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The battle of Ephesus (498 BC) was a victory won by the Persians over a
rebellious Greek army that was retreating from an attack on the city of Sardis
(Ionian Revolt). The
Ionian rebels began the campaigning season of 498 with an attack on Sardis, the
capital of the satrapy of Lydia. This wasn't a great success. The largely
Milesian army, with an Athenian contingent, reached the city unopposed, but the
Persians withdrew into the acropolis. The city then caught fire, and the
Persians were forced to try and make their way to the River Pactolus. The
Ionians retreated when it was clear that the Persians were about to put up a
fight, and pulled back to Mt. Tmolus. That night they began to retreat back to
their fleet. The Persians responded quickly to the attack, and a relief force
was raised from the provinces west of the River Halys. By the time the Persians
reached Sardis, the Greeks had already gone, but the Persians were able to
follow their trail, which led back to Ephesus. The Persians caught up with the
Greeks near to Ephesus. The Greeks had enough time to form up, but they
suffered a heavy defeat in the ensuing battle. Amongst the dead was Eualcides,
commander of the Eretrian contingent, a famous athlete. In the aftermath of the
battle the surviving Ionians split up and went back to their individual cities.
The Athenians decided to withdraw their support for the revolt, and also
returned home. Aristagoras, the leader of
the revolt, made several attempts to win them back to his side, but without
success. Although the expedition to Sardis had ended in defeat, the sack of the
city was a great encouragement for the rebels. It helped encourage Byzantium
and a number of Greek cities on the Hellespont to join the revolt, as well as
most of Caria and Caunus. The defeat at Ephesus ended the last major attempt by
the rebels to coordinate their activities inland. Their main effort for the
rest of the war would be carried out at sea or close to the shore, where they
could use their fleets to good effect.
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