Aristagoras
Encyclopedia
Aristagoras was the leader of Miletus
in the late 6th century BC and early 5th century BC.
, a polis
on the western coast of Anatolia
around 500 BC. He was the son of Molpagoras, and son-in-law (and nephew) of Histiaeus
, whom the Persians
had set up as tyrant
of Miletus. Aristagoras controlled Miletus while Histiaeus was being held by the Persian emperor Darius I of Persia
at Susa. Aristagoras was the main orchestrator of the Ionian Rebellion, when the Greek poleis of Ionia
on the east coast of the Aegean Sea
banded together to rebel against the rule of the Persian Empire.
came to Miletus to seek refuge. They asked Aristagoras to supply them with troops, so that they could regain control of their homeland. Aristagoras hoped that if he supplied troops, he could become ruler of Naxos, so he made a deal with the Naxians. He claimed that he did not have enough troops, but that Artaphernes
, Darius’ brother and the Persian satrap
of Lydia
, who commanded a large army and navy on the coast of Asia, could help supply troops. The Naxians allowed Aristagoras to do their business with Artaphernes and supplied him with money. And so Aristagoras went to Sardis and told Artaphernes to attack Naxos and restore the exiles with the implication the Artaphernes would be in control of the territory. He insisted that Naxos “was a fine and fertile island, close to the Ionian coast, and rich both in treasures and slaves.” Aristagoras promised that he would both fund the expedition and give Artaphernes a bonus sum. He also tempted Artaphernes by adding that capturing the island would place other poleis of the Cyclades
under his control, which would serve as a base for attacking Euboea
. Artaphenes agreed and promised 200 ships. The following spring, Aristagoras and the Naxian exiles sailed with the fleet. Unfortunately for the invasion, Aristagoras quarrelled with the admiral Megabates
, who then informed the Naxians that the fleet was coming. Naxos then had enough time to prepare for a siege. Four months later, the siege still held, the Persians were out of supplies, and few funds remained. The expedition had failed, and they sailed home.
ns. Meanwhile, Histiaeus, still detained at Sardis, had tattooed a message upon the shaved head of a slave. Once his hair had grown back, he sent him to Aristagoras. The message told Aristagoras to revolt. Histiaeus, desperate to see Miletus again, hoped Darius would send him to deal with a Naxian revolt. Aristagoras, who had already considered revolt, conferred with a council of his supporters, who agreed to a rebellion in Miletus in 499 BC. Aristagoras was supported by most of the citizens, except the historian
Hecataeus. He sent men to Myus to capture the Persian fleet commanders there. Once his rebellion was in the open, Aristagoras “set himself to damage Darius in every way he could think of.” To gain support, he deposed the despots in the other Ionian states, and claimed he too would end his tyranny, to allow for popular government. Aristagoras ordered all of the states to create a board of generals to rule, thus beginning the Ionian Revolt
. Then, he sailed to Lacedaemon in search of an ally.
, to help them throw off the Persian yoke. He praised the quality of the Spartan warriors, and argued that a pre-emptive invasion of Persia would be easy. He claimed that the Persians would be easy to defeat, as they fought in “trousers and turbans,” clearly not a sign of good warriors. He also tempted him with Persian riches. Cleomenes asked Aristagoras to wait two days for an answer. When they next met, Cleomenes asked how long it would take to reach Susa, and upon learning that it was a three months’ journey, he stoutly refused to give Sparta’s assistance as his troops would be gone for too long. At the time, Sparta was concerned with possible attacks from the Argives. The Greek historian Herodotus claimed that Aristagoras attempted to change Cleomenes’ mind with bribes, until the king's young daughter warned that Aristagoras would corrupt him. Aristagoras left, another venture having failed.
After this battle, the Athenians refused to continue to fight in the Ionian Revolt and returned to Athens. Because of their participation in this battle, however, the Persian king, Darius, swore vengeance on Athens and commanded a servant to repeat to him three times every day at dinner, “Master, remember the Athenians.”
After the burning of Sardis, the Ionians continued their campaign, gaining control of Byzantium and the surrounding towns as well as the greater part of Caria and Caunus. Almost all of Cyprus
also rebelled against the Persians. Onesilus, the younger brother of Gorgus, the ruler of Salamis
, tried to convince his brother to rebel against Persia and join in the Ionian Revolt. When his brother continuously refused, Onesilus waited until he left town and then shut the doors on him. Gorgus fled to the Persians while Onesilus took over and convinced the Cyprians to revolt. They then proceeded to lay siege to the city of Amathus.
claimed had no intention of putting down the rebellion, returned to Ionia to assist Aristagoras.
