In Part One of a two-part series on the Athens Marathon, Emily and Cam dive into ancient Greek legend and history as they explore the origins of the modern marathon race. They discuss the well-known story of the messenger (Pheidippides?) who is said to have run from Marathon to Athens with news of the Athenian victory over the Persians at Marathon in 490 BCE; the context of the Battle of Marathon itself; and the accomplishments of the Athenians, who were forced to race against the clock in order to return to their city and defend it from another Persian attack.

Links:

• Part I of our photo essay on the Athens Marathon;
• Part II of our phot essay on the Athens Marathon;

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00:11- Introduction

• 00:59 - Why do an episode about the Athens Marathon?
• 02:48 - The Origin Story: The Battle of Marathon and the Run of Pheidippides

05:11 - Is the Pheidippides story true?

• 05:34 - The ancient traditions about Pheidipiddes’ run: Lucian, Plutarch, and Herakleides
• 08:48 - Herodotus on Pheidippides: the run from Athens to Sparta and back, and an epiphany along the way

12:34 - If the Pheidippides story isn’t true, why does it exist?

• 13:09 - The Battle of Marathon offered fertile grounds for the development of legends.
• 13:59 - A battle against enormous odds: ancient Athens and the Persian Empire compared
• 16:24 - The Battle of Marathon as an existential struggle: Darius, Hippias, and the threat to Athenian democracy
• 20:30 - Marathon as an Athenian achievement (with a little help from the Plataians)
• 21:56 - Aeschylus’ tombstone: the impact of the Battle of Marathon on the ancient Athenian imagination

24:33 - In search of the real Marathon story: the desperate march back to Athens

• 26:21 - The Battle of Marathon and its physical and mental toll
• 28:34 - The long march back: the race to save Athens

31:29 – Final thoughts: Ancient history and the modern marathon