Kitap 6
This was the end of Aristagoras, after he had brought about the Ionian revolt. Histiaeus, the tyrant of Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus, arrived in Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis after he was let go by Darius. When he came there from Shush [48.333,32.2] (inhabited place), Khuzestan, Iran, AsiaSusa, Artaphrenes, the governor of Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis, asked him for what reason he supposed the Ionians had rebelled; Histiaeus said that he did not know and marvelled at what had happened, pretending to have no knowledge of the present troubles.
But Artaphrenes saw that he dissembled and, knowing the exact story of the revolt, said: “I will tell you, Histiaeus, the truth of this business: it was you who stitched this shoe, and Aristagoras who put it on.”
Thus spoke Artaphrenes regarding the revolt. Histiaeus was frightened by Artaphrenes' understanding of the matter and fled the next night to the sea, for he had deceived Darius by promising to subdue Sardo, the greatest of the islands, while secretly intending to make himself leader of the Ionians in their war against Darius.
Crossing over to Chios [26,38.366] (island), Khios, Aegean Islands, Greece, EuropeChios, he was taken and bound by the Chians, because they judged him to have been sent by Darius to make trouble for them. But when they learned the whole story of his hostility to the king, they set him free.
Then Histiaeus was asked by the Ionians why he had so zealously ordered Aristagoras to revolt from the king and done the Ionians such great harm. He did not at all reveal the true reason to them, telling them instead that king Darius had planned to remove the Phoenicians and settle them in Ionia (region (general)), Europe Ionia, and the Ionians in Phoenicia (region (general)), Asia Phoenicia; for this reason, he said, he had sent the order. The king had made no such plan, but Histiaeus wanted to frighten the Ionians.
Then Histiaeus, using Hermippus, a man of Atarneus [26.95,39.05] (Perseus) Atarneus, as messenger, sent letters to the Persians at Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis, because they had previously talked with him about revolt. But Hermippus did not give the letters to the men to whom he was sent, and went and delivered them to Artaphrenes instead.
Artaphrenes, learning all that was afoot, bade Hermippus carry Histiaeus' letters to those for whom he was bringing them, and give him those which the Persians sent in answer to Histiaeus. Thus these men became known, and then Artaphrenes put many Persians to death.
So troubles arose in Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis. Since he failed in this hope, the Chians brought Histiaeus back to Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus at his own request. But the Milesians were glad enough to be rid of Aristagoras himself, and they had no wish to receive another tyrant into their country now that they had tasted freedom.
When Histiaeus tried to force his way into Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus by night, he was wounded in the thigh by a Milesian. Since he was thrust out from his own city, he went back to Khios [26.116,38.383] (inhabited place), Chios, Khios, Aegean Islands, Greece, Europe Chios; when he could not persuade the Chians to give him ships, he then crossed over to Mytilene [26.55,39.1] (Perseus) Mytilene and persuaded the Lesbians to give him ships.
They manned eight triremes, and sailed with Histiaeus to Byzantium [28.95,41.0333] (Perseus) Byzantium; there they encamped, and seized all the ships that were sailing out of the Black Sea [38,42] (sea) Euxine, except when the crews consented to serve Histiaeus.
Such were the doings of Histiaeus and the Mytilenaeans. Against Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus itself a great fleet and army were expected, for the Persian generals had joined their power together and made one army, which they led against Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus, taking less account of the other fortresses. Of the fleet, the Phoenicians were the most eager to fight, and there came with them to the war the newly subdued Cyprians, and the Cilicians and Egyptians.
These were coming to attack Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus and the rest of Ionia (region (general)), Europe Ionia. When the Ionians learned of it, they sent deputies to take counsel for them in the Panionium.Cp. Hdt. 1.148. When they came to that place and consulted, they resolved not to collect a land army to meet the Persians, but to leave the Milesians to defend their walls themselves, and to man their fleet to the last ship and gather as quickly as possible at Lade to fight for Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus at sea. This Lade is a small island lying off the city of Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus.
