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 CHAPTER V I. THE REPULSE OF THE PERSIANS 102. The Persian Advance to the JEgean. (546 B.C.). In order to understand the story of Greece we must now recall that in the year 546 B.C. Cyrus the Persian marched westward to the JEgean (54). The vast Persian Empire which he founded thus became a close neighbor of the Greeks directly on their east in Asia Minor. In the midst of their remarkable progress in civili- zation the Ionian Greek cities of Asia Minor suddenly lost their liberty and actually became subjects of Persia. As we have already learned, the Persians possessed a high de- gree of culture and an enlightened government, but Persian su- premacy in Greece would nevertheless have seriously checked the advance of the Greeks in civilization. There seemed little pros- pect that the tiny Greek states, even if they united, could success- fully resist the vast oriental empire, controlling as it did all the countries of the ancient East, which we have been studying. Nevertheless the Ionian cities revolted against their Persian lords. 103. First Persian Invasion of Europe. During the struggle with Persia which followed this revolt the Athenians sent twenty ships to aid their Ionian kindred. This act brought a Persian army of revenge, under Darius, into Europe. The long march of the Persians across the Hellespont and through Thrace cost them many men, and the fleet which accompanied the Persian advance was wrecked in trying to round the high promontory of Mount Athos (492 B.C.). This advance into Greece was there- fore abandoned for a plan of invasion by water across the ^Egean. 70