The Olympic torch has arrived in Athens, bringing the flame back to the city where it began a worldwide 78,000-kilometer tour nearly five months ago.
The torch began the day at the city of Marathon, about 40 kilometers north of Athens and near the place where an Athenian army defeated the Persians in 490 BC.
Hundreds of people gathered along the route to cheer the runners carrying the torch. Among those carrying the flame was 89-year-old Petros Apostolopoulos, who ran in the first Olympic torch relay in 1936.
The flame was later placed aboard a replica of an ancient Greek warship (or trireme) and sent to the port of Piraeus. The torch goes to the Acropolis on Thursday and will ignite the Olympic cauldron Friday night.
Information for this report is provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.