greek world- persian wars

500-440 BCE

time period for this topic

490-479 BCE

time period for persian wars

• persians invaded in 490, greeks won battle of marathon

• 10 years later persians invaded again, won battle of thermopylae but lost salamis and final battles plataea and myclae

vague timeline of events

cyrus- founded nucleus of empire, took over old median empire e.g. babylon, lydia, first contact with greeks

cambyses- added egypt to empire

darius- extended east to indus river, secured thrace and macedonia, ionian revolt, failed battle of marathon

xerxes- thermopylae, salamis, persian power at its height

what did each persian king do

• economy based on agriculture and serfdom

• fair tributes collected from controlled states

• central authority was great king at suza

• empire divided into 20 provinces with satrap and military garrison

• 1000 immortals, elite royal body guard

(empire was unstable; too vast and diverse, struggle for throne, satrap conflicts, people resented enforced rule)

context of persian empire

cyrus conquered lydia in 546 BCE, sent troops to seize Ionian cities, used satraps to control ionia, by 500 BCE, ionians had widespread discontent about persian rule

persian conquest of ionia leading to ionian revolt

histiaeus- ionian greek tyrant of miletus

aristagoras- son in law of histiaeus, failure at naxos responsible for ionian revolt

darius i- persian king at the time

artaphernes- persian satrap of ionia

key players in ionian revolt

strife between oligarchs and democrats, oligarchs fled to miletus to ask help of aristogoras, artaphernes sent fleet to attack naxos, megabates the persian general warned naxos, four month siege, stalemate, to preserve his position, aristagoras defected from persians to ionians and led revolt

what happened at naxos pre ionian revolt

• greeks/ionians had lost independence in determining their own lifestyle

• had to pay tribute to barbarian king

• persian system of gov in ionia involved use of greek, pro-persian tyrants that were puppets of the king

• tyranny no longer acceptable to the greeks

long term causes of ionian revolt

• uprising in naxos, aristagoras wants more power

• aristagoras convinces artaphernes of benefits of persian control at naxos

• aristagoras fearful of repercussions from failed revolt

• histiaeus sends message on slave’s head encouraging ionia to revolt so histiaeus would be sent

short term causes of ionian revolt

• “the arrival of a slave, the man with the tattooed scalp sent by Histiaeus…urged him to revolt”- Herodotus

• “the enthusiasm with which the Greek fleets responded to the idea of revolt reveal…the reasons for the outbreak were much more fundamental than the machinations of Aristagoras or Histiaeus”- modern scholar J.A Fine

• terrifying for the greeks in asia minor to watch the sheer speed at which the achademenids gobbled up the world”- edith hall 2014

• “darius achieved the consolidation of the empire…in 499 BCE many of the greek cities of Ionia revolted against Persian rule”- edith hall 2014

sources for causes of ionian revolt

499-490 BCE

ionian revolt time period

• first action was to drive out all tyrants and replace with democracies

• in 498, ionian allies attacked sardis, HQ of satrap

• while retreating, ionians clashed with persian force at ephesus, were defeated, athenians went home

• culiminated in siege of miletus in 494, blockaded by persian fleet of 600 ships, miletus captured by persians

ionian revolt timeline

after ionian revolt darius wanted to capture lost ionian cities and re-establish persian control, in 492 he sailed along the ionian coast, deposed ionian tyrants and replaced with democracies

context of campaign of mardonius

thrace and macedonia submit, ship wrecked at Mt Athos, Mardonius Darius’ son in law wounded, persians wanted to punish athenians for interference in ionian revolt, in 490 they embarked on first invasion of greece, opening chapter of persian wars

campaign of mardonius

• persia wins bc they had unity and resources to support sustained war effort

• miletus destroyed

• mardonius sent to set up democracies along ionian coast

impacts of ionian revolt