HISTIAEUS (d. 494 B.C.), tyrant of Miletus under the Persian king Darius
Hystaspis. According to Herodotus he rendered great service to Darius
while he was campaigning in Scythia by persuading his fellow-despots not
to destroy the bridge over the Danube by which the Persians must return.
Choosing his own reward for this service, he became possessor of
territory near Myrcinus (afterwards Amphipolis), rich in timber and
minerals. The success of his enterprise led to his being invited to
Susa, where in the midst of every kind of honour he was virtually a
prisoner of Darius, who had reason to dread his growing power in Ionia.
During this period the Greek cities were left under native despots
supported by Persia, Aristagoras, son-in-law of Histiaeus, being ruler
of Miletus in his stead. This prince, having failed against Naxos in a
joint expedition with the satrap Artaphernes, began to stir up the
Ionians to revolt, and this result was brought to pass, according to
Herodotus, by a secret message from Histiaeus. The revolt assumed a
formidable character and Histiaeus persuaded Darius that he alone could
quell it. He was allowed to leave Susa, but on his arrival at the coast
found himself suspected by the satrap, and was ultimately driven to
establish himself (Herodotus says as a pirate; more probably in charge
of the Bosporus route) at Byzantium. After the total failure of the
revolt at the battle of Lade, he made various attempts to re-establish
himself, but was captured by the Persian Harpagus and crucified by
Artaphernes at Sardis. His head was embalmed and sent to Darius, who
gave it honourable burial. The theory of Herodotus that the Ionian
revolt was caused by the single message of Histiaeus is incredible;
there is evidence to show that the Ionians had been meditating since
about 512 a patriotic revolt against the Persian domination and the
"tyrants" on whom it rested (see Grote, _Hist. of Greece_, ed. 1907,
especially p. 122 note; art. IONIA, and authorities; also S. Heinlein in
_Klio_, 1909, pp. 341-351).
HISTOLOGY (Gr. [Greek: histos], web, tissue, properly the web-beam of
the loom, from [Greek: histanai], to make to stand), the science which
deals with the structure of the tissues of plants and animals (see
CYTOLOGY).
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