Aristagoras

Aristagoras of Miletus (Ancient Greek: Ἀρισταγόρας ὁ Μιλήσιος), d. 497/496 BC, was the tyrant of the Ionian city of Miletus in the late 6th century BC and early 5th century BC. He acted as one of the instigators of the Ionian Revolt against the Persian Achaemenid Empire. He was the son-in-law of Histiaeus and was granted the tyranny of Miletus from him.

The Greeks had won the coast of Asia Minor from the preceding Hittite Empire during the Bronze Age, and thanks to their victory at Troy had kept it during the fall of the empire and retirement of the Hittites to Syria. They shared the coast with the Phrygians (proto-Armenians) coming in from the Balkans, but neither were prepared for the armed invasion of their lands by the Persians during the late 6th-century BC. The Ionian Greeks appealed to the mainland Greeks for assistance and not receiving it were forced to capitulate, becoming subjects of the new Achaemenid Empire. However, as long as they paid their taxes and were no threat to the rule of the Persians, the latter were willing to allow them self-rule under the Greek tyrants. The entire region, however, including those tyrants, held a smoldering resentment against the Persian Empire.

Aristagoras is of historical note for his instigation of the Ionian revolt in collaboration with his father-in-law and predecessor, Histiaeus. The conspiracy gained the support of many Greek Ionian states but failed to win the full support of the mainland Greek states. Consequently, the Persians came down upon the Ionian Greeks in overwhelming numbers, sacking the rebel cities, including Miletus. At Miletus, the Persians killed all the warriors, castrated the young men, and sold the women and children into slavery. It was their intent that Miletus would never again be repopulated, and for some decades it was not.

Aristagoras, prior to the sacking of Miletus, had led a contingent of colonists to Thrace. Due to this action, he is the only general Herodotus labels as a coward. Despite advice not to do so, Aristagoras took up occupation of the city of Myrcinus. He would then lay siege to another Thracian city, where he and all his men would be killed in combat. The first Persian invasion of mainland Greece would occur two years after the defeat of the Ionians. In 492 BC the Persian king Darius would order a naval attack in retaliation against Athens and Eretria for supporting the Greeks in the Ionian Revolt.

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