Soros, Ancient burial mound in Marathon, Greece

Soros is a rounded earthen burial mound in the plain of Marathon, about 9 metres high and roughly 50 metres in diameter, covered in short green vegetation with patches of reddish soil and a bare path running up its slope. A small stone marker stands near the top. It was raised in 490 BC over the 192 Athenian soldiers killed in the Battle of Marathon.

The burial ground was established after the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC to honor Athenian warriors who fell defending their land against Persian invaders. This conflict marked a turning point in ancient Greek history.

The mound is also called Soros, from the Greek word for coffin or funeral urn. Ancient sources record that sacrifices were held there every year to commemorate the fallen, and excavations found traces of food and cremated bone in the tomb. A modern statue of Miltiades, who led the Greeks at Marathon, stands nearby.

The mound lies in the Marathon plain, west of the village of Agios Panteleimonas, and is reached from the road linking Marathon with Athens. A bare earth path climbs the slope to the top, where a small stone marker stands; the ground is exposed and uneven, so wear suitable shoes.

In 1890 Valerios Stais dug 6.5 m down and found a cremation pyre set on a support of aligned bricks, with ashes, charred bones and black-figure pottery. He published a sworn statement countersigned by four scholars confirming the find, after which the identification of the mound as the Athenian tomb was no longer questioned.