The Ionian Revolt was a rebellion by the Greek cities of western Asia Minor and some other parts of the Persian Empire against Persian rule. It was led at first by Aristagoras of Miletus, who asked Athens and Eretria for help, and the rebels burned the city of Sardis, a major Persian regional capital. The Persians gradually recovered, defeating the Greek fleet at the Battle of Lade and then sacking Miletus, the leading city of the revolt. Although the revolt failed, it gave Darius I a reason to punish Athens and Eretria for supporting it, leading directly to the Persian expeditions against mainland Greece, including the defeat at Marathon. Herodotus tells the story in detail, and it is the starting point of the Greco-Persian Wars.
Before and after
- c. 500s BCEOrigins of Delhi
- 6th century BCEConstruction of Royal Road
- 6th century BCEConstruction of Bam Citadel
- 6th century BCEOrigins of Judaism
- from 499 BCE to 493 BCEIonian Revolt
- from 499 BCE to 449 BCEGreco-Persian Wars
- 496 BCEOrigins of Temple of Castor and Pollux
- 496 BCEBirth of Sophocles
- 494 BCEBirth of Pericles
More in Wars, politics & history
- from c. 1,258 BCE to 1,180 BCETrojan War
- c. 510 BCEThe Roman Republic is founded
- from 74 BCE to 72 BCEThe slave revolt of Spartacus
- from 73 BCE to 71 BCEThird Servile War
- 24 August 410 CEAlaric and the Visigoths sack Rome
- 451 CEAetius and Theodoric stop Attila at the Catalaunian Plains
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 5th century BCE.