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The Siege of Naxos (500 BC-499 BC) was a battle fought between the Persian
Persian Empire

The 'Persian Empire' was a series of successive Iranian or Persianization empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland, and beyond in Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus....
s under Megabates
Megabates

Megabates was a Persian general and admiral in the late 6th century BC and early 5th century BC. He is most notable under the writings of Herodotus for his joint participation in the failed 499 BC siege of Naxos....
 with aid from the Ionian Greeks
Ionia

Ionia is an ancient region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey, the region nearest Izmir, which was historically Smyrna. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Hellenes settlements....
 led by Aristagoras
Aristagoras

Aristagoras was the leader of Miletus in the late 6th century BC and early 5th century BC.He was the son of Molpagoras, and son-in-law of Histiaeus, whom the Persian Empire had set up as tyrant of Miletus....
 and the Naxian exiles against the island of Naxos
Naxos (island)

Naxos is a Greece island, the largest island in the Cyclades island group in the Aegean Sea. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture.The island comprises the two municipalities of Naxos and Drymalia....
. It was the first battle of the Persian Wars which would ultimately instigate the beginning of a fifty year direct war between the Greeks and Persians.

In 500 BC, the Tyrant
Tyrant

This article is about the political ruler. For other uses see Tyrant and Tyranny In modern usage, a tyrant is a single ruler holding absolute political power over a state or within an organization....
 of Miletus
Miletus

Miletus was an ancient city on the western coast of Anatolia , near the mouth of the Maeander River in ancient Caria. Evidence of first settlement at the site has been made inaccessible by the rise of sea level and deposition of sediments from the Maeander....
, Aristagoras, was convinced by Naxian exiles to seize the island of Naxos and return them to their homes.






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The Siege of Naxos (500 BC-499 BC) was a battle fought between the Persian
Persian Empire

The 'Persian Empire' was a series of successive Iranian or Persianization empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland, and beyond in Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus....
s under Megabates
Megabates

Megabates was a Persian general and admiral in the late 6th century BC and early 5th century BC. He is most notable under the writings of Herodotus for his joint participation in the failed 499 BC siege of Naxos....
 with aid from the Ionian Greeks
Ionia

Ionia is an ancient region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey, the region nearest Izmir, which was historically Smyrna. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Hellenes settlements....
 led by Aristagoras
Aristagoras

Aristagoras was the leader of Miletus in the late 6th century BC and early 5th century BC.He was the son of Molpagoras, and son-in-law of Histiaeus, whom the Persian Empire had set up as tyrant of Miletus....
 and the Naxian exiles against the island of Naxos
Naxos (island)

Naxos is a Greece island, the largest island in the Cyclades island group in the Aegean Sea. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture.The island comprises the two municipalities of Naxos and Drymalia....
. It was the first battle of the Persian Wars which would ultimately instigate the beginning of a fifty year direct war between the Greeks and Persians.

In 500 BC, the Tyrant
Tyrant

This article is about the political ruler. For other uses see Tyrant and Tyranny In modern usage, a tyrant is a single ruler holding absolute political power over a state or within an organization....
 of Miletus
Miletus

Miletus was an ancient city on the western coast of Anatolia , near the mouth of the Maeander River in ancient Caria. Evidence of first settlement at the site has been made inaccessible by the rise of sea level and deposition of sediments from the Maeander....
, Aristagoras, was convinced by Naxian exiles to seize the island of Naxos and return them to their homes. Aristagoras gained help from his ruler, the Emperor of Persia, Darius I who sent Aristagoras 200 ships and a large number of men under the command of Megabates. A few days after setting off from Miletus, Aristagoras and Megabates got into a dispute because Megabates had punished one of Aristogoras' friends for not having a sentry posted.

During the night, Megabates sent a messenger to Naxos to tell them that the Persian army was approaching. When the Persians and Ionian allies arrived, the Naxians were prepared for the ensuing siege. Naxos successfully held out for four months until the Persians and their allies retreated due to the exhaustion of gold and resources.

