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How did the Persians treat the Acropolis after entering Athens in 480 BCE?
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Greco-Persian Wars
The Battle of Salamis (480 bce), in which Greece gained an uncontested victory over the Persian fleet.
When the Persians entered Athens in 480 BCE, they sacked the city and caused significant destruction to the Acropolis. Specifically, the Persian forces burned the temples located on the site.12
In addition to the structural damage, the Persians carried off statues of Harmodius and Aristogiton, who were celebrated in Athens for assassinating the tyrant Hipparchus. This act of destruction and theft was viewed by the Athenians as a profound act of impiety, and the symbolic weight of these events remained a central element of Athenian identity throughout the Persian Wars. The stolen statues were eventually returned to Athens by Alexander the Great over a century later as part of his justification for punishing the Persians.1