• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 1679 0

of a low hill close to the shore of the Saronic Gulf, it was built around the Sanctuary of Demeter. The site dates back to Mycenaean times, when the cult of Demeter, one of the most important cults in ancient Greece, began. By classical times it was celebrated with a huge annual festival, which attracted thousands of pilgrims wanting to be initiated into the Eleusinian mysteries. They walked in procession from the Acropolis to Eleusis along the Sacred Way, which was lined with statues and votive monuments. Initiates were sworn to secrecy on punishment of death, and during the 1400 years that the sanctuary functioned, its secrets were never divulged. It was closed by the Roman emperor Theodosius in the 4th century AD.

The site’s museum helps make some sense of the scattered ruins, with models of the old city.

From Athens, take bus A16 or B16 from Plateia Eleftherias (Koumoundourou), north of Monastiraki. Buses run every 20 minutes and take about 30 minutes in reasonable traffic.

Return to beginning of chapter

MARATHON & AROUND

Marathon Μαραθώας

The plain surrounding the unremarkable, small town of Marathon, 42km northeast of Athens, is the site of one of the most celebrated battles in world history. In 490 BC an army of 9000 Greeks and 1000 Plataeans defeated the 25,000-strong Persian army, proving that the Persians were not invincible. The Greeks were indebted to the ingenious tactics of Miltiades, who altered the conventional battle formation so that there were fewer soldiers in the centre, but more in the wings. This lulled the Persians into thinking that the Greeks were going to be a pushover. They broke through in the centre but were then ambushed by the soldiers in the wings. At the end of the day, 6000 Persians and only 192 Greeks lay dead. The story goes that after the battle a runner was sent to Athens to announce the victory. After shouting ‘Enikesame!’ (‘We won!’) he collapsed and died. This is the origin of today’s marathon race.

Four kilometres before the town of Marathon, 350m from the Athens–Marathon road, is the 10m-high tumulus or burial mound that is the Marathon tomb ( 22940 55462; site & museum €3; 8.30am-3pm Tue-Sun Jun-Oct). In ancient Greece, the bodies of those who died in battle were returned to their families for private burial, but as a sign of honour the 192 men who fell at Marathon were cremated and buried in this collective tomb. The site has a model of the battle and historical information.

Nearer to the town is the excellent Marathon museum ( 22940 55155; admission incl site €3; 8.30am-3pm), which has local discoveries from various periods, including Neolithic pottery from the Cave of Pan and finds from the Tomb of the Athenians. New finds from the area include several well-preserved, larger-than-life statues from an Egyptian sanctuary. Next to the museum is one of the area’s prehistoric grave circle sites, which has been preserved under a hangarlike shelter, with raised platforms and walkways. There is another hangar containing an early Helladic cemetery site on the way to the museum.

About 8km west of Marathon is Lake Marathon, a massive dam that was Athens’ sole source of water until 1956. The dam wall, completed in 1926, is faced with the famous Pentelic marble that was used to build the Parthenon. It’s an awesome sight, standing over 50m high and stretching for more than 300m.

Hourly (half-hourly in the afternoon) buses depart from Athens’ Mavromateon terminal to Marathon (€3.40, 1¼ hours). The tomb and the museum are within a short walking distance of bus stops (tell the driver where you want to get off). There are no bus services to Lake Marathon.

Ramnous Ραμος

The ruins of the Ramnous ancient port ( 22940 63477; admission €2; 8.30am-3pm) are about 10km northeast of Marathon. It’s an evocative, overgrown and secluded site, standing on a picturesque plateau overlooking the sea. Among the ruins are the remains of the Doric Temple of Nemesis (435 BC), which once contained a huge statue of the goddess. Nemesis was the goddess of retribution and mother of Helen of Troy. There