The Persian capture of Eretria in 490 BC, aided by internal betrayal, resulted in the city's destruction and deportation of its population before the Battle of Marathon.
Key Facts
- Year
- 490 BC
- Duration of siege
- Six days
- Persian commanders
- Datis and Artaphernes
- Cause of city's fall
- Betrayal by a fifth column of Eretrian nobles
- Fate of population
- Deported to Ardericca in Susiana
- Conflict context
- First Persian invasion of Greece
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Eretria had joined Athens in supporting the Ionian Revolt, sending forces that helped burn Sardis, the Persian regional capital. In retaliation, King Darius I dispatched a naval expedition under Datis and Artaphernes in 490 BC to punish both Eretria and Athens for their role in the revolt.
The Persian force reached Euboea in mid-summer and placed Eretria under siege. After six days of resistance, a group of Eretrian nobles betrayed the city, allowing the Persians to enter. The city was plundered and its temples burned, and the entire surviving population was seized and deported.
Following the sack of Eretria, the Persian fleet sailed to the bay of Marathon near Athens. The deported Eretrians were resettled at Ardericca in Susiana. The subsequent Athenian victory at the Battle of Marathon halted the Persian campaign, ending the first invasion of Greece.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Datis, Artaphernes.
Side B
1 belligerent