Battle of Ark

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The Battle of Lade was a sea battle in 494 BC. Near Miletus , between Ionian rebels and Persians. It ended with a victory for the Persians.

Starting position

With the conquest of Thrace , Macedonia and the Strait of Bosporus and Hellespont ( Dardanelles ) from the year 516 BC. BC by the Persian great king Dareios I , the Greek cities around the Black Sea were cut off from the rest of Greece. Especially the trade relations with grain deliveries were now under Persian observation. This and other influences of the great king led to the Ionian uprising around the coast of Asia Minor. As the uprisings began under Aristagoras from Miletus , the Persians launched an offensive against the city.

The naval battle

opponent

Rudderwork of a trireme - reconstruction

The total of 600 ships in the Persian fleet also included units from Cilicia , Cyprus and Egypt , who had joined the Persian Empire after the subjugation. The newly developed trireme was used for the first time . On the way to the Aegean Sea, the Persians conquer the Lindos fortress on the island of Rhodes.

The Greek associations consist of around 350 ships, 100 of them from Chios , 80 from Miletus, 70 from Lesbos , 60 from Samos and 40 from other cities. The disagreed Ionian Greeks were led by Dionysius of Phocea .

course

Immediately off the coast of Miletus, on the island of Lade , which is now silted up and belongs to the mainland , the fleets met. The sea battle was successfully opened by the Greek squadron from Chios. However, after the contingents from Samos and finally also from Lesbos suddenly broke off the fight and sailed on, the rest of the fleet was destroyed by the Persians despite fierce resistance.

consequences

The Ionian revolt was suppressed and the city of Miletus was destroyed. Dionysios escaped and led a private life for a few years. The squadron from Lesbos fought for a short time in the Aegean until their leader, Histiaios, was captured by the Persians. The assistance provided by Athens, which had not been involved until then, for Miletus formed the occasion for the later Persian campaigns for the Persians .

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