Many scholars frequently assume that Aristagoras and Histiaeus worked faithfully together as co-authors in the war against the Persians. Other scholars, such as P.B. Manville, suggest that while fighting the Persians, Histiaeus and Aristagoras also fought each other for control of Miletus and could better be described as rivals or even enemies. While Histiaeus was away serving Darius, Aristagoras acted in his stead as deputy of Miletus where, it is argued, he worked on securing his own power. The first indication of this was his Naxos expedition. He did not ask Histiaeus’ permission and instead of turning to him for help, Aristagoras turned to Artaphrenes, who was severely jealous of Histiaeus. When the expedition failed, Histiaeus sent his tattooed slave to Aristagoras, not as encouragement to revolt, but as an ultimatum. Histiaeus ordered Aristagoras to give up his rule or suffer the consequences. However, at this time Histiaeus was still stationed in Susa and, despite his threat, would not be able to do anything if Aristagoras did revolt. Aristagoras realized that this would be his last chance to gain power and revolted despite Histiaeus’ threat. When Aristagoras pretended to give up his power when all the other Ionian tyrants were disposed, this was also a deposition of Histiaeus. Histiaeus then tried to form an alliance with Artaphrenes to depose this usurper and regain his power at home. Artaphrenes, though he was currently at open war with Aristagoras, refused and Aristagoras was killed in Thrace
soon after.
, where he attempted to establish a colony
on the Strymon river, at the same site as the later Athenian colony of Amphipolis
. He gained control of the territory but later, while besieging a neighboring town, was killed by the Thracians.
In conclusion, Aristagoras had many failed ventures. He failed to capture and gain control of the city of Naxos. He failed to convince Sparta to join him in the Ionian Revolt. He was also unable to lead a successful rebellion against the Persians. However, these failed ventures still had lasting consequences. Darius’ anger and desire for vengeance against the Athenians for their participation in the revolt was a contributing cause of the Persian Wars.
Miletus
Miletus was an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia , near the mouth of the Maeander River in ancient Caria...
in the late 6th century BC and early 5th century BC.
Background
Aristagoras served as deputy governor of MiletusMiletus
Miletus was an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia , near the mouth of the Maeander River in ancient Caria...
, a polis
Polis
Polis , plural poleis , literally means city in Greek. It could also mean citizenship and body of citizens. In modern historiography "polis" is normally used to indicate the ancient Greek city-states, like Classical Athens and its contemporaries, so polis is often translated as "city-state."The...
on the western coast of Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
around 500 BC. He was the son of Molpagoras, and son-in-law (and nephew) of Histiaeus
Histiaeus
Histiaeus , the son of Lysagoras, was the tyrant of Miletus in the late 6th century BC.Histiaeus owed his status as tyrant of Miletus to Darius I, king of Persia, who had subjugated Miletus and the other Ionian states in Asia Minor....
, whom the Persians
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
had set up as tyrant
Tyrant
A tyrant was originally one who illegally seized and controlled a governmental power in a polis. Tyrants were a group of individuals who took over many Greek poleis during the uprising of the middle classes in the sixth and seventh centuries BC, ousting the aristocratic governments.Plato and...
of Miletus. Aristagoras controlled Miletus while Histiaeus was being held by the Persian emperor Darius I of Persia
Darius I of Persia
Darius I , also known as Darius the Great, was the third king of kings of the Achaemenid Empire...
at Susa. Aristagoras was the main orchestrator of the Ionian Rebellion, when the Greek poleis of Ionia
Ionia
Ionia is an ancient region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey, the region nearest İzmir, which was historically Smyrna. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements...
on the east coast of the Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
banded together to rebel against the rule of the Persian Empire.
Naxos
Certain exiled citizens of NaxosNaxos (island)
Naxos is a Greek island, the largest island in the Cyclades island group in the Aegean. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture....
came to Miletus to seek refuge. They asked Aristagoras to supply them with troops, so that they could regain control of their homeland. Aristagoras hoped that if he supplied troops, he could become ruler of Naxos, so he made a deal with the Naxians. He claimed that he did not have enough troops, but that Artaphernes
Artaphernes
Artaphernes , was the brother of the king of Persia, Darius I of Persia, and satrap of Sardis.In 497 BC, Artaphernes received an embassy from Athens, probably sent by Cleisthenes, and subsequently advised the Athenians that they should receive back the tyrant Hippias.Subsequently he took an...
, Darius’ brother and the Persian satrap
Satrap
Satrap was the name given to the governors of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as the Sassanid Empire and the Hellenistic empires....
of Lydia
Lydia
Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkish provinces of Manisa and inland İzmir. Its population spoke an Anatolian language known as Lydian....