The Ionians then came there with their ships manned, and with them the Aeolians who dwell in Lesbos [26.333,39.166] (island), Lesvos, Aegean Islands, Greece, Europe Lesbos. This was their order of battle: The Milesians themselves had the eastern wing, bringing eighty ships; next to them were the Prieneans with twelve ships, and the Myesians with three; next to the Myesians were the Teians with seventeen ships; next to these the Chians with a hundred; near these in the line were the Erythraeans, bringing eight ships, and the Phocaeans with three, and next to these the Lesbians with seventy; last of all in the line were the Samians, holding the western wing with sixty ships.
The total number of all these together was three hundred and fifty-three triremes.
These were the Ionian ships; the ships of the foreigners were six hundred. When these, too, reached the Milesian shore, and all their land power was present, the Persian generals, learning the number of the Ionian ships, feared they would be too weak to overcome the Greeks. If they did not have mastery of the sea, they would not be able to take Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus, and would be in danger of some evil treatment by Darius.
With this in mind, they gathered the tyrants of the Ionians who had been deposed from their governments by Aristagoras of Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus and had fled to the Medes, and who now were with the army that was led against Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus. They gathered as many of these men as were with them and said to them:
“Men of Ionia (region (general)), Europe Ionia, let each one of you now show that he has done good service to the king's house; let each one of you try to separate your own countrymen from the rest of the allied power. Set this promise before them: they will suffer no harm for their rebellion, neither their temples nor their houses will be burnt, nor will they in any way be treated more violently than before.
But if they will not do so and are set on fighting, then utter a threat that will restrain them: if they are defeated in battle, they will be enslaved; we will make eunuchs of their boys, and carry their maidens captive to Balkh [66.9,36.75] (inhabited place), Balkh, Afghanistan, AsiaBactra, and hand over their land to others.”
So they spoke; the Ionian tyrants sent their messages by night, each to his own countrymen. But the Ionians to whom these messages came were stubborn and would have no part of the treachery, each thinking that the Persians made this offer to them alone. This happened immediately after the Persians arrived at Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus.
Then the Ionians who had gathered at Lade held assemblies; among those whom I suppose to have addressed them was Dionysius, the Phocaean general, who spoke thus:
“Our affairs, men of Ionia (region (general)), Europe Ionia, stand on the edge of a razor, whether to be free men or slaves, and runaway slaves at that. If you now consent to endure hardships, you will have toil for the present time, but it will be in your power to overcome your enemies and gain freedom; but if you will be weak and disorderly, I see nothing that can save you from paying the penalty to the king for your rebellion.
Believe me and entrust yourselves to me; I promise you that (if the gods deal fairly with us) either our enemies shall not meet us in battle, or if they do they shall be utterly vanquished.”
When the Ionians heard this, they put themselves in Dionysius' hands. He then each day put out to sea with ships in column, using the rowers to pierce each other's line of ships,This manoeuvre consisted in forcing a way through the enemy's line and attacking the broadside or stern of his ships. and arming the fighting men on board; for the rest of the day he kept the fleet at anchor; all day he made the Ionians work.
For seven days they obeyed him and did his bidding; but on the next day, untried as they were in such labor and worn out by hard work and by the sun, the Ionians began to say each to other:
“Against what god have we sinned that we have to fulfill this task? We have lost our minds and launched out into folly, committing ourselves into the hands of this Phocaean braggart, who brings but three ships; and having got us he afflicts us with afflictions incurable. Many of us have fallen sick already, and many are likely to suffer the same thing; instead of these ills, it would be better for us to suffer anything, and endure this coming slavery, whatever it will be, rather than be oppressed by that which is now upon us. Come, let us obey him no longer!”
So they spoke, and from then on no man would obey. As if they were an army, they raised tents on the island where they stayed in the shade, and they were unwilling to embark upon their ships or to continue their exercises.
When the generals of the Samians learned what the Ionians were doing, they recalled that message which Aeaces son of Syloson had already sent them at the Persians' bidding, entreating them to desert the Ionian alliance; seeing great disorder on the Ionian side, they consented to the message; moreover, it seemed impossible to them to overcome the king's power, and they were well assured that if they overcame Darius' present fleet, another one five times as large would come.
