Marathon, Greece Marathon, Greece Marathon (Demotic Greek: Μαραθώνας, "Marathónas"; Attic/Katharevousa: , "Marathṓn") is a town in Greece and the site of the battle of Marathon in 490 BCE, in which the heavily outnumbered Athenian army defeated the Persians. Legend has it that Pheidippides, a Greek herald at the battle, was sent running from Marathon to Athens to announce the victory, which is how the marathon running race was conceived in modern times. The name "Marathon" () comes from the herb fennel, called "marathon" () or "marathos" () in Ancient Greek, so "Marathon" literally means "a place full of fennels". It is believed
Instruction in Ancient Greek Instruction in Ancient Greek Ancient Greek language is still taught in some parts of the world. One of the very few schooling systems where Ancient Greek is still a compulsory subject, is Italy. Ancient Greek is usually treated as a written language in formal instruction. In Italy, Ancient Greek is a compulsory subject only for "liceo classico" schools students. Students of different Italian schools aren't required to study Ancient Greek. Since "liceo classico" students amount to 6.7 percent of Italian high school students, it can be concluded that about 6.7 percent of Italian students actually study Ancient Greek. Inside "liceo