ABSTRACT
Athens that was famous for its paintings. One of these paintings showed the Athenian victory
at the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C.E. A description of the painting was made by the second
century C.E. travel writer, Pausanias (Pow-SAY-nee-uss). On the flanks of the battle, the fighters
on opposing sides were evenly matched, but in the center, the Persians were losing the fight
and had started to flee to their ships. In their desperation to reach safety, some Persians
thrust their comrades into a marsh as they hurtled past them. Others were shown being
captured and slaughtered by vengeful Greeks. Clearly, this was a vivid painting, full of action
and excitement and, although it was famous in antiquity, it is one of many such lively pictures
that have all been lost.
