The Departmental Excavation at Plasi, Marathon is a research project of the Department of History and Archaeology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The excavation began in 2014 and so far has revealed successive layers of human activity, which include an Early and Middle Bronze Age settlement (3,000-1,700 BCE), a cemetery of the early Late Bronze Age (1,700-1,500 BCE), a Mycenaean settlement (1,400-1,200 BCE), an Early Iron Age cemetery (1,100-800 BCE), an Archaic sanctuary (800-500 BCE) and a Hellenistic period industrial quarter (330-200 BCE).
In addition to revealing the long history of Marathon and educating young archaeologists, the excavation also aims at raising public awareness about the protection of cultural heritage and the importance of the discipline of archaeology, particularly excavation methodology. This objective is served through a public archaeology programme, which includes educational programmes for children and programmes of visits and guided tours for adults.