Ionian Revolt, Reconsidered

Abstract

In the scope of historical events recorded by Herodotus, no event has been more pivotal in capturing the relationship between the mainland and Ionian Greeks and their enemy, and at times supporter, Persian Empire than the Ionian Revolt. The Ionian Revolt, composed of the Naxian Expedition, Ionian and Cypriot Revolts, and the Battle of Lade, was an attempt by some Ionian Greeks to overthrow Persian tyranny for their own personal despotisms. Herodotus, as an opponent of tyranny, should write this account with praise for this attempted coup. His account however is filled with disdain towards the Ionians. This aversion overshadows the Ionian Greeks' attempts to overthrow the Persian political power for an Ionian one. This political power play failed for the Ionian and mainland Greeks, but it succeeded in introducing the concept of sea power as a military strength. The use of incorporating naval power with an armed force would be instrumental in the Greeks victoriously battling the Persian Empire during the Greco-Persian Wars.