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Home , 333 BC, 334 BC, 493 BC, 498 BC, 499 BC, Dascylium

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In the spring of 547 BC the Lydian king led his against Persian rule. At this time received a mes- army across the Halys River into , apparently to sage from Histiaeus, urging him to take this very step. acquire former dependencies for himself and to fore- In 499 BC Aristagoras declared a democracy in . He stall the westward advance of the Persians. It was probably then seized the Ionian fleet and set about deposing Persia's autumn when Cyrus' army arrived and an inconclusive battle friends throughout the region. The sought aid from was fought near (=Bogazcale?). Croesus, deciding the their kinsmen in Greece, especially and Sparta. The campaigning season was practically over, retired to Spartans refused, upon learning of the great distances in- and disbanded his forces; Cyrus, however, pursued the Lydian volved, but the Athenians were more sympathetic. The latter army and a second battle was fought in front of Sardis. The city sent a force in 498 BC that descended on Sardis and set Lydian cavalry might have put up some resistance, but in the fire to part of the city. Artaphrenes quickly mustered his Per- vanguard of his attack Cyrus had placed a screen of baggage- sian forces and caught up with the retreating at Ephe- camels whose smell had a predictable effect on the Lydian sus. The Greeks offered battle in front of the city walls but horses. In the resulting chaos, Croesus was defeated and the were defeated. The Athenians then abandoned the Ionians and had to retreat into Sardis, which fell after a fourteen- returned home. Despite this setback, and nearby day siege. cities, most of and overthrew their Persian gar- Cyrus returned to (=Hamadan), leaving a garrison risons and joined the revolt. In Cyprus, only the city of under the Persian Tabalos as governor at Sardis. The Lydian Amathus on the southern coast remained loyal to Persia. treasure was entrusted to local official Pactyas. Soon after In 497 BC Cyprus was retaken by a large Persian army using Cyrus departed, Pactyas took the funds and raised a revolt. He a fleet supplied by the subject Phoenicians. In the same year camped in front of Sardis and besieged Tabalos in the citadel. Darius sent three armies to regain the Hellespontine region Cyrus sent his general Mazares to put down the revolt. Taba- and Caria, but the army under the command of Daurises was los fled but was eventually handed over by the Chians. Maza- ambushed by the and completely destroyed. Although res then began to attack the cities that had supported the re- his other officers had greater success in the north, this setback bellion. and Magnesia on the Meander were ravaged, delayed Darius' direct attack on Miletus until 494 BC. By this but Mazares died soon after. time Aristagoras had been driven out of Miletus by his politi- He was succeeded by the Persian general Harpagus, who cal rivals. He fled to the north Aegean coast where he was undertook the conquest of the Greek cities of Asia Minor. His killed by the native . chosen mode of attack, apparently new to the Greeks, was to The Persian armies throughout , and Caria then build earth mounds against the city walls. His first attack was combined to march against Miletus. Seeking to destroy the against , demanding their surrender. The Phocaeans Persians at sea, the Greeks assembled a large fleet (353 war- asked for a day to deliberate. Overnight the entire population ships), but it was little more than half the size of the Persian took ship to the west and settled in Corsica. The next attack fleet. The Greek was divided by jealousies and mistrust; was against , whose people fled to Abdera on the north the Persians offered inducements for quick surrender. When Aegean coast. The other Ionian cities were reduced after a the Greeks rowed out to fight the Battle of Lade, off Samos, struggle, but they chose to stay and accept Persian rule. The forty-nine Samian warships hoisted sail and fled. Most of the Ionians of the islands submitted of their own accord. other Greek ships followed, leaving only the Chians and The subjugated Ionians and Aeolians contributed to swell Milesians to fight and lose. Without a major naval force to the army of Harpagus, who now proceeded against the Cari- defend it, Miletus was vulnerable to assault. The Persians an, Lycian, and the Dorian cities on the coast of Ionia. The forced their way into the city with tunnels and battering rams. people of Cnidus tried to dig a canal across the isthmus that The rest of the cities and islands were gradually reduced to joined them to the mainland, but they were unsuccessful and submission and punished for their revolt. quietly surrendered to Harpagus. The Lycians of Xanthus The Persians eventually returned to their usual leniency. gave battle to Harpagus before their city. When they were They reduced the cities' tribute and replaced the old system of beaten back to city they collected all their property into the tyrant puppets with democratic governments. But Ionia citadel, which they then burnt, while they themselves sallied ceased to exist as a cultural or a mercantile power. It was be- out, and fell fighting to a man. Harpagus seems to have con- cause of this revolt that the Persians first became aware of cluded his campaign in 542 BC. Athens and conceived the idea of a conquest of mainland Greece. Although the Greeks were able to keep the Persians  Ionian Revolt (499-493 BC) out of Europe with their victories at Marathon (490 BC), Sa- After their defeat the cities of Ionia were ruled by tyrants lamis (480 BC) and Plataea (479 BC), they were unable to nominated by a Persian in Sardis. Persian rule (in the unite for an attack on the . absence of resistance) was moderate, but the Greeks had to pay tribute and contribute ships, soldiers and craftsmen to Greek Period (333-190 BC) Persian wars and other projects. In the spring of 336 BC Philip II of Macedon (46; r.359-336 Miletus was the most important Ionian city. It received fa- BC) sent 10,000 troops under his general (c.400- vourable terms from the Persians, and was a major naval and 330 BC) to Asia Minor to secure a bridgehead for his major commercial power. Histiaeus, tyrant of Miletus, had won fa- invasion force. The Macedonians took - dangerously vour with Darius-I (c.64; r.522-486 BC) by his loyalty during close to , the capital of the Persian satrapy Helle- an abortive Scythian expedition; his reward, land at Myrcinus spontine (, Mysia, ) - but on pushing in Thrace, was challenged by the Persian general Megabazus south they were checked by the Greek mercenary Memnon of and Histiacus had to go to Susa. During Histiaeus' absence, Rhodes (c.380-333 BC) at Magnesia on the Meander. his cousin Aristagoras was left as regent of Miletus. In spring 334 BC Alexander III of Macedon (32; r.336-323 About 502 BC Aristagoras promoted an abortive expedition, BC) crossed the Hellespont with an army of 40,000. He went with Persian support, against , the largest and most first to where he sacrificed to Athena and to the Greek prosperous of the Cycladic Islands. Fear of the consequences heroes of war, then returned to his army and moved east- of his failure led Aristagoras to think of inciting a revolt wards. The Persian met at and decided, despite

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