Here is a very interesting article that will appear in the next issue of Sky & Telescope concerning the first Marathon run:
As preparations continue for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens,
Greece, three astronomical sleuths in Texas have uncovered evidence that
the commonly accepted date of the first marathon run may be off by a
month.
In "The Moon and the Marathon," in the September 2004 issue of SKY &
TELESCOPE magazine, Donald W. Olson, a physics and astronomy professor
at
Texas State University, and his San Marcos colleagues Russell L.
Doescher
and Marilynn S. Olson present astronomical evidence that the famous
Battle
of Marathon and the ensuing run occurred in mid-August, not in
mid-September as usually claimed.
On August 29th a field of runners at the 2004 Olympics will retrace one
of
the most famous runs in history. The legend was born in 490 BC, when a
lone runner raced some 26 miles from the battlefield to Athens to bring
word of the Greeks' victory over the Persians at Marathon and to warn
the
city of an impending invasion from the sea by the Persian fleet. His
mission accomplished, the runner collapsed and died.
This melodramatic death has proved problematic for historians over the
centuries. Why would an experienced long-distance runner collapse when
thousands of amateur runners successfully compete in marathons
worldwide?
The answer, according to Donald Olson and his colleagues, lies in the
phases of the Moon.
"The Greek historian Herodotus provides precise descriptions of the
phase
of the Moon near the time of the Battle of Marathon," said Donald Olson.
"These are the key to dating the battle and the Marathon run using
astronomy."
When the Athenians first learned of the Persian army's landing at
Marathon,
city leaders dispatched a messenger to Sparta, 150 miles away, to plead
for military aid. The Spartans promised to help, but they explained that
because of a religious festival their army could not march before the
next full Moon -- six days away. Judging that the festival was the
Karneia, 19th-century German scholar August Boeckh carried out a series
of astronomical calculations to determine the date of the Karneian full
Moon and determined that the Battle of Marathon took place on September
12th. Boeckh relied on a reference from Greek scholar Plutarch that
equated the Spartan month of Karneios with Metageitnion, the second
month of the Athenian year.
"We realized that Boeckh's method of dating, using the Athenian
calendar,
had a serious flaw," Olson said. "The Karneia was a Spartan festival, so
the analysis should be done using the Spartan calendar."
Although the Spartan and Athenian calendars were similar in that they
were
both lunisolar -- following the lunar cycle, but making adjustments to
stay
in step with the solar year -- they were not identical. The Athenian
year
began with the first new Moon following the summer solstice, but the
Spartan year apparently began with the first new Moon after the fall
equinox. Further, in 491-90 BC, 10 new Moons occurred between the fall
equinox and summer solstice instead of the normal nine, resulting in the
Spartan calendar's running a month ahead of the Athenian. If the Texas
State researchers are correct, the Battle of Marathon actually took
place
on August 12, 490 BC.
Previous writers have noted that the average maximum temperature in
Athens
during September is approximately 83 degrees Fahrenheit. Moving the
Marathon date up just one month has a dramatic effect. The average
August
afternoon temperatures along the marathon route range from 88 to 91
degrees, with temperatures as high as 102 possible near Athens. The
astronomical calculation therefore suggests an explanation for the death
of
the runner: such conditions could lead to heat exhaustion and heat
stroke
in even a trained athlete.
The September 2004 issue of SKY & TELESCOPE will be available on
newsstands
on August 3rd. Reporters and editors who would like to obtain a PDF of
the
article "The Moon and the Marathon" before that date should contact
Jayme
Blaschke at jb71@txstate.edu.
SKY & TELESCOPE is making a publication-quality illustration, showing
possible routes of the original Marathon runner, available to the news
media. Permission is granted for one-time, nonexclusive use in print and
broadcast media, as long as appropriate credit (as noted in the caption)
is
included. Web publication must include a link to SkyandTelescope.com.
The illustration and caption will be available on July 19th via the
online
version of this press release (which will not go live until that date,
when
the embargo is lifted):
http://SkyandTelescope.com/aboutsky/pressreleases/article_1297_1.asp
A bit off the Athens Olympics subject but the great success that the Greek footbal team has in the Portugal Euro 2004 deserves a mention here.
Congratulations to the players for their spirit and for making the Greeks proud.
I was asked recently on whether there are tickets left for the Athens Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony. The answer is a definite 'yes' but you better hurry as they are dissapearing fast. Unfortunately the ones left are the most expensive ones. Let me know if you need further information.