Megabates

Megabates was a Persian general and admiral in the late 6th and early 5th centuries BC. According to Herodotus he was cousin of Darius the Great and his brother Artaphernes, satrap of Lydia. He is most notable under the writings of Herodotus for his joint participation in the failed 499 BC siege of Naxos. He was sent by Darius the Great alongside Aristagoras and 200 ships to annex the small Aegean Sea island to the growing Persian Empire.

Herodotus claims it was in fact Megabates who forewarned the Naxians of the ensuing Persian siege, as he and Aristagoras argued after Megabates punished a Captain for not setting up watch. As a result, Naxos gathered supplies and fortified their city to withstand the four-month-long siege. It is believed that Megabates' rationale was to shame Aristagoras in the Persian court, for they were earlier during the sail involved in a dispute.