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History -- Military
history -- List of battles
The Battle of Lade was fought in 494 BC between the Ionians and the Persians. It was the culmination of the
Ionian Revolt.
Background
The Ionian Revolt began in 499 BC when Aristagoras of Miletus rose up against the Persians, who had
conquered the area. Aristagoras appealed for help from mainland Greece, and in 498 BC the Athenians captured and burned Sardis, the centre of the local Persian government. The Persians responded with a naval attack
in 494.
The Battle
The Persian commander Artaphernes had recaptured many of the Ionian cities
by 494, and was besieging Miletus from both land and sea. That year the Persian fleet met the Greek fleet off of Miletus' port of
Lade. The Ionians joined with many of the islands
of the Aegean Sea and had a force of 353 triremes, while the Persians had 600 ships. The Ionians were led by Dionysius of Phocaea,
who, according to Herodotus, worked them so hard in preparation for the battle
that for some time they refused to fight. As the battle began, many of the Ionian ships were still refusing to engage the
Persians; upon realizing this, 49 ships from Samos left the line. This act caused the 70
ships from Lesbos to leave as well, and a chain reaction followed as other ships also
withdrew. Dionysius' ships fled when they realized the battle was lost. The remaining Greek fleet was annihilated, and Miletus
surrendered shortly thereafter.
Aftermath
The Ionian Revolt was crushed, and in 492 BC the Persians conquered Macedon and Thrace. They were not defeated on
mainland Greece until 490 BC at the Battle of Marathon. Meanwhile, Dionysius became a pirate in
Sicily.
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