Battle of Lade The Battle of Lade ( , " Naumachia tēs Ladēs " ) was a naval battle which occurred during the Ionian Revolt , in 494 BC . It was fought between an alliance of the Ionian cities ( joined by the Lesbians ) and the Persian Empire of Darius the Great , and resulted in a decisive victory for the Persians which all but ended the revolt . The Ionian Revolt was triggered by the dissatisfaction of the Greek cities of Asia Minor with the tyrants appointed by Persia to rule them . In 499 BC , the then - tyrant of Miletus , Aristagoras , launched a joint expedition with the Persian satrap Artaphernes to conquer Naxos , in an attempt to bolster his position in Miletus . The mission was a debacle , and sensing his imminent removal as tyrant , Aristagoras chose to incite the whole of Ionia into rebellion against the Persian king Darius the Great . Initially , in 498 BC , the Ionians went on the offensive , supported by troops from Athens and Eretria , capturing Sardis , before suffering defeat at the Battle of Ephesus . The revolt then spread to Caria and Cyprus . Three years of Persian campaigning across Asia Minor followed , with no decisive effect . By 494 BC the Persian army and navy had regrouped , and made straight for the epicentre of the rebellion at Miletus . The Ionians sought to defend Miletus by sea , leaving the defense of Miletus to the Milesians . The Ionian fleet gathered at the island of Lade , off the coast of Miletus . The Persians were uncertain of victory at Lade , so attempted to persuade some of the Ionian contingents to defect . Although this was unsuccessful at first , when the Persians finally attacked the Ionians , the Samian fleet accepted the Persian offer . As the Persian and Ionian fleets met , the Samians sailed away from the battle , causing the collapse of the Ionian battle line . Although the Chian contingent and a few other ships remained and fought bravely against the Persians , the battle was lost . With the defeat at Lade , the Ionian Revolt was all but ended . The next year , the Persians reduced the last rebel strongholds , and began the process of bringing peace to the region . The Ionian Revolt constituted the first major conflict between ancient Greece and Persia , and as such represents the first phase of the Greco - Persian Wars . Although Asia Minor had been brought back into the Persian fold , Darius vowed to punish Athens and Eretria for their support of the revolt . Moreover , seeing that the myriad city states of Greece posed a continued threat to the stability of his empire , he decided to conquer the whole of Greece . In 492 BC , the first Persian invasion of Greece , the next phase of the Greco - Persian Wars , would begin as a direct consequence of the Ionian Revolt . Sources . Practically the only primary source for the Ionian Revolt is the Greek historian Herodotus . Herodotus , who has been called the ' Father of History ' , was born in 484 BC in Halicarnassus , Asia Minor ( then under Persian overlordship ) . He wrote his ' Enquiries ' ( Greek — " Historia " ; English — " ( The ) Histories " ) around 440 – 430 BC , trying to trace the origins of the Greco - Persian Wars , which would still have been relatively recent history ( the wars finally ending in 450 BC ) . Herodotus ' s approach was entirely novel , and at least in Western society , he does seem to have invented ' history ' as we know it . As Holland has it : " For the first time , a chronicler set himself to trace the origins of a conflict not to a past so remote so as to be utterly fabulous , nor to the whims and wishes of some god , nor to a people ' s claim to manifest destiny , but rather explanations he could verify personally . " Some subsequent ancient historians , despite following in his footsteps , criticised Herodotus , starting with Thucydides . Nevertheless , Thucydides chose to begin his history where Herodotus left off ( at the Siege of Sestos ) , and therefore evidently felt that Herodotus ' s history was accurate enough not to need re - writing or correcting . Plutarch criticised Herodotus in his essay " On The Malignity of Herodotus " , describing Herodotus as " " Philobarbaros " " ( barbarian - lover ) , for not being pro - Greek enough , which suggests that Herodotus might actually have done a reasonable job of being even - handed . A negative view of Herodotus was passed on to Renaissance Europe , though he remained well read . However , since the 19th century his reputation has been dramatically rehabilitated by archaeological finds which have repeatedly confirmed his version of events . The prevailing modern view is that Herodotus generally did a remarkable