| Lydian–Milesian War | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 A silveralabastron from theKarun Treasure, alternatively known as 'the Lydian Hoard'. The middle frame shows a skirmish betweenhoplites | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Lydia | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Gyges of Lydia Ardys of Lydia Sadyattes of Lydia Alyattes of Lydia | |||||||
TheLydian–Milesian War was a military conflict between theKingdom of Lydia and theancient Greekcity state ofMiletus. It took place during the 7th century BC in theArchaic period, traditionally set between 612 and 600 BC. The main source of the war isHerodotus, who wrote about it in the opening chapters of hisHistories. The war ended after 12 years when thetyrant of Miletus,Thrasybulus of Miletus, convinced the Lydian kingAlyattes to sue for peace with a ruse, after which an alliance between the two states was forged.[1] Amongst other things, the length of the war has caused debate among modern historians.
According to Herodotus, the war broke out during the reign of kingSadyattes of theMermnad dynasty (c. 637–635 BC) and went on for six years, until the king died and his sonAlyattes took over, after which the war would last another six years for a total of 12 years. However, some scholars suggest Herodotus made up these facts about the timespan, similar to the wayHomer made theTrojan War last 10 years. Such a ‘symmetrical’ and ‘awkward’ time span would be meant symbolically, says D. Fehling.[2] This is not the only problem concerning duration however, as Sadyattes’ reign has been estimated too short for him to wage six years of war by modern historians,[3] but Herodotus recounts a reign lasting twelve years.[4] Similarly, it is unknown ifGyges andArdys actually attacked Miletus or if this is just another way to indicate the 'barbaric' aggression towards Greece, one of the main topics ortopoi of theHistories.Furthermore, there was most likely no continuous war orsiege as Herodotus describes Alyattes 'invading when the crops were ripe',[5] something that usuallyoccurred in June.
Lastly, the exact dates of the war are unsure. While most place the end of the conflict in 600 BC, alternative dates (608 BC, 602 BC, 598 BC and 594 BC) have been mentioned.[6][7] The entire chronology of Lydian history is uncertain, and researches have been dedicated to creating a definitive timeline even in ancient times:Eusebius of Caesaria,Jerome of Stridon, andSextus Julius Africanus all wrote about the Mermnad dynasty.[7] These claims have been supported by archeological finds in the former Milesian territory atAssesos (currentMengerevtepe,Turkey), but these layers cannot be dated precisely.[8] As such, it remains impossible to say with certainty when the conflict between Lydia and Miletus took place.
In the early 8th century BC, Gyges usurped the Lydian kingCandaules of the Heraclid dynasty, a line of descendants ofHerakles. After Gyges killed the king and married his wife, he founded theMermnad dynasty. This family would set out to conquerAsia Minor; Gyges tookColophon, his son and successorArdys capturedPriene, andSadyattes, son of Ardys, would attempt to capture Miletus, following in the footsteps of his predecessors.[9]
Miletus had had their own age of expansion, frequently warring with neighboring states,Samos in particular. This competition drove Miletus to join the side ofEretria during theLelantine War, as Samos was allied withChalcis. Herodotus mentions Miletus had formed an alliance withChios as well, and they would be the onlyIonians to help the city during the war with Lydia.[10] Perhaps this too was caused by the Lelantine War, as it is stated that "the Milesians had formerly helped the Chians in their war against theErythraeans."[11]
After the invasions of the first Mermnad kings, Miletus fortified itself, strengthening its four-metre-thick city walls.[12] These walls were similar to those ofSmyrna, renowned in the ancient world.[13]
Very little is known about the war during Sadyattes' reign, since Herodotus only writes about Alyattes. According to him, the fourth king of the Mermnadae waged war against Miletus as follows:
He [Alyattes] sent his invading army, marching to the sound of pipes and harps and flutes bass and treble, when the crops in the land were ripe: and whenever he came to the Milesian territory, the country dwellings he neither demolished nor burnt nor tore off their doors, but let them stand unharmed; but the trees and the crops of the land he destroyed, and so returned whence he came; for as the Milesians had command of the sea, it was of no avail for his army to besiege their city. The reason why the Lydian did not destroy the houses was this — that the Milesians might have homes whence to plant and cultivate their land, and that there might be the fruit of their toil for his invading army to lay waste.[5]
As Herodotus says, it is unlikely that Alyattes actually besieged Miletus, but it remains unsure.
Herodotus mentions the Milesian dominance over the sea.Pliny the Elder tells us in hisNatural Historythat the city is 'the mother of more than ninety colonies, founded upon all seas'.[14] As such, the Milesians had a strong navy, while the Lydians, who only gained access to theAegean Sea with the capture ofPriene under Gyges, did not.[15]
On the other hand, the Lydians are renowned for their cavalry. Several poets have mentioned the so-calledhippomachoi or horse-fighters. Among them isBacchylides, who calls the kingdom 'horse-taming Lydia',[16] whileMimnermus describes a Lydian cavalry attack:
His strength and bravery were not like yours, as I have heard from older men who saw him on the plain of Hermos with his spear routing the Lydian cavalry’s thick ranks.
