Ancient Marathon: The Enigmatic Topography of the Historic Battle
- Sofia Beroukli
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Marathon as a place has been largely identified with the battle of 490 BC and the Athenians’ victory over the Persians. What is particularly interesting, however, is that although the Battle of Marathon is regarded as an event of great historical significance for the course of the Athenian Democracy, the exact location of the ancient Marathon where the battle took place is difficult to determine on the basis of the archaeological evidence.
The ancient Tetrapolis ("four cities") – Marathon, Probalinthos, Oinoe, Trikorynthos
Ancient Marathon was one of the four demes of the Tetrapolis. The other three demes were Probalinthos, Oinoe, and Trikorynthos. The boundaries and locations of the four demes are often confused, and the entire Tetrapolis is frequently identified solely with Marathon. This is due to the literary sources we have on the Battle of Marathon, which contain no topographical references. This means that in order to determine the location of the four demes—and thus to identify the site of the battle—we must rely on archaeological findings as well as on the study of Miltiades’ strategy.
The Archaeologists and the Discoveries
The first archaeologist to conduct official investigations in the area about 180 years ago was Leake, who placed the four ancient demes in the coastal plain of present-day Marathon in the following order: Probalinthos beneath Agriliki, Marathon at Vranas, Trikorynthos at Kato Souli, and Oinoe at Nenoë. Excavations were later continued by Schliemann in 1884, by Stais in 1890, and by Sotiriadis in 1920. These excavations provided significant information regarding the prehistoric settlements of the region, as well as material related to Herodes Atticus. Nevertheless, few archaeological finds from the Classical period came to light, let alone a Classical monument in its original position that could assist in accurately identifying the exact site of the battle.
Until recently, most scholars continued to place ancient Marathon in the coastal plain, and more specifically in the Soros plain, near Plasi. Recent research, however, has revised the position of the Tetrapolis, extending its boundaries beyond the plain to include all the hills from the sea of Marathon up to Mount Pentelikon (Dionysos–Stamata), and from Pyrgari (Daou) to Chylopotamos (Varnavas). This new theory is based on the discovery of the inscription known as the ‘Sacrificial Calendar,’ headed by the Mayor of the Marathonians, which was found at Agia Paraskevi in Stamata.
The placement of Marathon at Stamata is further supported by the discovery of Classical antiquities in the area which had previously been overlooked, and it also corresponds more closely with Herodotus’ natural description of Marathon: ‘rich in trees, full of olive groves.’ Miltiades’ strategy likewise makes it more likely that Marathon was situated on the heights of Agia Paraskevi and Prophet Elias in Stamata, which in turn shifts the location of the battle to the pass of Avlona.
The investigation into the location of Marathon is just one example of the course of archaeological research in Greece and of the difficulties archaeologists face in reconciling archaeological evidence with the historical literature.
Sophia Beroukli
Archaeologist
Inspired by the recent studies that came to light on the occasion of the Festschrift in honor of Professor Georgios Korres