Histiaios

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Histiaios ( Greek Ἱστιαῖος ; * before 520 BC; † 493 BC ) was a tyrant of Miletus under Persian suzerainty.

He fought in 514 BC First in the army of the Persian great king Dareios I against the Scythians and secured the crossing over the Danube for the returning Persians . The bridge over the Danube, necessary for a safe return, was allowed to be demolished after 60 days on the order of Darius, if he did not return. The Scythians, against whom Darius fought, bypassed the Persian army and negotiated with the Ionians who, under Histiaio's command, guarded the bridge. Histiaios persuaded the other Ionian tyrants to wait for Darius. They fooled the Scythians with a ruse and only tore the bridge off a little. When the Persians returned to the bridge, Darius was able to signal the waiting Ionians to completely rebuild the bridge, after which the Persians could return safely. For his services he was allowed to found the city ​​of Myrkinos in Thrace . However, Megabazos , a general of the great king, recognized the military potential of Myrkinos and the surrounding area, and Histiaios was summoned back to the capital Susa by Darius as an advisor to keep him under control. After a failed campaign against the Naxians, he convinced his son-in-law Aristagoras to fall away from Darius. He is said to have initiated the Ionian uprising . When Dareios I accused him of this, however, Histiaios was able to convince him that it was not he but his absence that had caused the uprising and that he himself could calm the uprising if Dareios only let him return to Miletus. In this way he escaped Dareios' control and was able to actively support the uprising.

After the uprising was suppressed, Histiaios was rebuilt in 493 BC. Defeated by the Persian general Harpagus when he tried to land with an army in Asia Minor to get food. While on the run, after asking to be spared from death, he was captured by Harpagos. He had him crucified , because he wanted to prevent Darius from forgiving him again. Darius was sent his salted head to Susa .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Herodotus , Histories 5, 30 ff.
  2. ↑ Herodotus, Histories 5: 23-24.
  3. ↑ Herodotus, Histories 6: 28-30.
  4. ^ Meyers Konversations-Lexikon , 4th edition, Volume 8, p. 575
personal data
SURNAME Histiaios
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Tyrant of Miletus
DATE OF BIRTH before 520 BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 493 BC Chr.