| Show victory made history on plain of marathon the ancient marathon was a small town on the eastern coast of attica about 20 miles northeast of athens there Is a modern village of the name but the site of the ancient marathon Is occupied now by a town called along with neigh neighboring boi towns the old marathon belonged to an ancient league called the Tetra polls this league claimed a very early origin legend carrying it back to the time of theseus and it survived until after the F fourth century B 0 the plain of marathon Is famous as th escene of the decisive battle in which Milt miltiades lades led the athenians and plateaus Plat eans to victory over the army of darlus darius under command of datis and Artap hernes in n B 0 the greeks numbered about while the persians had a much larger force but tile the invaders were put utterly to rout with heavy loss while the greeks lost only men ohp great mound in which the remains of 0 these dead were placed Is still conspicuous on the plain the battle turned back the eastern invasion of europe rind and saved athens and according to tra saved athens and according to tradition a greek runner sped without stopping from marathon Marat lion to athens hearing bearing tile the tidings of victory |
