Battle of Lade

Charging - Marathon - Thermopylae - Artemisium - Salamis - Plataea - Mycale - Eurymedon

The Battle of charge was a naval battle in the year 494 BC, near Miletus, Ionian between insurgents and Persians. It ended with a victory of the Persians.

Starting position

With the conquest of Thrace, Macedonia, and the Straits of Bosphorus and Hellespont ( Dardanelles ) from the year 516 BC by the Persian king Darius I the Greek cities were cut off around the Black Sea from the rest of Greece. In particular, the trade relations with grain shipments were now under Persian observation. These and other influential names of the Great King led the Ionian revolt around the coast of Asia Minor. Since the uprisings began under Aristagoras of Miletus, the Persians launched an offensive against the city.

The Battle

Opponent

In the comprehensive total of 600 ships Persian fleet there were also units from Cilicia, Cyprus and Egypt, who had joined the Persian Empire after the submission. For the first time the newly developed trireme was used. On the way to the Aegean Sea, the Persians conquered the fortress of Lindos on the island of Rhodes.

The Greek organizations consist of about 350 ships, including 100 from Chios, 80 of Miletus, 70 from Lesbos, Samos and 60 from 40 other cities. The disunited among themselves Ionian Greeks were led by Dionysius of Phocaea.

Course

Just off the coast of Miletus, in the now silted up and the mainland island belonging charging, clashed fleets. The naval battle was successfully opened by the Greek squadron of Chios. However, after suddenly broke off the contingents from Samos and Lesbos eventually out the fight and sailed away, the rest of the fleet was destroyed in spite of strong opposition from the Persians.

Follow

The ionic uprising was crushed and the city of Miletus destroyed. Dionysius escaped and led for some years a freebooter life. The squadron from Lesbos fought for a short time in the Aegean Sea, was until its leader Histiaeus captured by the Persians. The assistance of the hitherto uninvolved Athens for Miletus made ​​for the Persians the reason for the later Persian trains.