This defeat was an embarrassment for Artaphernes
Artaphernes

Artaphrenes, was the brother of Darius I of Persia, and satrap of Sardis.It was he who received the embassy from Athens sent probably by Cleisthenes in 497 BC, and subsequently warned the Athenians to receive back the tyrant Hippias ....
, Darius' brother and Aristagoras' friend because Aristogoras had promised him and the Emperor an easy victory. The Persians suffered large financial losses because of the defeat and Aristogoras earned the hatred of Artapharnes and Megabates. Aristagoras saw he was not in a position to earn any favor in Persia decided to incite the Greek cities of Ionia
Ionia

Ionia is an ancient region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey, the region nearest Izmir, which was historically Smyrna. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Hellenes settlements....
 to revolt against the Persians.

Prelude


In 546 BC, Cyrus the Great
Cyrus the Great

Cyrus the Great , , also known as Cyrus II of Persia and Cyrus the Elder, was a Persian people Shah . He was the founder of the Persian Empire under the Achaemenid dynasty, an empire, perhaps the most wealthy and magnificent in history....
 of Persia defeated King Croesus
Croesus

Croesus was the Monarch of Lydia from 560/561 BC until his defeat by the Persian Empire in about 547 BC. The fall of Croesus made a profound impact on the Greeks, providing a fixed point in their calendar....
 of Lydia
Lydia

Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkey provinces of Manisa Province and inland Izmir Province....
 and conquered his former land, amongst them were the Ionian Greek cities of Asia Minor. In between mainland Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
 and the Ionian colonies amidst the Aegean Sea were the Cyclades
Cyclades

The Cyclades are a Greece island group in the Aegean Sea, south-east of the mainland of Greece; and an administrative prefectures of Greece of Greece....
 islands, which were independent. Naxos, the most important of these islands was ruled by tyrants who imposed high taxes on the inhabitants of the islands which caused much unrest. In 500 BC, the Naxians in protest against the wealthy citizens expelled the some of the nobles and aristocrats and established a democratic government.

There they met their ally, the Tyrant
Tyrant

This article is about the political ruler. For other uses see Tyrant and Tyranny In modern usage, a tyrant is a single ruler holding absolute political power over a state or within an organization....
 of Miletus, Aristagoras who was filling in for his father-in-law, Histiaeus
Histiaeus

Histiaeus , the son of Lysagoras, was the tyrant of Miletus in the late 6th century BC.Histiaeus owed his status as tyrant to Darius I, king of Persian Empire, who had subjugated Miletus and the other Ionian states in Asia Minor....
 who was currently being held hostage in Susa
Susa

Susa was an ancient city of the Elamite, Persian Empire and Parthian empires of Iran, located about 250 km east of the Tigris River.The modern town of Shush, Iran is located at the site of ancient Susa....
. Aristagoras who was scheming to become ruler of Naxos, told the exiles that he didn't have a force large enough to capture Naxos, but he would ask his friend and overlord, Artaphernes
Artaphernes

Artaphrenes, was the brother of Darius I of Persia, and satrap of Sardis.It was he who received the embassy from Athens sent probably by Cleisthenes in 497 BC, and subsequently warned the Athenians to receive back the tyrant Hippias ....
, King Darius' brother to help. Aristagoras told Artaphernes that if he conquered Naxos, he could use it as a base to conquer the rest of the Cyclades and Euboea
Euboea

For the Greek mythology figure, see Euboea Euboea is the second largest of the Greece Aegean Islands and the second largest List of islands of Greece overall in area and population, after Crete....
 as well as controlling the Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea

The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkans and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey respectively....
. Aristagoras also said that he would pay for the costs of the campaign. Artaphernes liked the idea but he said he needed approval from his brother. Darius agreed to the plan and decided to send a Persian fleet and army.

