44 Facts About Aristagoras

Aristagoras acted as one of the instigators of the Ionian Revolt against the Persian Achaemenid Empire.

Aristagoras was the son-in-law of Histiaeus and was granted the tyranny of Miletus from him.

Aristagoras is of historical note for his instigation of the Ionian revolt in collaboration with his father-in-law and predecessor, Histiaeus.

Aristagoras was the son of Molpagoras, a previous tyrant of an independent Miletus.

Aristagoras ruled Miletus while Histiaeus remained in Susa, kept under observation away from his troops.

Aristagoras was the main driver of the Ionian Revolt on secret instruction from Histiaeus, when the latter learned of Persian plans to interfere directly in Miletus.

Aristagoras took advantage of Greek dissatisfaction with Persian rule to incite an alliance of the Greek poleis of Ionia.

Aristagoras considered that if he was able to supply troops to the Naxians, then he could become ruler of Naxos.

Aristagoras explained that he did not have enough troops of his own, but that Artaphernes, Darius' brother and the Persian satrap of Lydia, who commanded a large army and navy on the coast of Asia, could help supply troops.

The Naxians agreed to Aristagoras seeking Artaphernes' support and supplied him with money.

Aristagoras travelled to Sardis and suggested that Artaphernes attack Naxos and restore the exiles.

Aristagoras promised that he would both fund the expedition and give Artaphernes a bonus sum.

Aristagoras tempted Artaphernes by adding that capturing the island would place other poleis of the Cyclades under his control.

Unfortunately for the success of the invasion, Aristagoras quarreled with the Persian admiral Megabates.

Aristagoras interfered in Magabates' role in disciplining the ship captains to save a friend from harsh punishment for an infraction.

Aristagoras saved his friend from punishment but lost the support of the Persian admiral, who expected to be in overall command.

Aristagoras began to plan a revolt with the Milesians and the other Ionians.

Aristagoras was supported by most of the citizens in council, except the historian Hecataeus.

Now in a position of command, Herodotus is not specific, Aristagoras sent a party under Iatragoras to arrest the admirals still with the fleet, some several men.

Aristagoras foresaw that one city against the Persians would soon be crushed.

Aristagoras therefore set about creating an alliance of all the Ionian cities, but the members came from regions beyond Ionia.

Aristagoras made a number of constitutional changes, not all of which are clear.

The most fundamental question is where Aristagoras got his authority over the Ionians in the first place.

Aristagoras went on to "put a stop to tyranny" in all the other Ionian cities, and moreover to insist that they select boards of generals reporting to him.

Aristagoras appealed to the Spartan king, Cleomenes I, for military aid in his revolt.

Aristagoras praised the quality of the Spartan warriors and argued that a pre-emptive invasion of Persia would be easy.

Aristagoras claimed that the Persians would be easy to defeat, as they fought in "trousers and turbans".

Cleomenes asked Aristagoras to wait two days for an answer.

The Greek historian Herodotus claimed that Aristagoras attempted to change Cleomenes' mind with bribes, until the king's young daughter Gorgo warned that Aristagoras would corrupt him.

Aristagoras next went to Athens, where he made a convincing speech, promising "everything that came into his head, until at last he succeeded".

Once all his allies had arrived, Aristagoras put his brother Charopinus and another Milesian, Hermophantus, in charge of the expedition, and the whole contingent set out for the provincial capital, Sardis, while Aristagoras remained to govern from Miletus.

Well before the revolt collapsed, Aristagoras began looking for a shelter to which he could execute a strategic retreat.

Aristagoras put Pythagoras, "a man of distinction", in charge of Miletus and set sail for Thrace, where he attempted to establish a colony on the Strymon river, at the same site as the later Athenian colony of Amphipolis.

Aristagoras gained control of the territory but later, while besieging a neighboring town, Aristagoras was killed in battle.

Aristagoras had no way of knowing that he would have been in the van of it, or that the Thracians would not allow a redoubt.

Aristagoras admitted nothing, but the satrap, Artaphernes, was not in the least deceived.

Aristagoras had no trouble raising troops and finding ships, but he found that he was not trusted by the Ionians.

Aristagoras became a mercenary in the Aegean until he was hunted down and executed by Artaphernes.

Aristagoras was preceded in this method by the earlier work of Mabel Lang.

Aristagoras prefers to keep him alive for nothing more serious than keeping an eye on him.

Aristagoras wrote of the Ionian Revolt a full generation after it happened; moreover, he was not a participant.

Aristagoras relied on the work of several previous historians at Miletus, of which fragments and mention have survived, chief of which was Hecataeus of Miletus.

Aristagoras appears to use Hecataeus as a framework for his historical events.

Aristagoras is trying to do an epic in prose similar to the Homerica in verse.