job in his " Historia " , but that some of his specific details ( particularly troop numbers and dates ) should be viewed with skepticism . Nevertheless , there are still some historians who believe Herodotus made up much of his story . Background . In the dark age that followed the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization , significant numbers of Greeks had emigrated to Asia Minor and settled there . These settlers were from three tribal groups : the Aeolians , Dorians and Ionians . The Ionians had settled about the coasts of Lydia and Caria , founding the twelve cities which made up Ionia . These cities were Miletus , Myus and Priene in Caria ; Ephesus , Colophon , Lebedos , Teos , Clazomenae , Phocaea and Erythrae in Lydia ; and the islands of Samos and Chios . The cities of Ionia had remained independent until they were conquered by the famous Lydian king Croesus , in around 560 BC . The Ionian cities then remained under Lydian rule until Lydia was in turn conquered by the nascent Achaemenid Empire of Cyrus the Great . The Persians found the Ionians difficult to rule . Elsewhere in the empire , Cyrus was able to identify elite native groups to help him rule his new subjects — such as the priesthood of Judea . No such group existed in Greek cities at this time ; while there was usually an aristocracy , this was inevitably divided into feuding factions . The Persians thus settled for the sponsoring a tyrant in each Ionian city , even though this drew them into the Ionians ' internal conflicts . Furthermore , a tyrant might develop an independent streak , and have to be replaced . The tyrants themselves faced a difficult task ; they had to deflect the worst of their fellow citizens ' hatred , while staying in the favour of the Persians . About 40 years after the Persian conquest of Ionia , and in the reign of the fourth Persian king , Darius the Great , the stand - in Milesian tyrant Aristagoras found himself in this familiar predicament . In 500 BC , Aristagoras was approached by some exiles from Naxos , who asked him to take control of the island . Seeing an opportunity to strengthen his position in Miletus by conquering Naxos , Aristagoras approached the satrap of Lydia , Artaphernes , proposing a joint attack on Naxos , to which Artaphernes assented . The expedition sailed in the spring of 499 BC but quickly descended into a debacle The force laid siege to the Naxians for four months , but eventually the Persians and Aristagoras both ran out of money . The force therefore sailed despondently back to the mainland . Aristagoras found himself in dire straits and fully expected to be stripped of his position by Artaphernes . In a desperate attempt to save himself , Aristagoras chose to incite his own subjects , the Milesians , to revolt against their Persian masters , thereby beginning the Ionian Revolt . Although Herodotus presents the revolt as a consequence of Aristagoras ' s personal motives , it is clear that Ionia must have been ripe for rebellion anyway , the primary grievance being the tyrants installed by the Persians . Aristagoras ' s actions have thus been likened to tossing a flame into a kindling box ; they incited rebellion across Ionia ( and Aeolis and Doris ) , and tyrannies were everywhere abolished , and democracies established in their place . Aristagoras had brought all of Hellenic Asia Minor into revolt , but evidently realised that the Greeks would need other allies in order to fight the Persians . In the winter of 499 BC , he sailed to mainland Greece to try to recruit allies . He failed to persuade the Spartans , but the cities of Athens and Eretria agreed to support the rebellion . In the spring of 498 BC , an Athenian force of twenty triremes , accompanied by five from Eretria , for a total of twenty - five triremes set sail for Ionia . They joined up with the main Ionian force near Ephesus . This force was then guided by the Ephesians through mountains to Sardis , Artaphernes ' s satrapal capital . The Greeks caught the Persians unawares , and were able to capture the lower city . However the lower city then caught fire , and the Greeks , demoralised , then retreated from the city , and began to make their way back to Ephesus . The Persians troops in Asia Minor followed the Greek force , catching them outside Ephesus . It is clear that the demoralised and tired Greeks were no match for the Persians , and were completely routed in the ensuing battle at Ephesus . The Ionians who escaped the battle made for their own cities , while the remaining Athenians and Eretrians managed to return to their ships , and sailed back to Greece . Despite these setbacks , the revolt spread further . The Ionians sent men to the Hellespont and Propontis , and captured Byzantium and the other nearby cities . They also persuaded the Carians to join the rebellion . Furthermore , seeing the spread of the rebellion , the kingdoms of Cyprus also revolted against Persian rule without any outside persuasion . For the next three years , the Persian army and navy were fully occupied with fighting the rebellions in Caria and Cyprus , and Ionia seems to have had an uneasy peace during these years . At the height of the Persian counter - offensive , Aristagoras , sensing the untenability of his position , decided to abandon his position as leader of Miletus , and of the revolt , and he left Miletus . Herodotus , who evidently has a rather negative view of him , suggests that Aristagoras simply lost his nerve and fled . By the sixth year of the revolt ( 494 BC ) , the Persian forces had regrouped . The available land forces were gathered into one army , and were accompanied by a fleet supplied by the re - subjugated Cypriots , and the Egyptians , Cilicians and Phonecia ns . The Persians headed directly to Miletus , paying little attention to other strongholds , presumably intending to tackle the revolt at its epicentre . The Median general Datis , an expert on Greek affairs , was certainly dispatched to Ionia by Darius at this time . It is therefore possible that he was in overall command of this Persian offensive . Hearing of the approach of this force , the Ionians met at the Panionium ( the sacred meeting ground ) , and decided not to attempt to fight on land , leaving the Milesians to defend their walls . Instead , they opted to gather every ship they could , and make for the island of Lade , off the coast of Miletus , in order to " fight for Miletus at sea " . Opposing forces . Greeks . The Ionian cities were joined in this battle by the Aeolians of Lesbos . Herodotus lists the number of ships provided by each state : Herodotus gives the order of the Ionian battle line as being , from east to west ; Miletus — Priene — Myus — Teos — Chios — Erythraea — Phocaea — Lesbos — Samos . Persians . Herodotus says that there were 600 ships in the Persian fleet , provided by the Phoenicians ( who were most eager to fight ) , the Egyptians , Cilicians , and the Cypriots , whose own revolt had recently been subdued . The Persian fleet may have been commanded by the veteran Median general Datis ; Persian records seem to suggest that he was sent by Darius to Ionia at around about the time of Lade . However , Herodotus does not name any Persian commanders in this campaign . Prelude . When the Persians arrived off the coast of Lade and learned the number of Ionian ships , they began to worry that they would not be able to defeat the Greeks , and feared Darius ' s wrath should they fail . The Ionian tyrants who had been expelled at the beginning of the revolt were present , and according to Herodotus , they were now given instructions by the Persians : " Men of 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 Bactra , and hand over their land to others . " The tyrants thus sent messages to their own kinsman , but the Ionians refused the offers . Critically , each group thought that only they had been approached — there does not seem to have been any discussion of this offer between the different contingents , and the possibility for treachery does not seem to have been realised . The Ionians did however hold meetings to discuss the conduct of the battle . Dionysius , the Phocaean general , offered to train and lead the Greek force : " Our affairs , men of 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 . " Dionysius thus began an intensive training program , leading the fleet out every day to train the rowers in ramming manoeuvers , and the marines in combat . For seven days the Ionians accepted this regime , but being unused to the hard work , they refused to obey thereafter , and stayed in camp instead . According to Herodotus , upon seeing the resultant discontent and division in the Ionian camp , the Samians decided to accept the Persian offer of lenience in return for desertion . However , some modern historians reject the notion of dissent in the Greek camp . Herodotus derived his account of Lade from the Samians themselves , and it is suggested that , seeking to excuse their treachery , they came up with this story . At any rate , the Samians remained with the other Greeks in the run up to the battle . Battle . Soon after the rebellion against Dionysius , the Persian fleet moved to attack the Ionians , who sailed out to meet them . The ensuing battle was evidently confused , since Herodotus admits that " which of the Ionians were brave men or cowards then in that sea - fight I cannot exactly say ; for they all blame each other " . It is nevertheless clear that very early on in the battle , the Samian contingent hoisted their sails , as had been agreed , and fled the battlefield . However , 11 Samian ships refused to desert the other Ionians , and remained at the battle . At some later date , the Samians erected a pillar in their marketplace commemorating the bravery and sacrifice of these crews . Seeing the Samians leave , their neighbours on the western wing , the Lesbians , also fled . The whole west - wing of the Ionian battle line thus very quickly collapsed . Other Ionian contingents also fled as the situation became more desperate . Only the large Chian navy seems to have stood their ground , perhaps accompanied by a few other ships . They fought valiantly , but had huge casualties . Eventually the remaining Chian ships sailed away back to Chios , thereby ending the battle . Aftermath . With the defeat of the Ionian fleet , the revolt was effectively over . Miletus was closely invested , the Persians " mining the walls and using every device against it , until they utterly captured it " . According to Herodotus , most of the men were killed , and the women and children were enslaved . Archaeological evidence partially substantiates this , showing widespread signs of destruction , and abandonment of much of the city in the aftermath of Lade . However , some Milesians did remain in ( or quickly returned to ) Miletus , though the city would never recapture its former greatness . Miletus was thus notionally " left empty of Milesians " ; the Persians took the city and coastal land for themselves , and gave the rest of the Milesian territory to Carians from Pedasus . The captive Milesians were brought before Darius in Susa , who settled them on the coast of the Persian Gulf , near the mouth of the Tigris . Many Samians were appalled by the actions of their generals at Lade , and resolved to emigrate before their old tyrant , Aeaces , returned to rule them . They accepted an invitation from the people of Zancle to settle on the coast of Sicily , and took with them such Milesians as had escaped from the Persians . Samos itself was spared from destruction by the Persians because of the Samian defection at Lade . Meanwhile , Dionysius of Phocaea went to Sicily , and established himself as a pirate , preying on Carthaginian ships . Most of Caria surrendered to the Persians in aftermath of Lade , although some strongholds had to be captured through force . The Persian fleet and army wintered at Miletus , before setting out in 493 BC to finally stamp out the last embers of the revolt . They attacked and captured the islands of Chios , Lesbos and Tenedos and then moved over to the mainland , and captured each of the remaining cities of Ionia . Although the cities of Ionia were undoubtedly harrowed in the aftermath , none seems to have suffered quite the fate of Miletus . The Persian army then re - conquered the settlements on the Asian side of the Propontis , while the fleet sailed up the European coast of the Hellespont , taking each settlement in turn . With all of Asia Minor now firmly returned to Persian rule , the revolt was finally over . For the Persians , the only unfinished business that remained by the end of 493 BC was to exact punishment on Athens and Eretria for supporting the revolt . The Ionian Revolt had severely threatened the stability of Darius ' s empire , and the states of mainland Greece would continue to threaten that stability unless dealt with . Darius thus began to contemplate the complete conquest of Greece , beginning with the destruction of Athens and Eretria . The first Persian invasion of Greece thus began in the following year , 492 BC , when Mardonius was dispatched ( via Ionia ) to complete the pacification of the land approaches to Greece , and push on to Athens and Eretria if possible . Thrace was re - subjugated , having broken loose from Persian rule during the revolts , and Macedon compelled to become a vassal of Persia . However , progress was halted by a naval disaster . A second expedition was launched in 490 BC under Datis and Artaphernes , son of the satrap Artaphernes . This amphibious force sailed across the Aegean , subjugating the Cyclades , before arriving off Euboea . Eretria was besieged , captured and destroyed , and the force then moved onto Attica . Landing at the Bay of Marathon , they were met by an Athenian army , and defeated in the famous Battle of Marathon , ending the first Persian attempt to subdue Greece .