Croesus
Croesus (IPA pronunciation: [ˈkɹisəs], CREE-sus) was the king of Lydia from 560/561 BC until his defeat by the Persians in about 547 BC. The English name Croesus come from the Latin transliteration of the Greek Κροῖσος, in Arabic and Persian قارون, Qârun. Croesus was renowned for his wealth and in Greek and Persian cultures his name became a synonym for a wealthy man; in English, expressions such as "rich as Croesus" or "richer than Croesus" are used to indicate great wealth.
Life
Born in 595 BC, Croesus was friendlier to the Greeks than his father had been, giving refuge at one point to the Athenian statesman Solon. It was said that Adrastus exiled himself to Lydia after accidentally killing his brother. King Croesus welcomed him but then Adrastus accidentally killed Croesus' son, Atys. (Adrastus then committed suicide.)
Croesus' uneasy relations with the Greeks obscures the larger fact that he was their last bastion of the Ionian Greeks against the increasing Persian power in Anatolia. Croesus allied himself with Amasis II of Egypt and Nabonidus of Babylonia, while preparing a campaign against Cyrus the Great of Persia in 547 BC. Before starting his campaign he turned to Delphi oracle to inquire about the fate of his campaign. The Pythia answered, with typical ambiguity: "If Croesus crossed the Halys, a great empire shall be brought down"–one of the most famous oracular statements from Delphi.
Croesus, now feeling secure, launched his campaign into the Persian Empire. He was intercepted near the Halys River in central Anatolia and an inconclusive battle was fought. As was usual in those days, the armies would disband for winter and Croesus did accordingly. Cyrus did not and he attacked Croesus in Sardis, capturing him. It became clear that the powerful empire Croesus was about to destroy was his own.
According to Herodotus, Croesus was placed upon a great pyre by Cyrus' orders, for Cyrus wanted to see if any of the heavenly powers would appear to save him from being burned alive. The pile was set ablaze, and as Cyrus watched he saw Croesus mutter a word, Solon. He asked the interpreters to find out why he said this word with such resignation and agony. The interpreters returned the answer that Solon had warned Croesus of the fickleness of good fortune. This touched Cyrus, who realized that he and Croesus were much the same man, and he bade the servants to quench the blazing fire as quickly as they could. They tried to do this, but the flames were not to be mastered. According to the story, Croesus called out to Apollo and prayed to him. The sky had been clear and the day without a breath of wind, but soon dark clouds gathered and a storm with rain of such violence that the flames were speedily extinguished. Cyrus, convinced by this that Croesus was a good man, made Croesus an advisor who served Cyrus well and later Cyrus's son by Cassandane, Cambyses.
It is not known when exactly Croesus died, although it is traditionally dated 546 BC, after Cyrus' conquest. In the Nabonidus Chronicle it is said that Cyrus "marched against the country Ly-- [considered by some historians to be "Lydia"], killed its king [who would have been Croesus], took his possessions, put there a garrison of his own." However, it should be noted that the cuneiform word that is thought to represent "Lydia" is damaged, and its interpretation is doubtful.
- See also: Qarun Treasure
External links
- Herodotus' account of Croesus (from the Perseus Project): see 1.6-94; contains links Croesus was the son of Alyattes II and continued the conquest of Ionian cities of Asia Minor that his father had began to both English and Greek versions
- An in-depth account of Croesus' life, by Carlos Parada
- Livius, Croesus by Jona Lendering
Categories
Kings of Lydia | Ancient Greece