, who commanded a large army and navy on the coast of Asia, could help supply troops. The Naxians allowed Aristagoras to do their business with Artaphernes and supplied him with money. And so Aristagoras went to Sardis and told Artaphernes to attack Naxos and restore the exiles with the implication the Artaphernes would be in control of the territory. He insisted that Naxos “was a fine and fertile island, close to the Ionian coast, and rich both in treasures and slaves.” Aristagoras promised that he would both fund the expedition and give Artaphernes a bonus sum. He also tempted Artaphernes by adding that capturing the island would place other poleis of the Cyclades
Cyclades
The Cyclades is a Greek island group in the Aegean Sea, south-east of the mainland of Greece; and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The name refers to the islands around the sacred island of Delos...
under his control, which would serve as a base for attacking Euboea
Euboea
Euboea is the second largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. The narrow Euripus Strait separates it from Boeotia in mainland Greece. In general outline it is a long and narrow, seahorse-shaped island; it is about long, and varies in breadth from to...
. Artaphenes agreed and promised 200 ships. The following spring, Aristagoras and the Naxian exiles sailed with the fleet. Unfortunately for the invasion, Aristagoras quarrelled with the admiral Megabates
Megabates
Megabates was a Persian general and admiral in the late 6th and early 5th centuries BC. He is most notable under the writings of Herodotus for his joint participation in the failed 499 BC siege of Naxos...
, who then informed the Naxians that the fleet was coming. Naxos then had enough time to prepare for a siege. Four months later, the siege still held, the Persians were out of supplies, and few funds remained. The expedition had failed, and they sailed home.
Ionian Revolt
After his failure in Naxos, Aristagoras’ political position was at risk. In an attempt to save himself from the wrath of Persia he began to plan a revolt with the Milesians and the other IoniaIonia
Ionia is an ancient region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey, the region nearest İzmir, which was historically Smyrna. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements...
ns. Meanwhile, Histiaeus, still detained at Sardis, had tattooed a message upon the shaved head of a slave. Once his hair had grown back, he sent him to Aristagoras. The message told Aristagoras to revolt. Histiaeus, desperate to see Miletus again, hoped Darius would send him to deal with a Naxian revolt. Aristagoras, who had already considered revolt, conferred with a council of his supporters, who agreed to a rebellion in Miletus in 499 BC. Aristagoras was supported by most of the citizens, except the historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
Hecataeus. He sent men to Myus to capture the Persian fleet commanders there. Once his rebellion was in the open, Aristagoras “set himself to damage Darius in every way he could think of.” To gain support, he deposed the despots in the other Ionian states, and claimed he too would end his tyranny, to allow for popular government. Aristagoras ordered all of the states to create a board of generals to rule, thus beginning the Ionian Revolt
Ionian Revolt
The Ionian Revolt, and associated revolts in Aeolis, Doris, Cyprus and Caria, were military rebellions by several regions of Asia Minor against Persian rule, lasting from 499 BC to 493 BC...
. Then, he sailed to Lacedaemon in search of an ally.
Spartan Assistance
Aristagoras appealed to the Spartan king, Cleomenes ICleomenes I
Cleomenes or Kleomenes was an Agiad King of Sparta in the late 6th and early 5th centuries BC. During his reign, which started around 520 BC, he pursued an adventurous and at times unscrupulous foreign policy aimed at crushing Argos and extending Sparta's influence both inside and outside the...
, to help them throw off the Persian yoke. He praised the quality of the Spartan warriors, and argued that a pre-emptive invasion of Persia would be easy. He claimed that the Persians would be easy to defeat, as they fought in “trousers and turbans,” clearly not a sign of good warriors. He also tempted him with Persian riches. Cleomenes asked Aristagoras to wait two days for an answer. When they next met, Cleomenes asked how long it would take to reach Susa, and upon learning that it was a three months’ journey, he stoutly refused to give Sparta’s assistance as his troops would be gone for too long. At the time, Sparta was concerned with possible attacks from the Argives. The Greek historian Herodotus claimed that Aristagoras attempted to change Cleomenes’ mind with bribes, until the king's young daughter warned that Aristagoras would corrupt him. Aristagoras left, another venture having failed.
Burning of Sardis
Aristagoras next went to Athens, where he made a convincing speech, promising “everything that came into his head, until at last he succeeded.” Won over, the Athenians sent ships to Ionia, and Aristagoras went before them with the sole intention of irritating Darius. The Athenians arrived in Miletus with twenty triremes and five other triremes that belonged to the Eretrians. Once all his allies arrived, Aristagoras put his brother Charopinus in charge of the expedition, and the whole contingent set out for Sardis, the Persian capital in Ionia. Using Ephesus as its base, the land army went to Sardis, where they captured the city without any opposition and forced the satrap Artaphernes and his forces to retreat to the acropolis. The Ionians set the town on fire, accidentally burning down the temple of the Lydian goddess Cybebe in the process, which the Persians later used as an excuse for burning down Greek temples. The Ionians retreated to Tmolus when Persian reinforcements began to arrive. The reinforcements followed the Ionians, caught up with them near Ephesus and soundly defeated them.After this battle, the Athenians refused to continue to fight in the Ionian Revolt and returned to Athens. Because of their participation in this battle, however, the Persian king, Darius, swore vengeance on Athens and commanded a servant to repeat to him three times every day at dinner, “Master, remember the Athenians.”