Therefore, as soon as they saw the Ionians refusing to be useful, they took up that for a pretext, considering it advantageous to save their own temples and houses. This Aeaces, from whom they received the message, was the son of Syloson son of Aeaces, and had been tyrant of +Nisos Samos [26.8,37.75] (island), Samos, Aegean Islands, Greece, Europe Samos until he was deposed from his rule by Aristagoras of Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus, just like the other Ionian tyrants.
Now when the Phoenician fleet came sailing against them, the Ionians put out to sea against them with their ships in column. When they drew near and met each other in battle, which of the Ionians were brave men or cowards then in that sea-fight I cannot exactly say; for they all blame each other.
The Samians are said, according to their agreement with Aeaces, to have raised their sails and gone off to +Nisos Samos [26.8,37.75] (island), Samos, Aegean Islands, Greece, Europe Samos, leaving their post, all except eleven ships.
The captains of these stood their ground and fought, disobeying their admirals. For this deed the Samian people granted that their names and patronymics should be engraved on a pillar as brave men; this pillar now stands in their market-place. But the Lesbians, seeing their neighbors fleeing, did the same as the Samians; and most of the Ionians did likewise.
The most roughly handled of those that stood their ground in the sea-fight were the Chians, since they refused to be cowards and achieved deeds of renown. They brought a hundred ships to the fleet, as was mentioned above, and on each ship were forty picked men of their citizens.
Seeing themselves betrayed by the greater part of their allies, they did not think it right to act like the worst among them; with only a few allies to aid them they fought on and broke the enemy's line, until they had taken many ships but lost most of their own.
The Chians escaped to their own country with their remaining ships, but the crews of the Chian ships that were damaged and disabled were pursued and took refuge in Mykale [26.8667,38.1] (Perseus)Mykale. There the men beached and left their ships, and made their way across the mainland.
But when the Chians entered the lands of Ephesus [27.316,37.916] (deserted settlement), Izmir Ili, Ege kiyilari, Turkey, Asia Ephesus on their march, they came by night while the women were celebrating the Thesmophoria; then the Ephesians, never having heard the story of the Chians and seeing an army invading their country, were fully persuaded that these were robbers come after their women; so they mustered all their force and killed the Chians.
So these men met with such a fate. As for Dionysius the Phocaean, when he saw that the Ionian cause was lost, he sailed away with the three enemy ships that he had captured; but not to Foca [26.75,38.666] (inhabited place), Izmir Ili, Ege kiyilari, Turkey, Asia Phocaea, now that he knew well that it would be enslaved with the rest of Ionia (region (general)), Europe Ionia; he right away sailed straight to Phoenicia (region (general)), Asia Phoenicia instead, sunk some merchant ships, took a lot of money, and sailed to Sicily [14,37.5] (region), Italy, Europe Sicily; from this base he set himself up as a pirate, robbing Carthaginians and Tyrrhenians, but no Greeks.
When the Persians had conquered the Ionians by sea, they laid siege to Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus by sea and land, mining the walls and using every device against it, until they utterly captured it in the sixth year after the revolt of Aristagoras.In 494. They enslaved the city, and thus the calamity agreed with the oracle concerning Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus.
When the Argives inquired at Delphi [22.5167,38.4917] (Perseus) Delphi about the safety of their city, a common response was given, one part regarding the Argives themselves, but there was an additional response for the Milesians.
I will mention the part concerning the Argives when I come to that part of my history; this was the prophecy given to the Milesians in their absence: Then, Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus, contriver of evil deeds, For many will you become a banquet and glorious gifts; Your wives will wash the feet of many long-haired men; Other ministers will tend my Didyman Didyma [27.25,37.3667] (Perseus) Didyma (oftener called Didyma [27.233,37.35] (historic site), Aydin Ili, Ege kiyilari, Turkey, Asia Branchidae), was near Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus; the temple was of Apollo Διδυμέυς. Cp. Hdt. 1.46. shrine!
All this now came upon the Milesians, since most of their men were slain by the Persians, who wore long hair, and their women and children were accounted as slaves, and the temple at Didyma [27.25,37.3667] (Perseus) Didyma with its shrine and place of divination was plundered and burnt. Of the wealth that was in this temple I have often spoken elsewhere in my history.