What were ancient Iranian war spoils doing in the temples of the Acropolis of Athens?

What is it about?

Just over 2,500 years ago, in 479 BCE, the Athenians triumphed over the Persian (Ancient Iranian) army at the battle of Plataea in Central Greece. Later, Herodotus, a famous Greek historian, nicknamed the "Father of History," described the battle and listed the objects the Greeks snatched from the Persians—including weapons, armor, furniture, and jewelry. But what did they do with all that loot? This study looks into the Persian war treasures mentioned by Herodotus. Even though none of them have survived, ancient inscriptions from Athens might talk about them. These writings recorded treasures stored inside the temples on the Acropolis of Athens, the big hill in the middle of the city dedicated to Athena, the city's principal goddess. Most of the buildings on the Acropolis, like the iconic Parthenon, were built in the fifth century BCE after the Persians wrecked the older temples in 480 BCE during their invasion of Greece. The idea here is that the Athenians likely took many Persian objects to the Acropolis and gave it to Athena as a thank-you for helping beat the Persians. They probably stored these treasures in the Acropolis temples, especially in the temple with caryatid (women) sculptures that is today usually (but mistakenly) called the "Erechtheion." It was, in fact, the principal temple of Athena.

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Photo by Hongbin on Unsplash

Photo by Hongbin on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The link between Herodotus' text and the inscriptions from the Acropolis is important because it might explain how Herodotus knew so much about Persian objects from the battle of Plataea. He or his sources might actually have seen these items on the Acropolis. It also shows how Greek temples worked like mini-museums, hoarding valuable old objects. Here, the memory of the Persian invasion was remembered alongside Athena—the city's guardian goddess—and these items became reminders of that war, making the history feel very real for visitors to the sanctuary.

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