Dionysius the Phocaean
Encyclopedia
Dionysius the Phocaean or Dionysius of Phocaea (fl.
494 BC) was a Phocaea
n admiral of Ancient Greece
during the Persian Wars of 5th century BC, and was the commander of the Ionian
fleet at the Battle of Lade
in 494 BC. Although commanding a formidable force, according to the Greek historian Herodotus
, his men were worked so hard in preparing for battle that on the eve of the battle they refused to engage the Persian fleet.
Although little is known of his life, Dionysius was in command of the Ionian contingent gathered from the many islands throughout the Ionia
which joined the main Greek naval force off of Miletus' port of Lade. Upon his arrival in the naval camp of Lade, he observed that his command displayed low morale and suffered from a lack of discipline. Believing his men were unprepared for the impending battle, he called a general assembly among the camp, he said in a speech to his men "Now for our affair's are on the razor's edge, men of Ionia, wither we are to be free or slaves ... so if you will bear hardships now, you will suffer temporarily but be able to overcome your enemies."
He soon began ordering his men to perform several hours of martial exercises a day as well as drawing out the fleet in the order of battle
and instructed the rowers and marines in the naval tactics. After a week, dissension within the ranks among Samians and other officers began to appear (particularly as Dionysius, who arrived with only three ships, exerted such influence over the rest of the fleet).
Even as the battle began, many of Ionian ships under Dionysius were still refusing to engage the Persians and eventually almost 120 of the 350 Greek warships abandoned the battle leaving the remaining Greek ships to be annihilated and left the city of Miletus to the Persians.
Dionysius himself however, continued fighting the Persians sinking three warships before being forced to retreat during the final hours of the battle.
Returning to Phoenicia, Dionysius attacked several trading vessels and seized their cargo before arriving in Sicily
. During his later years, he would become involved in piracy against the Carthaginian and Tyrsenian merchants (however, in keeping with the friendship between Phoenicia and Greece, he left traveling Grecian merchants alone).
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
494 BC) was a Phocaea
Phocaea
Phocaea, or Phokaia, was an ancient Ionian Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia. Greek colonists from Phocaea founded the colony of Massalia in 600 BC, Emporion in 575 BC and Elea in 540 BC.-Geography:Phocaea was the northernmost...
n admiral of Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
during the Persian Wars of 5th century BC, and was the commander of the Ionian
Ionians
The Ionians were one of the four major tribes into which the Classical Greeks considered the population of Hellenes to have been divided...
fleet at the Battle of Lade
Battle of Lade
The Battle of Lade was a naval battle which occurred during the Ionian Revolt, in 494 BC. It was fought between an alliance of the Ionian cities and the Persian Empire of Darius the Great, and resulted in a decisive victory for the Persians which all but ended the revolt.The Ionian Revolt was...
in 494 BC. Although commanding a formidable force, according to the Greek historian Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
, his men were worked so hard in preparing for battle that on the eve of the battle they refused to engage the Persian fleet.
Although little is known of his life, Dionysius was in command of the Ionian contingent gathered from the many islands throughout the Ionia
Ionia
Ionia is an ancient region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey, the region nearest İzmir, which was historically Smyrna. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements...
which joined the main Greek naval force off of Miletus' port of Lade. Upon his arrival in the naval camp of Lade, he observed that his command displayed low morale and suffered from a lack of discipline. Believing his men were unprepared for the impending battle, he called a general assembly among the camp, he said in a speech to his men "Now for our affair's are on the razor's edge, men of Ionia, wither we are to be free or slaves ... so if you will bear hardships now, you will suffer temporarily but be able to overcome your enemies."
He soon began ordering his men to perform several hours of martial exercises a day as well as drawing out the fleet in the order of battle
Order of battle
In modern use, the order of battle is the identification, command structure, strength, and disposition of personnel, equipment, and units of an armed force participating in field operations. Various abbreviations are in use, including OOB, O/B, or OB, while ORBAT remains the most common in the...
and instructed the rowers and marines in the naval tactics. After a week, dissension within the ranks among Samians and other officers began to appear (particularly as Dionysius, who arrived with only three ships, exerted such influence over the rest of the fleet).
Even as the battle began, many of Ionian ships under Dionysius were still refusing to engage the Persians and eventually almost 120 of the 350 Greek warships abandoned the battle leaving the remaining Greek ships to be annihilated and left the city of Miletus to the Persians.
Dionysius himself however, continued fighting the Persians sinking three warships before being forced to retreat during the final hours of the battle.
Returning to Phoenicia, Dionysius attacked several trading vessels and seized their cargo before arriving in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. During his later years, he would become involved in piracy against the Carthaginian and Tyrsenian merchants (however, in keeping with the friendship between Phoenicia and Greece, he left traveling Grecian merchants alone).
Further reading
- Bulwer, Edward Lytton. Athens, Its Rise and Fall: With Views of the Literature, Philosophy, and Social Life of the Athenian People. New York: Harper & brothers Publishers, 1852.
- Rawlinson, George; Benjamin Jowett, Henry Graham Dakyns and Edward James Chinnock. Greek Historians: The Complete and Unabridged Historical Works of Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon and Arrian. New York: Random House Incorporated, 1942.
- Shaw, Philip. The Sublime. New York: Routledge, 2006. ISBN 0-415-26847-8
- Thirlwall, Connop. A History of Greece. London: Longman, Brown, Green & Longmans, 1846.
- Waltari, Mika; The Etruscan (Turms kuolematon, 1955).