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How did the Persians damage Athens in 480 BCE?
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Athens
The Acropolis and surrounding area, Athens.
In 480 BCE, during the Greco-Persian Wars, the Persian forces under Xerxes I captured and significantly damaged Athens after the city had been largely evacuated by its inhabitants.123
The Persians inflicted the following destruction:
- Acropolis: The Persians burned the buildings on the Acropolis, including the temples located there.24
- Lower Town: Most of the houses in the lower town were destroyed, with only a few structures spared to accommodate Persian leadership.2
- Cultural Theft: The Persians carried off statues of Harmodius and Aristogiton, which held great symbolic importance to the Athenians.4
This act of destruction is remembered as a pivotal moment of sacrifice in Athenian history, as the city had been abandoned in favor of naval defense on the advice of Themistocles.14