Hippias fled to Persia, and the Persians threatened to attack Athens if they did not accept Hippias. The Athenians preferred to remain democratic despite the danger from Persia. Soon after, the Ionian Revolt against Persian rule began in the Greek colonies in Asia Minor. It was put down in 494 BC, but Darius I of Persia was keen to punish Athens for its role in the revolt. In 490 BC Hippias, still in the service of the Persians, led Darius to Marathon, in Greece. The Battle of Marathon began a series of Greek victories which made Athens and its colonies successful. The next 200 years saw flowering of the classical Greek civilisation.