The proverbially wealthy Croesus was king of where?
"Siege of Sardis (547 BC) In the Siege of Sardis (547/546 BC), the last decisive conflict after the Battle of Thymbra, which was fought between the forces of Croesus of Lydia and Cyrus the Great, Cyrus followed Croesus to his city. He laid siege to it for 14 days, and then captured it. In the previous year king Croesus of Lydia, impelled by various considerations, invaded the kingdom of Cyrus the Great; he hoped to quell the growing power of Achaemenid Persia; to expand his own dominions; and revenge the deposition of his brother-in-law Astyages; also, he thought himself certain"
"the silt of the Pactolus river, which ran through the Lydian capital, Sardis. Later coins, including some in the British Museum, were made from gold purified by heating with common salt to remove the silver. In Greek and Persian cultures the name of Croesus became a synonym for a wealthy man. Croesus' wealth remained proverbial beyond classical antiquity: in English, expressions such as ""rich as Croesus"" or ""richer than Croesus"" are used to indicate great wealth to this day. The earliest known such usage in English was John Gower's in ""Confessio amantis"" (1390): ""Original text:"" ""Modern spelling:"" According to Herodotus,"
"Croeseid The Croeseid, anciently Kroiseioi stateres, was a type of coin, either in gold or silver, which was minted in Sardis by the king of Lydia Croesus (561-546 BCE) from around 550 BCE. Croesus is credited with issuing the first true gold coins with a standardised purity for general circulation, and the world's first bimetallic monetary system. Before the Croesus, his father Alyattes had already started to mint various types of non-standardized coins. They were made in a natural occurring material called electrum, a variable mix of gold and silver (with about 54% gold and 44% silver), and were in"
"Egypt and several Greek city-states, including Sparta. Croesus may have intended re-instating his brother-in-law, Astages on the Median throne. It is also possible that he was trying to pre-empt a Persian invasion of Lydia. Croesus began the campaign with an invasion of Cappadocia, crossing the Halys and capturing Pteria, then capital of the district and formidable as a fortress; The city was sacked, and the inhabitants enslaved. Meanwhile, Cyrus had advanced to halt the Lydian incursion, and the armies met in the vicinity of the fallen city. The battle appears to have been fierce, but indecisive; Both sides sustained considerable"
"in Achaemenid territories. Croeseid The Croeseid, anciently Kroiseioi stateres, was a type of coin, either in gold or silver, which was minted in Sardis by the king of Lydia Croesus (561-546 BCE) from around 550 BCE. Croesus is credited with issuing the first true gold coins with a standardised purity for general circulation, and the world's first bimetallic monetary system. Before the Croesus, his father Alyattes had already started to mint various types of non-standardized coins. They were made in a natural occurring material called electrum, a variable mix of gold and silver (with about 54% gold and 44% silver),"
"alloys of gold and silver known as electrum and one could never know how much of it was gold and how much was silver. Sardis now could mint nearly pure silver and gold coins, the value of which could be – and was – trusted throughout the known world. This revolution made Sardis rich and Croesus' name synonymous with wealth itself. For this reason, Sardis is famed in history as the place where modern currency was invented. Disaster came to the great city under the reign of the emperor Tiberius, when in 17 CE, Sardis was destroyed by an earthquake,"
"the war was Croesus's own. By 546 BC, Croesus was defeated at the Battle of Thymbra under the wall of his capital city of Sardis. After the Siege of Sardis, he was then captured by the Persians. According to various accounts of Croesus's life, Cyrus ordered him to be burned to death on a pyre, but Croesus escaped death. Accounts of his escape vary considerably: In Bacchylides' ode, Croesus with his wife and family mounted the funeral pyre, but before the flames could envelop the king, he was snatched up by Apollo and spirited away to the Hyperboreans. Herodotus tells"
"by the Lydians under king Croesus, who, though a harsh ruler, treated the inhabitants with respect and even became the main contributor to the reconstruction of the temple of Artemis. His signature has been found on the base of one of the columns of the temple (now on display in the British Museum). Croesus made the populations of the different settlements around Ephesus regroup (""synoikismos"") in the vicinity of the Temple of Artemis, enlarging the city. Later in the same century, the Lydians under Croesus invaded Persia. The Ionians refused a peace offer from Cyrus the Great, siding with the"
"who stood outside the conventional restraints of chronology."" Aside from a poetical account of Croesus on the pyre in Bacchylides (composed for Hiero of Syracuse, who won the chariot race at Olympia in 468), there are three classical accounts of Croesus: Herodotus presents the Lydian accounts of the conversation with Solon (""Histories"" 1.29–.33), the tragedy of Croesus' son Atys (""Histories"" 1.34–.45) and the fall of Croesus (""Histories"" 1.85–.89); Xenophon instances Croesus in his panegyric fictionalized biography of Cyrus: ""Cyropaedia"", 7.1; and Ctesias, whose account is also an encomium of Cyrus. Croesus is a descendant of Gyges, of the Myrmnadae Clan,"
"Croesus encountered the Greek sage Solon and showed him his enormous wealth. Croesus, secure in his own wealth and happiness, asked Solon who the happiest man in the world was, and was disappointed by Solon's response that three had been happier than Croesus: Tellus, who died fighting for his country, and the brothers Kleobis and Biton who died peacefully in their sleep after their mother prayed for their perfect happiness because they had demonstrated filial piety by drawing her to a festival in an oxcart themselves. Solon goes on to explain that Croesus cannot be the happiest man because the"
"a pair of very wide boots, also provided for the occasion) he stuffed with gold, and then filled his mouth and hair with gold dust. Croesus laughed at the trick, and presented him with as much again. This was supposed to have taken place around 590 BC. The wealth thus acquired is said to have contributed greatly to the subsequent prosperity of the Alcmaeonidae. Alcmaeon was a breeder of horses for chariot races, and on one occasion gained the prize in a chariot-race at Olympia in 592. According to Plutarch, he commanded the Athenians in the First Sacred War, which"
"who seized power when Gyges killed Candaules after Candaules's wife found out about a conspiracy to watch her disrobe, according to Herodotus. Reportedly, Croesus on the death of his father Alyattes faced a rival claimant to the throne in Pantaleon, son of Alyattes by a different mother. Croesus prevailed, and a number of the opposite faction were executed, and their property confiscated. As soon as his reign was secure, Croesus continued his sires' wars against the Asian Greeks, bringing all the Aeolian and Ionian Settlements on the coasts of Asia-Minor under Lydian rule, from whom he exacted tribute; However, he"
"likely small silver fractions, Hemiobol, Ancient Greek coinage minted by the Ionian Greeks in the late sixth century BC. Sardis was renowned as a beautiful city. Around 550 BC, near the beginning of his reign, Croesus paid for the construction of the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, which became one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Croesus was defeated in battle by Cyrus II of Persia in 546 BC, with the Lydian kingdom losing its autonomy and becoming a Persian satrapy. According to Herodotus, Lydia was ruled by three dynasties from the second millennium BC to 546 BC."
