Marathon

[Jona Lendering]

On of the sport complexes built to host the recent Olympic Games in Athens was situated to the northeast of the Marathon battlefield. I was wondering if archaeologists found anything related to the battle.

[hoplite14gr]

Saddly the Olympic Works probaly wrecked only havoc.
The latest data come from mid 70s when the tomps were opened and the
Athenian tomp yielded 192 male skeltons and a boy(?!!).
The Platean tomp yielded 50 skeletons and the servants tomp had 70 skeletons if memory serves me right.
Skeletons were found occasionaly probably by local farmers and were either reburried to cemeteries or given to monasteries. These were probably Persian dead.
It has been established that the Athenians advanced from the mountain to the sea and not twards the river so the persian right flan was that that was destroyed in the marshes.
The left Greek flank was resting on the river Kifissos that now has been dried and the right flank on vineyards and orchards.
I think we have a Marathon thread-rather old I am afraid with more info.
Kind rfegards

[Jona Lendering]

Thanks! I must have been there fifteen years ago and, strangely enough, I do remember the Plataean tomb and my walk to Dionysos, but have hardly any memories of the Athenian tomb (although I must have been there because I have photos). Anyhow, I will be back to Greece in July and a second visit to Marathon is among the plans.

[john m roberts]

Is there any speculation for the boy's presence? In art phalanxes are sometimes accompanied by a boy keeping time with a flute. Maybe he was an unlucky flute-player who caught an arrow.

[hoplite14gr]

Valid speculation.
The Hygi Vase has a boy muscisian but I cannot recall any other depiction of flute boys in the phalanx or written references.

The "Red Cross" magazine-July 1976 had a short strory about a boy who would like to aid his older brother as hoplite´s servant. He run away from home against mothers wishes and got mixed up in fighting and killed.

This finding gave lots of speculation but has never really been explained.

Kind regards

[Antonius Lucretius]

The accounts of the battle at Marathon tell of a boy who was killed by a Persian arrow while bringing water to the warriors. Maybe that's the one whose bones were found under that tumulus.
Incidentally: building a modern "olympic" games structure on the site of the battle of Marathon is nothing but sacrilegous, I think.
I found a very,very excellent site on the battle at Marathon..It's there:

http://www.mcm.aueb.gr/ment/spetses/lym ... isuals.htm

[Jona Lendering]

Incidentally: building a modern "olympic" games structure on the site of the battle of Marathon is nothing but sacrilegous, I think.

It's not that bad, actually.

Here you see a map of the battle:
[url:2o2x7wmf]http://www.mcm.aueb.gr/ment/spetses/lymperopoulos/pw_cont16_hk2.htm[/url]
The Olympic rowing course runs more or less N-S near the "m" of "marshe". Google Earth is quite helpful (38 07' 04" N 53 58'42" E shows the tomb of the Athenians).

[hoplite14gr]

There are people who claim that damage was done and the denials are simply PR.
The good thing about the map is that it shows the correct dispositions of the armies.
The marse on the Persian left was probaly smaler and vineyards were streching from the edge of the marsh to the maountain.
That is why Mitliades chose spot. It prevents the Persians from outflanking manouvers.
Some comments od the Greek dispositions. (shield emblem in perenthesis)
The Athenian right flank would contain the Alkmeonidae (triskelis) amd the Megaleidae (seilinus). The center would be composed from residents of Marathon-Thavlonidae (bull) and Kropea-modern Koropi (wine cup)
The exterme left flank would be composed by Poimenidae (white boar) who had areputation for toughness.
The troops of the center woul be defending their very properties and that countebalanced their not so deep formation.
Kind regards

[conon394]

hoplite14gr

I am not really confident about the ideal of suggesting any kind of uniform ‘heraldry’ for the Athenian army. It seems to me it is somewhat misleading to describe the army in terms of clans or geography, rather the center was held by 2 Phylae/Tribes taxeis , While one did indeed include Marathon (and nearby locations Rhamnus etc) Sunium and Phaleron were also represented (at least acording to Plutarch).

Would you care to describe in a bit more detail your basis for your arrangement?

[hoplite14gr]

Archaic era was a mess as heraldry is conserned.
I didn´t claim to know all the symbols but carefull study of pottery and combined with the history of the time shows that cities had started to forma a basis of army identification especially after the overthrow of the Tyranides.
Also I said some commedts on the dispositions.
The tribes-clans were the basis of the organisation. That is why I mentioned them. If Persians were allowed to march to Athens from Marathon naturaly they would loot the land of Marthon and Kropaea to sustain themselves till they reach the Athenian walls.
The center was weakend so naturaly Militiades would have put the inhabitants of Marathon and Mesogeia (Ramnoundas included) there. These men would be the first to fell loss from war and natuarly would have put hell of a fight before being subdued.
That would be the factor to allow the stronger wings to crush the oposition and turn to help the center.
The right part of the formation was point of honour, Naturally the most distnguised tribes who also happened not to be Mesogeans would be there.
I didnt say that any tribe was missing-rather that the were not placed there but on the wings. Poimenidae had a reputation for tenacity. So it would be very probable to hold the exterme left to bolster the others. Especially Sounion and Phaliro who were more newly formed by Kleisthenes reforms.
Kind regards

[Jona Lendering]

Perhaps this book, although -according to the reviewer- not a very good one, may be helpful: [url:1gbqlx5s]http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/2006/2006-02-38.html[/url].

[hoplite14gr]

I respect his opinion but for all his fault Herodotus spoke with the eye witnesses if nothing else.
Kind regards