Tomb of Marathon

The Tomb of Marathon, or Soros as the locals used to call it, is located in the historic area of Marathon, 42 kilometers from Athens, near the site of the titanic battle of the ancient Athenians against the Persians in 490 BC. The tomb, a large mound of earth 9 metres high, covered the ashes of the 192 dead Athenians who fell heroically fighting. This is the starting point of the international marathon race that takes place every year in memory of Spyros Louis' victory in the 1896 Olympic Games. Of particular interest and great participation is the annual March for Peace, which also starts from the Tomb and ends in the centre of Athens, in commemoration of the First March for Peace, held in 1963 by Grigoris Lambrakis, the Greek politician and pacifist.