Latest / The Achaemenid Empire: Persia's Golden Age of Power — Fexingo History
Xerxes and the Mysterious Burning of the Athenian Acropolis
In 480 BCE, after the Battle of Thermopylae, Xerxes' Persian army marched into an evacuated Athens and set fire to the Acropolis. But what exactly happened? Was it revenge for the Greek burning of Sardis, or a calculated act of psychological warfare? In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the events of the Persian destruction of Athens, the archaeological evidence of the 'Perserschutt' (Persian debris), and the complex motives behind Xerxes' decision. They discuss the contemporary Greek accounts from Herodotus, the challenges of separating fact from propaganda, and how the Persians used fire…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.