After the burning of Sardis, the Ionians continued their campaign, gaining control of Byzantium and the surrounding towns as well as the greater part of Caria and Caunus. Almost all of Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
also rebelled against the Persians. Onesilus, the younger brother of Gorgus, the ruler of Salamis
Salamis, Cyprus
Salamis was an ancient Greek city-state on the east coast of Cyprus, at the mouth of the river Pedieos, 6 km north of modern Famagusta. According to tradition the founder of Salamis was Teucer, son of Telamon, who could not return home after the Trojan war because he had failed to avenge his...
, tried to convince his brother to rebel against Persia and join in the Ionian Revolt. When his brother continuously refused, Onesilus waited until he left town and then shut the doors on him. Gorgus fled to the Persians while Onesilus took over and convinced the Cyprians to revolt. They then proceeded to lay siege to the city of Amathus.
Histiaeus and Aristagoras: Friends or Enemies?
During the Battle of Sardis, Histiaeus, was being held by Darius as a royal advisor. When questioned about the actions of Aristagoras, his deputy, Histiaeus claimed no prior knowledge of the plans and swore to put down the rebellion if Darius allowed him to return to Ionia. Darius consented and Histiaeus, who HerodotusHerodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
claimed had no intention of putting down the rebellion, returned to Ionia to assist Aristagoras.
Many scholars frequently assume that Aristagoras and Histiaeus worked faithfully together as co-authors in the war against the Persians. Other scholars, such as P.B. Manville, suggest that while fighting the Persians, Histiaeus and Aristagoras also fought each other for control of Miletus and could better be described as rivals or even enemies. While Histiaeus was away serving Darius, Aristagoras acted in his stead as deputy of Miletus where, it is argued, he worked on securing his own power. The first indication of this was his Naxos expedition. He did not ask Histiaeus’ permission and instead of turning to him for help, Aristagoras turned to Artaphrenes, who was severely jealous of Histiaeus. When the expedition failed, Histiaeus sent his tattooed slave to Aristagoras, not as encouragement to revolt, but as an ultimatum. Histiaeus ordered Aristagoras to give up his rule or suffer the consequences. However, at this time Histiaeus was still stationed in Susa and, despite his threat, would not be able to do anything if Aristagoras did revolt. Aristagoras realized that this would be his last chance to gain power and revolted despite Histiaeus’ threat. When Aristagoras pretended to give up his power when all the other Ionian tyrants were disposed, this was also a deposition of Histiaeus. Histiaeus then tried to form an alliance with Artaphrenes to depose this usurper and regain his power at home. Artaphrenes, though he was currently at open war with Aristagoras, refused and Aristagoras was killed in Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
soon after.
Aftermath
Although the revolt started out well for the Ionians, the tides soon turned in favor of the Persians. After only one year, the Cyprians were once again forced into submission by Persia. Towns around the Hellespont fell one after another to Daurises, the son-in-law of king Darius. The Carians fought the Persians at the Maeander River and were defeated with severe casualties. Aristagoras saw his great rebellion falling to pieces around him and began looking for a way to escape form Darius’ wrath. After calling together a meeting of his supporters, Aristagoras decided that the best place to hide out would be Myrcinus. He put Pythagoras, “a man of distinction,” in charge of Miletus and set sail for ThraceThrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
, where he attempted to establish a colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
on the Strymon river, at the same site as the later Athenian colony of Amphipolis
Amphipolis
Amphipolis was an ancient Greek city in the region once inhabited by the Edoni people in the present-day region of Central Macedonia. It was built on a raised plateau overlooking the east bank of the river Strymon where it emerged from Lake Cercinitis, about 3 m. from the Aegean Sea. Founded in...
. He gained control of the territory but later, while besieging a neighboring town, was killed by the Thracians.
In conclusion, Aristagoras had many failed ventures. He failed to capture and gain control of the city of Naxos. He failed to convince Sparta to join him in the Ionian Revolt. He was also unable to lead a successful rebellion against the Persians. However, these failed ventures still had lasting consequences. Darius’ anger and desire for vengeance against the Athenians for their participation in the revolt was a contributing cause of the Persian Wars.