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The siege of Carystus in 490 was an early
Persian victory in the campaign that ended at the battle of
Marathon. During
the Ionian Revolt the
rebels had received help from Athens and from Eretria on Euboea. Darius I was determined to
punish these cities for their role in the revolt. His first attempt, in 492,
commanded by his son-in-law Mardonius, used the land
route, over the Hellespont and along the coast of Thrace, and ended after the
Persian fleet was destroyed in a storm off Mt. Athos in northern Greece
(Greco-Persian Wars).
Darius's second invasion came in 490. This time he decided to send his army
across the Aegean. A new army, commanded by Datis the Mede and
Artaphrenes son of
Artaphernes, a nephew of Darius, mustered in Cilicia, where it was joined by a
sizable fleet including specially built horse transport. The Persian force
moved west to Samos, then crossed the Aegean via Icaria, Naxos and Delos. Their
next destination after Delos was Carystus, at the eastern end of Euboea. The
Persian demanded that the Carystians should supply troops for the upcoming
campaign, and hand over hostages. The Carystians turned down the Persian
demands. Datis and Artaphrenes laid siege to Carystus, and devastated the
surrounding areas. This convinced the Carystians to surrender, and they were
forced to accept Persian supremacy. The Persians then sailed around the coast
of Euboea, heading towards Eretria, where they won their second victory of the
campaign. From Eretria they crossed to Attica, landing at Marathon, where they
famously suffered a heavy defeat that forced them to abandon the campaign.
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