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Ionian Revolt

Type Event Region Asia Minor Time -499–-493

From 499 to 493 BCE, Ionian Greek city-states of Asia Minor revolted against Persia, burning Sardis but ultimately crushed at the Battle of Lade, pro…

Timeline

  1. -499Miletus · IoniaAfter a failed expedition against Naxos, the tyrant Aristagoras of Miletus, seeking to divert internal tensions and win support from mainland Greece, incited the Ionian city-states to overthrow Persian rule; the revolt quickly spread to Ephesus, Samos, and elsewhere.
  2. -498Sardis to Ephesus line · IoniaThe rebel forces, with Athenian and Eretrian reinforcements, captured and burned Sardis, the Lydian capital; during their retreat they were routed near Ephesus by the Persian satrap of Lydia, Artaphernes, and the revolt turned into a long war of attrition.
  3. -494–-493Off Lade (off Miletus) · IoniaThe Persian fleet defeated the combined Ionian fleet off the island of Lade; Miletus subsequently fell, the city-states were suppressed one after another, and the revolt failed completely. Darius I resolved to punish Athens and Eretria for having supported the revolt.

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