Ionian Revolt

Between 499 and 493 BCE the Greek cities of Ionia rose against Persian rule, a rebellion that set the stage for the Greco-Persian Wars.

Overview

The Greek cities on the coast of Asia Minor had been ruled by tyrants backed by the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Encouraged by Aristagoras of Miletus, they expelled their tyrants and rebelled, receiving limited help from Athens and Eretria, whose troops joined in burning the provincial capital Sardis. The Persians gradually regained the initiative, and the decisive Persian naval victory at Lade in 494 BCE was followed by the sack of Miletus. Herodotus, the main source, describes the revolt as the beginning of troubles between Greeks and Persians. Darius I sought revenge on Athens and Eretria, leading to the expedition defeated at Marathon in 490 BCE and ultimately to the invasions of Xerxes.