The accession of Darius to the Persian throne only
increased the dangers that overshadowed Hellas. He aimed to complete the work
of Cyrus and Cambyses by extending the empire wherever a natural frontier had
not been reached. Accordingly, about 512 B.C., Darius invaded Europe with a
large army, annexed the Greek colonies on the Hellespont (the modern
Dardanelles), and subdued the wild tribes of Thrace and Macedonia. The Persian
dominions now touched those of the Greeks.
THE IONIAN REVOLT, 499-493 B.C.
Not long after this European expedition of Darius, the
Ionian cities of Asia Minor revolted against the Persians. Unable to face their
foes single-handed, they sought aid from Sparta, then the chief military power
of Greece. The Spartans refused to take part in the war, but the Athenians, who
realized the menace to Greece in the Persian advance, sent ships and men to
fight for the Ionians. Even with this help the Ionian cities could not hold out
against the vast resources of the Persians. One by one they fell again into the
hands of the Great King.
