Vᵉ siècle av. J.-C. – Vᵉ siècle av. J.-C.
Egypt
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A major Egyptian uprising against Achaemenid Persian rule, led initially by Inaros and later continued by Amyrtaios. Greek forces from Athens supported the revolt, helping defeat the Persian satrap Achaemenes before Persian armies reconquered the insurgent strongholds. The episode demonstrated the military importance of Greek support to Egyptian resistance during the fifth century BC.
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Le récit
Following the death of Xerxes and civil war in Persia, Inaros, a ruler of the vassal Libyans west of Egypt, raised much of Lower Egypt in revolt. The Persian satrap Achaemenes retained Memphis, but a Greek fleet associated with Athens sailed up the Nile after Inaros secured its assistance. The combined forces defeated and killed Achaemenes, then besieged the remaining Persian army and its Egyptian allies in Memphis’s White Fort.
Persia eventually sent a relieving army into Egypt in 456 BC. The besiegers were defeated, and the Greek contingent together with Inaros was forced onto the island of Prosopitis. Persian forces stormed the island in 454 BC; surviving Greeks escaped overland toward Cyrene, while Inaros surrendered under a promise of safety and was later crucified after five years in captivity.
Resistance continued under Amyrtaios, who held out in the marshes of the Delta. A further Athenian intervention was attempted around 451 BC, but Greek withdrawal and the subsequent peace between Athens and Persia left the Egyptian rebels without decisive external support. The revolt then faded or was suppressed, revealing the continuing dependence of Egyptian resistance on Greek allies.
Vᵉ siècle av. J.-C. – Vᵉ siècle av. J.-C.
Egypt
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
A major Egyptian uprising against Achaemenid Persian rule, led initially by Inaros and later continued by Amyrtaios. Greek forces from Athens supported the revolt, helping defeat the Persian satrap Achaemenes before Persian armies reconquered the insurgent strongholds. The episode demonstrated the military importance of Greek support to Egyptian resistance during the fifth century BC.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
Following the death of Xerxes and civil war in Persia, Inaros, a ruler of the vassal Libyans west of Egypt, raised much of Lower Egypt in revolt. The Persian satrap Achaemenes retained Memphis, but a Greek fleet associated with Athens sailed up the Nile after Inaros secured its assistance. The combined forces defeated and killed Achaemenes, then besieged the remaining Persian army and its Egyptian allies in Memphis’s White Fort.
Persia eventually sent a relieving army into Egypt in 456 BC. The besiegers were defeated, and the Greek contingent together with Inaros was forced onto the island of Prosopitis. Persian forces stormed the island in 454 BC; surviving Greeks escaped overland toward Cyrene, while Inaros surrendered under a promise of safety and was later crucified after five years in captivity.
Resistance continued under Amyrtaios, who held out in the marshes of the Delta. A further Athenian intervention was attempted around 451 BC, but Greek withdrawal and the subsequent peace between Athens and Persia left the Egyptian rebels without decisive external support. The revolt then faded or was suppressed, revealing the continuing dependence of Egyptian resistance on Greek allies.