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"The Achaemenid Occupation of Athens (480 BCE) - The Dark Days Before Salamis"
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In 480 BCE, during the Second Persian Invasion of Greece, the mighty Achaemenid Empire, led by King Xerxes I, achieved a devastating but short-lived occupation of Athens. This event was a pivotal moment in the Greco-Persian Wars and set the stage for one of history's most famous naval battles—the Battle of Salamis.
Following their defeat at the Battle of Marathon (490 BCE), the Persians sought revenge under Xerxes I, who amassed a colossal army and navy to subdue Greece. After overcoming Spartan resistance at Thermopylae (August 480 BCE), the Persians advanced into Attica, the region surrounding Athens.
Fearing Persian retribution for their support of the Ionian Revolt (499-493 BCE), the Athenians, under the leadership of Themistocles, made a fateful decision. Rather than face a hopeless siege, they evacuated the city, sending women, children, and the elderly to the nearby islands of Salamis and Aegina. Only a small garrison remained to defend the Acropolis.
In September 480 BCE, Persian forces entered Athens, finding it largely abandoned. The remaining defenders fortified themselves on the Acropolis, using wooden barricades. After a fierce resistance, the Persians breached the defenses, massacred the defenders, and looted and burned the sacred temples, including the Old Temple of Athena.
The occupation was short-lived. Just weeks later, the Greek fleet under Themistocles lured the Persian navy into the narrow straits of Salamis and achieved a decisive victory (September 480 BCE). Xerxes, fearing being trapped in Greece, retreated with much of his army, leaving his general Mardonius to continue the campaign. The following year (479 BCE), the Greeks would defeat the Persians at Plataea and Mycale, ending the invasion.
The sack of Athens became a rallying cry for Greek unity. The Athenians later rebuilt their city, and the destruction of the Acropolis temples paved the way for the grand reconstruction under Pericles, including the Parthenon. The events of 480 BCE cemented Athens' reputation as a city of resilience and defiance against tyranny.
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