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The siege of Naxos in 499 was an unsuccessful
Persian backed attempt to restore a party of exiled Naxian aristocrats. The
failure of the attack played a part in the outbreak of the
Ionian Revolt
(499-494), an attempt to overthrow Persian control of the Greek cities of
Ionian. In 500 a group of exiled aristocrats from Naxos attempted to enlist the
support of Aristagoras,
tyrant of Miletus (then part of the Persian Empire). Aristagoras wanted to
support the exiles, but knew that he didn't have the military power to succeed
by himself, and so he approached
Artaphernes, satrap of
Lydia. Artaphernes was quickly won over, and won the support of the Emperor
Darius I. Possession of Naxos would give the Persians a foothold in the
Cyclades. Darius appointed his cousin
Megabates to command the
expedition. A fleet of 200 triremes was gathered from the Greek cities in the
area, and a Persian army was provided. The fleet set sail in 499, and moved to
Chios. It was then stuck for a month while it waited for a north wind, and
during this period Aristagoras and Megabates fell out.
According to Herodotus Megabates warned the Naxians about the upcoming attack,
and they were ready and waiting when the fleet finally arrived. This story may
not be true, as Megabates was still recorded as a Persian admiral several years
later. The attackers persisted with the siege for four months, but eventually
they ran out of supplies and had to abandon the siege. They did build a
stronghold on the island for the Naxian exiles before they left. In the
aftermath of this failure Aristagoras decided to launch a revolt against
Persian power, possibly to save himself from Persian retribution. The resulting
Ionian Revolt lasted from 499 to 494, but was eventually crushed by the
Persians.
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