Around 1200 B.C. Greek speaking invaders flooded southern Greece and overcame Mycenae. Many of the inhabitants fled to the west coast of Asia Minor (Ionia). The invasions halted c. 1000 B.C. and over the centuries powerful city-states, such as Athens and Sparta, arose on the Greek mainland. The Greeks who fled to Ionia settled and founded cities of their own. They retained the Greek way of life. The Ionian Greeks were in turn subjugated by Lydia under Croesus. The Ionians did not seem to resent their Lydian rulers as Croesus was quick to adopt many aspects of the Greek culture to the point that some Greeks revered Croesus.

In 546 B.C. Lydia was conquered by the growing might of the infant Persian empire. Cyrus the Great of Persia marched his army into Lydia and defeated Croesus. Cyrus recognized the value of Croesus and appointed him to be his...