Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Ancient Greeks Invented the Marathon Runner

I'm currently doing research for my next novel, Agathon's Daughter, suspense in ancient Athens, and I came across this:


In 490 BC The Persian King, Darius, led an invasion against Eretria and crushed it. His army then landed at Marathon--just northeast of Athens. The Athenians and their allies marched an army of 10,000 men to meet them. Although they were outnumbered, the Greeks won a stunning victory, thanks to strategy and the hoplite phalanx.

A messenger was sent to Athens to announce the victory. He ran all the way from Marathon, 25 miles, delivered the news and promptly died. Hence: he was the first Marathon runner.

I found that interesting, and I may use it in my book. Doing research is like filling in a jigsaw puzzle--I enjoy watching the picture develop.



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