“The Persians are coming!” shouts Aetionas one morning to his friends, Glaucus and Leagros, and from that moment on, the lives of everyone change. Soon the Athenians, fully armed, leave their city to face the enemy. So do Glaucus, Leagros, and Aetionas, who are determined to help. They want to see up close, with their own eyes, to hear with their own ears, what will happen, how it will happen, and who will be the victor on the plain of Marathon.

A comic book for children, based on historical events as we know them from ancient writers, is the starting point of a series with historical themes inspired by ancient Greece. This first book in the series narrates the story of the world-historic Battle of Marathon through the eyes of three small Athenians of that time. The children closely follow the stormy sessions of the Assembly of the Demos, learn the tragic news about the fall of Eretria, watch the adults prepare for war, and ultimately sneak away from their homes to follow the army as scouts. There, in the camp, they will experience the life of soldiers, make a new four-legged friend, learn whom the runner Pheidippides saw in the mountains of Arcadia, and witness the Athenian phalanx attack and crush the hordes of Persians. When they finally return to Athens, after dealing with their angry mothers, they will enjoy the joy of victory together with the adults.

At the end of the book, there is a small “afterword” featuring “Katerina,” a contemporary scientist who talks about theoretical issues in history, such as how much of a storyteller Herodotus was or what would have happened if the Persians had won.