Origins & Early Life

Pheidippides (; fy-DIP-ə-deez; Ancient Greek: Φειδιππίδης, Ancient Greek pronunciation: [pʰeː.dip.pí.dɛːs], Modern Greek: [fi.ðiˈpi.ðis] lit. 'Son of Pheídippos') or Philippides (Φιλιππίδης) was a 5th-century-BC Athenian running courier who was the central figure in the story that inspired the marathon race. The best-known version of this story is the 1879 poem Pheidippides by Robert Browning, in which Pheidippides is said to have run approximately 240 kilometres (150 mi) from Athens to Sparta (and back to Athens) before the Battle of Marathon (490 BC), in order to seek Spartan help against the Persians in the upcoming battle. Pheidippides then fought at the Battle of Marathon, and after the Athenian victory, he ran approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Marathon to Athens to deliver the news.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He died immediately after announcing the Athenian victory. Browning's poem is a composite of two earlier versions of Pheidippides's story. According to the earliest-known version of the story by the historian Herodotus, Pheidippides is said to have made an Athens-to-Sparta (and return) run before the battle, but Herodotus does not mention Pheidippides fighting at Marathon, a subsequent Marathon...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Draco (legislator) — Contemporary (Died in -600) (-600): The first legislator of Athens, known for his harsh written legal code.
• Gelon — Contemporary (Born in -600) (-600): Founder of the Deinomenid dynasty in Sicily, a powerful Greek tyrant.
• Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus — Contemporary (Born in -600) (-600): A prominent, yet historically debated, Roman general of the 5th century BCE.
• Polykleitos — Contemporary (Born in -490) (-490): Master sculptor of Classical Greece, famed for establishing the ideal human proportion.
• Protagoras — Contemporary (Born in -490) (-490): Pre-Socratic philosopher known for the doctrine of subjective truth and rhetoric.
• Pythagoras — Contemporary (Died in -490) (-490): Founding figure of Pythagoreanism, renowned for mathematical and philosophical teachings.
• Albert Einstein — Historical peer (Born in 1879) (1879): Pioneering theoretical physicist known for the theory of relativity and E=mc2.
• Albrecht von Roon — Historical peer (Died in 1879) (1879): Prussian general and statesman instrumental in German unification under Prussian leadership.
• -600 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from -600
• -490 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from -490