Pallas Athena ne’er had cause to faulthis acid fury, when in the front linehe hurtled through the battle’s bloody moilagainst the stinging missiles of the foe.
No warrior of the enemy remained his better in the strenuous work of war, so long as he moved in the swift sun’s light.[17]
These cavalrymen would be perfect for raids into hostile territory, but Herodotus describes an army marching into the Milesian territory.[5] The armies of Miletus and Lydia consisted of the same type of soldiers,hoplites: heavily armoured warriors who usually used a shield and spear. Most Greek soldiers also had a short sword calledxiphos. As depicted on awall-painting in theTatarli tumulus inDinar in theAfyonkarahisar Province ofTurkey, the Lydian soldiers could have used a curved sword similar to theancient Egyptiankhopesh or theancient Greekkopis.[18][19] Another difference between the hoplites of Ionia and those of Lydia is the helmet: whereas the Ionians would wear a helmet similar to theCorinthian helmet,[20] a helmet found in the Lydian capitalSardis is similar to thePhrygian helmet.[21]
The final year of the war between Lydia and Miletus was the most eventful. According to Herodotus, the Milesians suffered two great defeats during the conflict. The first was theBattle of Limeneion. The location of Limeneion is uncertain, but according to some, it is one of the four harbours of Miletus mentioned byStrabo.[22][23] The second battle took place in the plain of theMeander river outside the city. This implies the Milesians counter-attacked to chase the Lydians out of their territory.[8]According to some historians, the Lydians eventually besieged Miletus, but others claim this never took place.[24] In any case, the ancient authorFrontinus described the siege in his bookStrategemata.Polyaenus also wrote on the war.
The most important event of the war was the burning of the temple ofAthena atAssesos. During a Lydian raid the crops were set ablaze. The fire spread to the nearby temple, which burned to the ground.[25] Actual archeological evidence for this event has been found atMengerevtepe.[26] At the time, the Lydians did not realize the significance of this occurrence. Following this, king Alyattes returned toSardis and fell ill. He sent a messenger to theDelphic oracle to find out the cause of his sickness. ThePythia ordered him to rebuild the temple.Periander, the tyrant of Corinth, heard this news and quickly passed it on to his friendThrasybulus of Miletus. At the same time, Alyattes heard the oracle and sent a messenger to conduct a truce with Thrasybulus, so he could rebuild the temple.[27]
When thetyrant ofMiletus heard what the messenger fromCorinth had to say, he immediately planned aruse de guerre.Frontinus describes the following in hisStrategemata:
The Milesians were at one time suffering a long siege at the hands of Alyattes, who hoped they could be starved into surrender. But the Milesian commander, Thrasybulus, in anticipation of the arrival of envoys from Alyattes, ordered all the grain to be brought together into the market-place, arranged for banquets to be held on that occasion, and provided sumptuous feasts throughout the city. Thus he convinced the enemy that the Milesians had abundance of provisions with which to sustain a long siege.[28]
Herodotus himself uses the wordκῶμος to describe the scene.[27] This word can be translated as carousal, a noisy social gathering or party.A. D. Godley made the following translation: "Thrasybulus told the men of Miletus all to drink and celebrate together when he gave the word."[29] Historian and translatorGeorge Rawlinson interpreted the passage similarly "[he] issued an order that the Milesians should hold themselves in readiness, and, when he gave the signal, should, one and all, fall to drinking and revelry."[30]
Thrasybulus was known in the ancient world for his shrewdness. Herodotus recounts a story ofPeriander of Corinth asking Thrasybulus for advice on ruling. Instead of answering outright, thetyrant of Miletus walked into a field and cut off "all such ears of corn overtopping the rest".[31] Periander understood that Thrasybulus meant that a ruler would avoid future problems by removing those who could challenge him. This idea is known asnegative selection.Aristotle also mentions this story in hisPolitica, but reverses the roles.[32]
When Alyattes learned of this apparent surplus of food in Miletus, he quickly sued for peace. Asummachia or alliance was formed between the two states. Alyattes rebuilt not one but two temples for Athena at Assesos. This 'twofold restitution' is present in many cultures, and is mentioned in theBible; but Rawlinson argues that this "was a feature of the religion ofRome. It was not recognised inGreece".[33]
Miletus remained free until at least the reign of Alyattes' sonCroesus, who conquered all ofIonia. The city received a special status, and stayedde facto independent. This continued when Croesus was defeated by thePersian kingCyrus the Great and Lydia became a province of theAchaemenid Empire. Eventually, Miletus would play a big role in theIonian Revolt in 499 BC,[34] which would lead to theGreco-Persian Wars.
Alyattes would go on to conquerSmyrna and wage war against theMedes underCyaxares, culminating in theBattle of the Eclipse.[4]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)