The Ionian Revolt 499-493 BC

Ionia was a collection of Greek city-states and Asia Minor, or modern day Western Turkey. The twelve principal cities convened at the Panionium, a meeting to discuss the policy of the Loose League, which was bound together through a shared sense of history, dialect and region. While the Ionian states were content under the rule of the Kingdom of Lydia, they did not bow to Cyrus the Great, the founder and conquering king of the Persian Empire. Soundly beaten through military means, the whole of Ionia was under some form of Persian rule in the 6th century BC. The Ionian Revolt starts a series of events leading to the Persian invasions of Greece, or at least what we call Greece today. The primary figure of the revolt was the tyrant of Miletus, Aristagoras, a man who Herodotus describes as a poor-spirited creature. Ever the opportunist, he approached the Persian governor of Asia Minor, Artafernes, and convinced him to support an invasion to Naxos and Aegean Island. Two hundred ships under the Persian command were given for the expedition. Aristagoras was a man who made enemies. Unfortunately for him, the commander of the Persian forces was one of them. The commander, enraged with Aristagoras, attempted to sabotage the mission by sending word of the invasion to Naxos. The attackers arrived to find a thoroughly well-prepared opponent. The siege lasted four months before Aristagoras ran out of cash to pay his troops. A foreign slave showed up with a bizarre request, to shave his head and read the message tattooed upon it. The message was from Aristagoras' father-in-law, inciting him to revolt against the Persian Empire. What did he have to lose? At once, he set sail for Sparta, the most powerful Greek state at the time. The king, Cleomenes, entertained his Ionian guest. Aristagoras, not afraid of underhand dealing, tried to bribe the Sparta king to support the revolt. The thought of a three-month journey from Ionia to the capital of the empire, Susa, repulsed the king. No help would come from Sparta. Aristagoras made his way to Athens, promising the wealth of all Asia. The Athenian democracy was convinced. It sent twenty triremes at once to Ionia, along with five ships from Eritrea. The Greek task force made way for the capital of the Persian Asia Minor, Sardis. The Persian defence of the city was successful. First, they were forced to withdraw to the Acropolis, from which they sallied forth and scattered the unorganised Ionians. During the attack, the Greek forces started a fire which soon engulfed the whole city, burning temples and all. Athens withdrew her support from the war soon after. Little good did that do, after news soon reached Darius of the pesky Greeks. The Ionians would soon receive their punishment, but the Athenians? Darius swore to burn the cities to the ground, as they burnt Sardis. There had been underlying resentment of the Persian rule from the Ionians for many years before Aristagoras stoked the fire. The Persians were issuing increasingly oppressive governors, known as satraps. Not only were they no longer drivers of their own destiny, but they were subject to a barbarian king who levied a heavy tribute in gold. The Ionians were forced to fight in the Persian army, the ultimate blow for the independently minded cities. In Cyprus, the resentment of Persian rule was also rife, so the native leaders organised a revolt. The Ionians, seeing the advantage of spreading the rebellion, sent a naval contingent in support. The Ionians met the Phoenicians at sea, a naval civilisation under Persian control, and were very successful, inflicting heavy damage. The Cypriots on land were crushed and the island was brought into subjection after a year of freedom. The Ionian forces secured the city of Byzantium and other nearby towns. Now, diverting their attention south, they spurred on the Carian cities to revolt, to which many did. Meantime, the Persian army retook most of the cities in the Hellespont region. A large Carian force was assembled. They made the tactical decision to fight with their backs to the River Meander, hoping that this would force the men to stay and fight. This tactic severely backfired, for when the Persians were victorious, the main bulk of the Carian army was cut down. The Ionians, knowing that the Carians were threatening to pack up and move from the region, offered to fight alongside them in a last stand. Little good did this do, as this army was swiftly defeated by the Persian war machine. There was hope, however. A Carian force ambushed a Persian army at night, killing a high-ranking commander. But the Persian forces were drawing near to the core Ionian cities. Aristagoras knew of his fate if he stayed in Miletus, so he fled to Thrace. A poor move, since he was killed whilst besieging a local town. An unfitting end for the man responsible for lighting the match that ignited the Ionian revolt. The Ionian forces were pinned down at Miletus, facing annihilation. The Pan-Ionian was assembled, like in the days of Free Ionia, and the decision was made to assemble the remaining fleet off the island of Lade, while the Milesians would defend the city itself. Herodotus gives the numbers of the Ionian alliance at 353 triremes, and 600 for the Persian Empire. The Persian high command, masters of subterfuge, sent envoys to the Ionian leaders, asserting that if they simply went home, they would avoid all punishment. No Ionian fled, but most were certainly thinking about it. The elected leader of the fleet, Dionysius, imposed a rigorous training regime. Give a few laborious days and avoid a lifetime of slavery, he said. The Ionians, however, shirked their duty at every occasion and simply lounged about instead of training. So as the two sides lined up for battle, all but a few of the triremes of Samos turned about and fled, followed by most of the fleet. Those who stayed and fought died for their liberty, but died nonetheless. Dionysius had to become a pirate to avoid capture. The city of Miletus was swiftly taken, and its inhabitants were enslaved. This signalled the end of open rebellion. The Ionian cities and territories were ruthlessly punished. On the island of Chios and Lesbos, a chain of men was formed to sweep the islands of people. The best-looking boys were castrated, the girls were sent to Darius's harem. Despite this punishment, the Persians learnt their lesson. Taxes were kept at a moderate level, and democracies were installed in place of tyrannies. The Ionian Revolt preluded the first Persian invasion of Greece in 490 BC. It showed the Persians just how disorganized and treacherous the Greeks could be, but it also showed how many would fight to the death to preserve their liberty.