Dispute and Disaster


The Persian fleet
Naval fleet

A fleet, or naval fleet, is a large formation of warships, and the largest formation in any navy. A fleet at sea is the direct equivalent of an army on land....
 and army
Army

An army , in the broadest sense, is the land-based armed forces of a nation. It may also include other branches of the military such as an air force....
 was put under the command of Megabates
Megabates

Megabates was a Persian general and admiral in the late 6th century BC and early 5th century BC. He is most notable under the writings of Herodotus for his joint participation in the failed 499 BC siege of Naxos....
 who was a cousin of Darius and Artaphernes. He arrived at Miletus with 200 ships and a large army, where he joined forces with the Ionians under Aristagoras and the Naxian exiles. So that the Naxians didn't foresee the invasion the fleet sailed north making it look like they were sailing to the Hellespont
Hellespont

Hellespont was the ancient name of the narrow strait, now known by the modern European term 'Dardanelles'. It was so called from Helle , the daughter of Athamas, who was drowned here in the mythology of the Golden Fleece....
 but when they arrived at Chios
Chios

Chios is the fifth largest of the Greece list of islands of Greece, situated in the Aegean Sea seven kilometres off the Turkey coast. The island is noted for its strong merchant shipping community, its unique mastic gum and its medieval villages....
 they headed south.

As Megabates was making his rounds of sentries posted on the ships, he came across a ship from Myndus
Myndus

Myndus or Myndos was an ancient Dorian colony of Troezen, on the coast of Caria in Asia Minor, built on the Bodrum Peninsula, a few miles to the northwest of Halicarnassus, and is the site of modern G?m?sl?k, Turkey....
 which didn't have any sentries posted. Megabates ordered his personal guard to find the captain of the ship and to bring him before him. Megabates had the captain tied in one of the ships oar holes with his head outside and his body inside. When Aristagoras found out that his friend was being treated this way he went to the ship and asked Megabates to reconsider his decision and when he didn't, Aristagoras cut the captain loose. After Aristagoras cut him loose he got into a dispute with Megabates. Later that night, Megabates sent a messenger to the Naxians to warn them about the impending invasion.

The Naxians had no idea that the expedition was against them and had not prepared. But as the news arrived they brought everything from the fields, gathered enough food with which to survive the siege and they reinforced the walls. When the Persians and their allies arrived at the island they found the islanders prepared and ready for a siege. After four months of fighting the Persians had used up all the money they had brought and Aristagoras had also spent a great deal. Seeing that they couldn't take the city they built the exiles a base on the island and they departed.

Aftermath


This was an embarrassing defeat for the Persians and Artaphernes as they had been told that the island would fall easily. They had lost a great deal of money and Aristagoras who had said he would pay for the costs of the campaign couldn't. This failure led Aristagoras to lose his favor amongst the Persians. When received a message from his father-in-law telling him to stir up a revolution amongst the Ionians. He succeed in making many cities kill their Persian inhabitants and then he went to mainland Greece to recruit support. He received twenty ships from the Athenians and five from the Eretria
Eretria

Eretria was a polis in Ancient Greece, located on the western coast of the island of Euboea , south of Chalcis, facing the coast of Attica across the narrow Euboian Gulf....
ns before sailing back to Ionia. The revolution lasted for five years before the Persians destroyed the Greek fleet off Lade
Battle of Lade

The Battle of Lade was a naval encounter that took place in 494 BC between the Ionians and the Persian Empire. It was the culmination of the Ionian Revolt and part of the greater Persian Wars....
. Aristagoras was killed in a battle in Thrace
Thrace

Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. Today the name Thrace designates a region spread over southern Bulgaria , northeastern Greece , and European Turkey ....
 in 494 BC after fleeing from Ionia. Naxos was captured during the second siege of the island in 490 BC. This battle was important as it showed the Greeks and other subjects of the Persian Empire, that the Persians weren't as strong as they made out to be.

Inline Citations


Primary Sources

  • Herodotus
    Herodotus

    Herodotus of Halicarnassus was a Greeks historian who lived in the 5th century BC and is regarded as the "Father of History" in Western culture....
    , translated by Robin Waterfield (1998). The Histories. New York:Oxford World's Classics. ISBN 0-19-282425-2


Secondary Sources

  • Alan Lloyd, (2004). Marathon:The Crucial Battle That Created Western Democracy. London:Souvenir Press. ISBN 0-285-63688-X
  • Arthur Keaveney, (1988). The Attack on Naxos: A 'Forgotten Cause' of the Ionian Revolt.


External links