Page:History of Greece Vol IV.djvu/309

 BURNING OF SARDIS. 291 mans became precarious : they evacuated the town, took up a position on Mount Tmolus, and, when night came, made the best of their way to the sea-coast. The troops of Artaphern Is pursued, overtook them near Ephesus, and defeated them completely. Eualkides, the Eretrian general, a man of eminence and a cele- brated victor at the solemn games, perished in the action, together with a considerable number of troops. After this unsuccessful commencement, the Athenians betook themselves to their vessels and sailed home, in spite of pressing instances on the part of Aristagoras to induce them to stay. They took no farther part n the struggle ; ! a retirement at once so sudden and so complete, that they must probably have experienced some glaring desertion on the part of their Asiatic allies, similiar to that which brought so much danger upon the Spartan general Derkyllidas, in 396 B.C. Unless such was the case, they seem open to censure rather for having too soon withdrawn their aid, than for having originally lent it.a The burning of a place so important as Sardis, however, in- cluding the temples of the local goddess Kybebe, which perished with the remaining buildings, produced a powerful effect on both sides, encouraging the revolters, as well as incensing the Per- sians. Aristagoras despatched ships along the coast, northward as far as Byzantium, and southward as far as Cyprus. The Greek cities near the Hellespont and the Propontis were induced, either by force or by inclination, to take part with him: the Karians embraced his cause warmly ; even the Kaunians, who had not declared themselves before, joined him as soon as they heard of the capture of Sardis ; while the Greeks in Cyprus, with the single exception of the town of Amathus, at once renounced the authority of Darius, and prepared for a strenuous contest. Onesilus of Salamis, the most considerable city in the island, finding the population willing, but his brother, the despot Gorgus, reluctant, shut the latter out of the gates, took the command of the united forces of Salamis and other revolting cities, said 1 Ilerodot. v, 102, 103. It is a curious fact that Charon of Lampsakw made no mention of this defeat of the united Athenian and Ionian force see Plutarch, de Herodot. Malign, ut sup.
 * About Derkyllidas, see Xenoph'n, Hcllen. Ui, 2, 17-19.