Artaphernes

Artaphernes ( Old Persian: Artafarnah; † after 486/85 BC) was a Persian governor of the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th and 5th centuries BC. As the son of Hystaspes, and younger brother of the Great King Darius I, he was himself a member of the Achämenidendynastie. He had a son of the same.

Life

Artaphernes was appointed to the year 513 BC by his brother to the satrap of Ionia with the residence Sardis. In the year 500/499 BC, it urged the tyrant of Miletus, Aristagoras, to an attack on Naxos to there due to the previously distributed by Demos oligarchs. After Artaphernes for this company had obtained the consent of Darius I, he equipped a fleet of 200 triremes, whose commander he appointed his cousin Megabates. Despite a four-month siege, however, succeeded the Persians not to take Naxos, mainly because Megabates and Aristagoras had divided among themselves.

Because of these incidents Aristagoras feared punishment on the part of the Great King. To forestall this, he fell from 499 BC Persia and organized the Ionian revolt. In order to strengthen the Persian position in Greece, Artaphernes demanded with threats of punishment on Athens to the deposed tyrant Hippias 510 BC resume. The Attic Demos however refused this demand and known to his Persian hostility. The Ionians captured 498 BC Sardis, but Artaphernes could entrench themselves with strong troops in the city castle and a siege withstand until the arrival of the Persian Entsatzes. He then took part in the Persian counter-offensive and captured 497 BC Klazomenai and Kyme, which Aristagoras was forced to flee from Miletus to Thrace.

Artaphernes criticized by 496 BC was reinstatement of Histiaeus, the father of Aristagoras, tyrant of Miletus as by the Great King. At a joint meeting he made Histiaeus responsible for the Ionian revolt, as this would have stitched the shoe, have attracted the Aristagoras. Histiaeus then fled to Chios, after which the Persians were able to conquer Miletus. Histiaeus could Chiner for a campaign into Asia Minor move, but he was taken 493 BC defeated and captured. Artaphernes did crucify him immediately to prevent that he would find favor again with Darius I..

After the end of the Ionian revolt Artaphernes called 493 BC a congress of all the Ionian cities in Sardis one on which a generally applicable traffic law was passed, which was regarded as a peace pact.

Artaphernes still lived in the year 486/85 BC as he supported the successor of Xerxes I. against the claim to the throne of Ariamenes.