Viggen Posted July 21, 2004 Report Share Posted July 21, 2004 The first marathon - a gruelling run by a battlefield messenger from the plains of Marathon to Athens - may have occurred in August heat instead of the comparative cool of September in Greece, astronomers reported on Monday. This finding would offer one explanation for the fabled quick demise of the original marathon runner, Pheidippides, who allegedly managed to gasp out the words, "Rejoice, we conquer," before dropping down dead on his arrival at Athens in 490BC. Many accounts date the battle of Marathon, against invading Persians, at September 12 of that year, based on calculations made by 19th century German scholar August Boeckh. full article at IOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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