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Artaphernes (Greek: Ἀρταφέρνης, Old Persian: Artafarna, from Median Rtafarnah), was influential circa 513–492 BC and was a brother of the Achaemenid king of Persia, Darius I. He was appointed satrap of Lydia from the capital of Sardis , and was a Persian general.
- Political/Economic Background
- The Athenian Envoys
- The Siege of Naxos
- The Ionian Revolt Begins
- Support from Athens & Eretria
- Battles of Sardis, Ephesus, & Lade
- Conclusion
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
In 522 BCE, Darius I and six other conspirators assassinated the Achaemenid king Bardiya (r. 522 BCE) claiming he was an imposter named Gaumata, a magi (priest) who had murdered the real king and taken his place. This claim is made by Darius I himself in his famous Behistun Inscription, but modern-day scholarship has challenged this version of even...
Artaphernes had succeeded Otanes as satrap of Lydia in 513 BCE but nothing is known of his reign until 507 BCE when he received the ambassadors from Athens. The details of the meeting are given by Herodotus: The envoys agreed to the offering of earth and water without seeming to recognize the significance of the act – which would have been understo...
Tensions in the region remained at the same level when c. 499 BCE a group of exiled aristocrats from the island of Naxos arrived at the satrapy of Miletus requesting assistance of the deputy governor Aristagoras (d. c. 496 BCE). Aristagoras was the cousin and son-in-law of Histiaeus (d. 493 BCE), tyrant of Miletus, who had been withdrawn by Darius ...
Aristagoras' plan had completely failed and he now had to deliver this news to Artaphernes who would, of course, inform Darius I. Aristagoras feared he would be stripped of his title – or worse – and was considering how he might extricate himself when a messenger arrived from Histiaeus at Susa. Histiaeus was careful that his message should only be ...
Recognizing the need for support for his rebellion, he first turned to Sparta – who rejected him – and then to Athens who agreed to help since they had already been expecting some form of aggression from Persia after rejecting the demand they return Hippias to power. Eretria also agreed to help in the interests of maritime trade and commercial prof...
These generals enlisted the aid of Ephesian guides to lead them by the best way to Sardis to catch Artaphernes by surprise. Their plan worked and they were able to take the lower city but Artaphernes gathered his forces to the high ground of his citadel which he held. Scholar A. T. Olmstead describes the destruction of the lower part of the city an...
Aristagoras, by this time, had been killed in a conflict with the Thracians and Histiaeus, who had been sent to the region from Susa as he had hoped, was called before Artaphernes to answer for any role he may have played in the revolt. Histiaeus claimed complete ignorance and innocence of having any part in the rebellion but Artaphernes knew he wa...
Artaphernes was a Persian satrap of Lydia in the 5th century BCE. He played a role in the Ionian Revolt and the Athenian alliance with Persia.
- Joshua J. Mark
Artaphernes was the brother of Darius I the Great and ruled Lydia from 513 to 493 BCE. He suppressed the Ionian revolt, rebuilt Sardes and reorganized the land register.
Jun 27, 2024 · Herodotus' description of the Persian Wars was based on many accounts by eyewitnesses, mainly but not exclusively on the Greek side (sometimes he himself heard a participant, sometimes he obtained a report at second hand), and this description in turn was recited to audiences which contained veterans of those wars.
- N. G. L. Hammond
- 1988
Dec 15, 1986 · Shortly after the expulsion of the tyrant Hippias from Athens and the restoration of Cleisthenes, the Athenians sent an embassy to Sardis in order to conclude a Persian alliance against Sparta (506 B.C.). Artaphrenes demanded earth and water.
Artaphernes (Greek: Ἀρταφέρνης, Old Persian: Artafarna, from Median Rtafarnah), son of Artaphernes, was the nephew of Darius the Great, and a general of the Achaemenid Empire. He was appointed, together with Datis, to take command of the expedition sent by Darius to punish Athens and Eretria for their support for the ...
Learn about Artaphernes, the satrap of Lydia who crushed the Ionian Revolt and initiated the Greco-Persian Wars. Find out his political career, role in the Ionian Revolt and his later years.
