Ionia

IONIA, in ancient geography, the name given to a portion of the west coast of Asia Minor, adjoining the Aegean Sea and bounded on the east by Lydia. It consisted of a narrow strip of land near the coast, which together with the adjacent islands was occupied by immigrant Greeks (Ionians), and thus distinguished from the interior district, inhabited by the Lydians. According to the universal Greek tradition, the cities of Ionia were founded by emigrants from the other side of the Aegean (see IONIANS), and their settlement was connected with the legendary history of the Ionians in Attica, for the colonists were led by Neleus and Androclus, sons of Codrus, the last king of Athens. Modern thought tends to support the popular Greek idea that Ionia re ceived its main Greek element rather late—after the descent of the Dorians, and, therefore, after the Aegean period. Herodotus tells us (i. 146) that the colonists comprised settlers from many different tribes and cities of Greece (a fact indicated also by the local traditions of the cities), and that they intermarried with the native people.

The cities called Ionian in historical times were twelve in number—an arrangement copied as it was supposed from the con stitution of the Ionian cities in Greece which had originally occupied the territory in the north of the Peloponnese subse quently held by the Achaeans. These were (from south to north) —Miletus, Myus, Priene, Ephesus, Colophon, Lebedus, Teos, Erythrae, Clazomenae and Phocaea, together with Samos and Chios. Smyrna (q.v.), originally an Aeolic colony, was afterwards occupied by Ionians from Colophon, and became an Ionian city —an event which had taken place before the time of Herodotus. But at what period it was admitted as a member of the league is not known. Like the Amphictyonic league in Greece, the Ionic was rather of a sacred than a political character; every city enjoyed absolute autonomy, and, though common interests often united them for a common political object, they never formed a real confederacy like that of the Achaeans or Boeotians.

Ionia was a mountainous country, 90 m. long from north to south, with a breadth varying from 20 to 30 m. ; to this area must be added that of the peninsula of Mimas, together with that of two large islands. Among the outstanding peaks were Mimas and Corycus, situated on the peninsula which stands out to the west. facing the island of Chios; Sipylus, to the north of Smyrna; Corax, extending to the south-west from the Gulf of Smyrna, and descending to the sea between Lebedus and Teos.

The strongly marked range of Mycale, a continuation of Messogis in the interior, forms the bold headland of Trogilium or Mycale, opposite Samos. None of these mountains attains a height of more than 4,000 feet. The district comprised three extremely fertile valleys; the Hermus in the north, flowing into the Gulf of Smyrna ; the Caster, which flowed under the walls of Ephesus; and the Maeander, which in ancient times discharged its waters into the deep gulf that once came up to the walls of Miletus, but which has been gradually silted up by deposits brought down by the river. In ancient times Ionia was considered the most fertile of all the provinces of Asia Minor. It still produces an abundance of fruit of all kinds.

The colonies naturally became prosperous. Miletus especially was at an early period one of the most important commercial cities of Greece; and in its turn became the parent of numerous other colonies, which extended all around the shores of the Euxine and the Propontis from Abydus and Cyzicus to Trapezus and Panticapaeum. The mariners of Phocaea extended their in

fluence to the shores of the western Mediterranean. Ephesus, though it did not send out any colonies of importance, from an early period became a flourishing city.

History.

About the middle of the 7th century B.C., the Cimmerii (see SCYTHIA) ravaged a great part of Asia Minor, including Lydia, and sacked Magnesia on the Maeander, but failed to take Ephesus. About 700 B.C. Gyges, first Mermnad king of Lydia, invaded the territories of Smyrna and Miletus, and is said to have taken Colophon as his son Ardys did Priene. But it was not till the reign of Croesus (560-545 B.C.) that the cities of Ionia successively fell under Lydian rule. The defeat of Croesus by Cyrus was followed by the conquest of all the Ionian cities. They became subject to the Persian monarchy with the other Greek cities of Asia. They continued to enjoy a considerable amount of autonomy, but were subject to local despots. It was at the instigation of one of these, Histiaeus (q.v.) of Miletus, that in about 500 B.C. the principal cities broke out into insurrection against Persia. They were at first assisted by the Athenians, with whose aid they penetrated into the interior and burnt Sardis, an event which ultimately led to the Persian invasion of Greece. But the Ionian fleet was defeated off the island of Lade, and the destruction of Miletus of ter a protracted siege was followed by the reconquest of all the Asiatic Greeks.

The Greek victories during the Persian war had the effect of enfranchizing their kinsmen on the other side of the Aegean; and the battle of Mycale (479 B.c.), in which the defeat of the Per sians was in great measure due to the Ionians, secured their eman cipation. They henceforth became the dependent allies of Athens (see DELIAN LEAGUE), though still retaining their autonomy, which they preserved until the peace of Antalcidas in 387 B.C. once more placed them as well as the other Greek cities in Asia under the nominal dominion of Persia. They appear, however, to have retained a considerable amount of freedom until the in vasion of Asia Minor by Alexander the Great. After the battle of the Granicus most of the Ionian cities submitted to the con queror. Miletus, which alone held out, was reduced after a long siege (334 B.c.). From this time they passed under the dominion of the successive Macedonian rulers of Asia, but continued, with the exception of Miletus (q.v.), to prosper both under these Greek dynasties and after they became part of the Roman province of Asia.

Ionia was the home of the Ionian School of Philosophy (q.v.) and it led the way also for the brilliant artistic development of Athens in the 5th century. Ionian art flourished in the 8th, 7th and 6th centuries, and is distinguished by the fineness of work manship and minuteness of detail with which it treated subjects, inspired to some extent by non-Greek models. (See GREEK ART.) See D. G. Hogarth, Ionia and the East (1909).