Syloson (, ''gen''.: Συλοσῶνος) governed

Samos Samos (, also ; , ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese archipelago, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the Mycale Strait. It is also a separate reg ...

as a vassal ruler on behalf of the

Achaemenid Persian Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, it was the larges ...

. He was appointed by king

Darius I Darius I ( ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his death in 486 BCE. He ruled the empire at its territorial peak, when it included much of West A ...

and was the brother of

Polycrates Polycrates (; ), son of Aeaces (father of Polycrates), Aeaces, was the tyrant of Samos from the 540s BC to 522 BC. He had a reputation as both a fierce warrior and an enlightened tyrant. Sources The main source for Polycrates' life and activi ...

of Samos. When Polycrates became tyrant of the island he exiled Syloson. Syloson went to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, where he stayed until a "flame-coloured mantle" he was selling brought him in contact with Darius I of Persia. At the time Darius I of Persia was a spearman in

Cambyses II of Persia Cambyses II () was the second King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning 530 to 522 BCE. He was the son of and successor to Cyrus the Great (); his mother was Cassandane. His relatively brief reign was marked by his conquests in North Afric ...

's army. Syloson saw how much Darius liked the mantle and gave it to him for free. When Darius rose to power Syloson went to visit him in

Susa Susa ( ) was an ancient city in the lower Zagros Mountains about east of the Tigris, between the Karkheh River, Karkheh and Dez River, Dez Rivers in Iran. One of the most important cities of the Ancient Near East, Susa served as the capital o ...

. Darius offered him gold and silver for his kindness in the past with the mantle but Syloson refused and wanted military assistance in retaking Samos. "To me, O king, give neither gold nor silver, but recover and give me my fatherland Samos, which now that my brother Polycrates has been slain by Oroites is possessed by our slave." Darius agreed and sent an expedition led by

Otanes Otanes (Old Persian: ''Utāna'', ) is a name given to several figures that appear in the ''Histories'' of Herodotus. One or more of these figures may be the same person. In the ''Histories'' Otanes, son of Pharnaspes He was regarded as a Per ...

. At the time when Syloson came back to the island of Samos, Maiandrios was holding rule but decided to give back power to the Samians and established a democracy. Maiandrios had fallen ill and his brothers Lycaretos and Charilaos were both trying to get possession of Samos. The Samians had welcomed Syloson when he came, for the good legacy his brother had left. But Charilaos, after being released from prison, persuaded his brother to send mercenaries to attack the Persians. Maiandrios agreed because he loathed Syloson and escaped the island through a secret passage. With Charilaos commanding the mercenaries they were defeated in the uprising and the Persian commander Otanes, against Darius's orders, slew many Samians.Herodotus, ''The Histories'', Book 3, Chapter 140 Syloson was succeeded by his son Aeaces.

References

{{reflist 6th-century BC Greek people Ancient Samians Archaic tyrants Ancient Greeks from the Achaemenid Empire Vassals of the Achaemenid Empire