Lade
Lade is an island located off the coast of Miletus in Ionia, which is now more than a mile inland due to land silting. Historically significant, Lade was the site of a pivotal naval battle in 495 BC during the Ionian Revolt against Persian rule. The battle involved a confrontation between the Persian navy and the Ionian fleet led by Dionysius of Phocaea. The Ionian forces, however, faced internal disarray, leading to their eventual retreat and a Persian victory that facilitated the capture of Miletus and effectively ended the revolt.
In addition to its role in the Ionian Revolt, Lade was also the scene of a later naval engagement in 201 BC, where Philip V of Macedonia faced off against the Rhodians. This battle was part of the broader conflicts involving various city-states and eventually led to Roman intervention, impacting the regional power dynamics. The island's history reflects the complexities of ancient maritime conflicts and the shifting allegiances that characterized the era.
Subject Terms
Lade
an island about two miles long, off Miletus in Ionia (western Asia Minor); it is now attached to the coast, and lies more than a mile inland
Lade was the scene of the decisive naval battle (495 BC) that sealed the fate of the Ionian Revolt against the Persians (500–494). In the final phase of the operations in Asia Minor the Persian navy, recruited from Phoenicia, Cyprus and Egypt, encountered the Ionian fleet—under the command of Dionysius of Phocaea—off Lade. On the Ionian side, however, the Samians and Lesbians and others fled, and Dionysius departed for Phoenician waters. This victory enabled the Persians to blockade and capture Miletus, and soon afterward the revolt was at an end.
A second engagement off Lade, in 201, was fought between Philip V of Macedonia and the Rhodians. The sequence of events is disputed, but it appears that Philip, after a reversal at the hands of the combined fleets of Rhodes and Pergamum near Chios, first invaded Pergamene territory and then, off Lade, engaged the Rhodians, who, compelled to face him unaided, suffered a defeat, whereupon they joined the Pergamenes and Egyptians in appealing to Rome. The Romans responded favorably, and the Second Macedonian War that followed brought them a decisive victory over Philip.