Achaemenids in Ionia: From the Battle of Mycale to the Peace of Callias (479-449 BCE)

Greco-Persian Wars are among the most important events of ancient history. The most important issue regarding studying these wars has been the scarcity of sources. While no Persian or Asian sources have mentioned these wars, Greek sources have detailed them. Herodotus ends his book with the battle of Mycale and the siege of Sestos (479 BC). Other Greek sources retell scattered accounts on these wars that make it difficult to study them after the Battle of Mycale. It is told that the Achaemenids’ defeat at the Battle of Mycale and Sestos terminated the Persians’ naval presence in the Aegean waters, and the maritime dominance over the main Mediterranean passage to the Black Sea and the western coast of Asia Minor (Ionia) was put an end to. But this article argues that the Achaemenids still had important bases in the Mediterranean sea which enabled them to continue the conflicts up to three decades after the Battle of Mycale until the two sides agreed to a peace called Peace of Callias (449 BC).