in its scattered ruins, other elements of it have disappeared altogether. While it is possible to visit all of the remains of ancient Marathon on foot (signposting is generally accurate and adequate), they are substantially scattered over a wide area and private transport offers a considerable advantage. It is one of the quirks of fate that the name of Marathon is now best known for being attached to a long-distance run.