Editing Sardis (section)

=== Destruction by Cyrus the Great ===
{{See also|Siege of Sardis (547 BC)}}

Sardis was conquered by [[Cyrus the Great]] around 547 BC. Having defeated the Lydian king [[Croesus]] at the [[Battle of Pteria]] and [[Battle of Thymbra]], the Persians followed the retreating army back to Sardis and sacked it after a brief siege.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Briant|first1=Pierre|title=From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire|date=January 2002|publisher=Eisenbrauns|isbn=9781575061207|page=36|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lxQ9W6F1oSYC&dq=siege+sardis+cyrus+croesus&pg=PA36|language=en}}</ref>
<ref name = "PersianSack" >{{cite encyclopedia |title= The Persian Sack of Sardis |encyclopedia= The Lydians and Their World |year=2010 |last= Cahill |first= Nicholas |url=http://sardisexpedition.org/en/essays/latw-cahill-persian-sack-sardis}}</ref><ref name="Greenewalt-2011-Steadman-McMahon" />{{rp|style=ama|pp=1115,1120}} Details of this event are largely known from Herodotus's semi-mythicized account, but the destruction is highly visible in the archaeological record. In the words of excavator Nicholas Cahill:

<blockquote>It is rare that an important and well-known historical event is so vividly preserved in the archaeological record, but the destruction of Cyrus left clear and dramatic remains throughout the city.<ref name = "PersianSack" /></blockquote>

The city's fortifications burned in a massive fire that spread to parts of the adjoining residential areas. Wooden structures and objects inside buildings were reduced to charcoal. Mudbrick from the fortifications were toppled over on adjacent structures, preventing looting and salvage and thus preserving their remains.<ref name = "PersianSack" />

Skeletons were found buried haphazardly among the debris, including those of Lydian soldiers who died violently. One soldier's forearm bones had been snapped, likely a ''parry fracture'' indicating a failed attempt to counter the head injuries that killed him. A partly healed rib fracture suggests he was still recovering from an earlier injury during the battle. In a destroyed house, archaeologists found the partial skeleton of an arthritic man in his forties. The skeleton was so badly burned that archaeologists cannot determine whether it was deliberately mutilated or if the missing bones were carried away by animals.<ref name = "PersianSack" />

Arrowheads and other weaponry turn up in debris all around the city, suggesting a major battle in the streets. The varying styles suggest the mixed background of both armies involved. Household implements such as iron spits and small sickles were found mixed in with ordinary weapons of war, suggesting that civilians  attempted to defend themselves during the sack.<ref name = "PersianSack" />