The Perserschutt, a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

term meaning "Persian debris" or "Persian rubble", refers to the bulk of architectural and votive sculptures that were damaged by the invading Persian army of

Xerxes I Xerxes I ( peo, 𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠 ; grc-gre, Ξέρξης ; – August 465 BC), commonly known as Xerxes the Great, was the fourth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, ruling from 486 to 465 BC. He was the son and successor of D ...

on the

Acropolis of Athens The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. Th ...

in 480 BC, in the

Destruction of Athens Destruction may refer to: Concepts * Destruktion, a term from the philosophy of Martin Heidegger * Destructive narcissism, a pathological form of narcissism * Self-destructive behaviour, a widely used phrase that ''conceptualises'' certain kind ...

during the

Second Persian invasion of Greece The second Persian invasion of Greece (480–479 BC) occurred during the Greco-Persian Wars, as King Xerxes I of Persia sought to conquer all of Greece. The invasion was a direct, if delayed, response to the defeat of the first Persian invasio ...

History

Acropolis excavation pit where remains of Archaic statues were found

The Athenians had fled the city, returning only upon the departure of the Persians. The city had been sacked and burned and most of the temples had been looted, vandalized, or razed to the ground. The desecrated items were buried ceremoniously by the Athenians. Later, the citizens of Athens cleared the top of their

acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

, rebuilt their

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

s, and created new works of sculpture to be dedicated for the new temples. The remains were preserved by the respectful action and sculptures from the burial were first excavated in 1863–66 by the French

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...

Charles Ernest Beulé. The remainder was discovered in 1885–1890 by archaeologist Panagiotis Kavvadias and

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Wilhelm Dörpfeld Wilhelm Dörpfeld (26 December 1853 – 25 April 1940) was a German architect and archaeologist, a pioneer of stratigraphic excavation and precise graphical documentation of archaeological projects. He is famous for his work on Bronze Age site ...

and Georg Kawerau. They include such celebrated sculptures as the

Kritios Boy The marble ''Kritios Boy'' or ''Kritian Boy'' belongs to the Early Classical period of ancient Greek sculpture. It is the first statue from classical antiquity known to use contrapposto; Janson, H.W. (1995) ''History of Art''. 5th edn. Revised a ...

, the Calf Bearer, and the

Angelitos Athena The Angelitos Athena is an ancient marble statue, which was made around 480–470 BC. The figure, the earliest known depiction of the armed Athena, is an example of the severe style, the transitional style between archaic and classical Greek scul ...

. Details of the

excavations In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

were published in 1906 (see references: Kavvadias, P., Kawerau, G.).

Remains from the Perserschutt

File:ACMA 681 Kore Antenor 1.JPG, The Antenor Kore File:The Euthydikos Kore (detail).jpg, The

Euthydikos Kore __NOTOC__ The Euthydikos Kore is a late archaic, Parian marble statue of the kore type, c 490–480 BCE, that once stood amongst the Akropolis votive sculptures. It was destroyed during the Persian invasion of 480 BCE and found in the Persers ...

(detail) File:Grecia Arcaica kouros 7 Moscoforo jpg.jpg, The Moscophoros File:002MA Friso.jpg, Part of the damaged Hekatompedon pediment File:ACMA 679 Kore 2.JPG, The

Peplos Kore The Peplos Kore is one of the most well-known examples of Archaic Greek art. Kore is a type of archaic Greek statue that portray a young woman with a stiff posture looking straight forward. Although this statue is one of the most famous examples ...

File:009MA Kritios.jpg, The

File:Kouros' Head to horse, Acropolis' museum, Athens.jpg, The

Rampin Rider The ''Rampin Rider'' or ''Rampin Horseman'' (c. 550 BC) is an equestrian statue from the Archaic Period of Ancient Greece. The statue was masterfully made of marble and has traces of red and black paint. The head of the rider was found on the ...

File:Chariot and Hoplites (3417114575).jpg, Chariot and hoplites, built into the

Themistoclean Wall The Themistoclean Wall ( el, Θεμιστόκλειον τείχος), named after the Athenian statesman Themistocles, was built in Athens, Greece during the 5th century BC as a result of the Persian Wars and in the hopes of defending against f ...

References

* Panagiotis Kavvadias, Georg Kawerau: ''Die Ausgrabung der Akropolis vom Jahre 1885 bis zum Jahre 1890'', Athens, 1906 * Jens Andreas Bundgaard: ''The Excavation of the Athenian Acropolis 1882—1990. The Original Drawings edited from the papers of Georg Kawerau'', Copenhagen, 1974 * Astrid Lindenlauf: ''Der Perserschutt auf der Athener Akropolis'' (

Wolfram Hoepfner Wolfram Hoepfner (born 16 March 1937, in Breslau) is a German classicist, archaeologist, architectural historian, and Professor of Ancient Architectural History, at the Free University of Berlin. Life He studied at the Free University of Berlin, ...

: ''Kult und Kultbauten auf der Akropolis'', International Symposium, 7-9 July 1995, Berlin) Berlin, 1997, pp. 45–115 * Martin Steskal: ''Der Zerstörungsbefund 480/79 der Athener Akropolis. Eine Fallstudie zum etablierten Chronologiegerüst'', Antiquitates – Archäologische Forschungsergebnisse, Bd. 30. Verlag Dr. Kovač, Hamburg, 2004, {{Acropolis of Athens 5th-century BC Greek sculptures 1863 archaeological discoveries 1880s archaeological discoveries 1890s archaeological discoveries Acropolis of Athens Archaeological discoveries in Greece Greco-Persian Wars Archaic Greek art

History

Remains from the Perserschutt

See also

References