What motivated Darius to attack the Greeks?

Darius's motivation to attack the Greeks was largely rooted in his desire for both revenge and the expansion of the Persian Empire. The Persian Empire, under Darius, was ambitious and sought to extend its territory and influence. The conflicts that arose from earlier Persian encounters with Greek city-states, particularly the Ionian Revolt, fueled Darius’s determination to subjugate the Greeks. He viewed their resistance as a challenge to his authority and sought to punish them while simultaneously incorporating their territories into his empire.

This course of action reflects the overarching strategy of Persian rulers, who often aimed to expand their dominion and secure control over regions that posed threats or were valuable economically and militarily. The attacks were not driven by the pursuit of trade agreements, the promotion of democracy, or merely searching for new resources, although these could be ancillary benefits of military conquests. Rather, the primary motivations were revenge and the broader imperial strategy of expansion, which aligns with Darius’s historical context and goals for his empire.