"name of king Croesus of Lydia remains associated with the invention (although the Parian Chronicle mentions Pheidon of Argos as a contender). In 546 BC, Croesus was captured by the Persians, who adopted gold as the main metal for their coins. The most valuable of all Persian minted coinage still remains the gold drahms, minted in 1 AD as a gift by the Persian King Vonones Hebrew Bible new testament (Matthew 2.1–23). Ancient Greek coinage contained a number of gold coins issued by the various city states. The Ying yuan is an early gold coin minted in ancient China. The"
"Criasus In Greek mythology, Criasus (Ancient Greek: Κρίασος ""Kriasos"") was a king of Argos. He was the son of Argus and Evadne (daughter of Strymon) or the Oceanid Peitho. He had five brothers who were named Ecbasus, Jasus, Peiranthus, Epidaurus and Tiryns. Criasus fathered Phorbas, Ereuthalion and Cleoboea by Melantho. Criasus is said to have reigned for fifty four years. During his reign Callithyia, daughter of Peiranthus, became the first priestess of Hera. According to Eusebius, Criasus reigned at the same time as Saphrus reigned as the fourteenth king of Assyria, and Orthopolis as the twelfth king of Sicyon. Eusebius"
"at Tlos, in neighboring Lycia, and at Istrus, in the province of Lower Moesia, between Thrace and the Danube. It is generally thought that the young emperor's grandfather came from an Anatolian family, because of his unusual cognomen, Gordianus. The iconic image of the god or hero on horseback battling the chthonic serpent, on which his horse tramples, appears on Celtic votive columns, and with the coming of Christianity it was easily transformed into the image of Saint George and the Dragon, whose earliest known depictions are from tenth- and eleventh-century Cappadocia and eleventh-century Georgia and Armenia. Among Roman inscriptions"
"Croesus had dreamed that Atys would be killed by a spear. Because of this, to keep Atys safe, Croesus locked away all of his son's weaponry. A wild boar began to ravage the countryside and when a hunt was organized to rid the land of the raging beast, Croeus would not let his son join. However Atys said the boar would surely not kill him using a spear. So Croesus relented, and Atys was killed by a spear thrown by a fellow hunter. Aleus In Greek mythology, Aleus (or Aleos) () was the king of Arcadia, eponym of Alea, and"
"and Priene in Caria; Ephesus, Colophon, Lebedos, Teos, Clazomenae, Phocaea and Erythrae in Lydia; and the islands of Samos and Chios. The cities of Ionia had remained independent until they were conquered by the famous Lydian king Croesus, in around 560 BC. The Ionian cities then remained under Lydian rule until Lydia was in turn conquered by the nascent Achaemenid Empire of Cyrus the Great. The Persians found the Ionians difficult to rule. Elsewhere in the empire, Cyrus was able to identify elite native groups to help him rule his new subjects—such as the priesthood of Judea. No such group"
"Cranaus In Greek mythology, Cranaus (; Ancient Greek: Κραναός) was the second King of Athens, succeeding Cecrops I. Cranaus married Pedias, a Spartan woman and daughter of Mynes, with whom he had three daughters: Cranaë (""stony""), Cranaechme (""rocky point"") or Menaechme, and Atthis. Atthis gave her name to Attica after dying, possibly as a young girl, although in other traditions she was the mother, by Hephaestus, of Erichthonius. Rarus was also given as a son of Cranaus. Cranaus was supposed to have reigned for either nine or ten years and was an autochthonous (born from the earth), like his predecessor."
"Urdu) or Karun (Turkish), or Korah, with the mythical proportions of his fortune also echoed in various ways, parallel to the English language expression ""as rich as Croesus"". This explains why the term ""Karun Treasure"" took hold, and in any case, the king Croesus' Treasure consisted of more than 363 pieces and the tomb chamber tumulus where most artifacts were discovered (they originate from close but different sites) was that of a woman. The main and the most precious part of the treasure comes from a tomb chamber of a Lydian princess reached through illegal excavations carried out by three"
"also tells us that Moses was born in Egypt during his reign. Criasus' son Phorbas succeeded him on the throne of Argos. Criasus In Greek mythology, Criasus (Ancient Greek: Κρίασος ""Kriasos"") was a king of Argos. He was the son of Argus and Evadne (daughter of Strymon) or the Oceanid Peitho. He had five brothers who were named Ecbasus, Jasus, Peiranthus, Epidaurus and Tiryns. Criasus fathered Phorbas, Ereuthalion and Cleoboea by Melantho. Criasus is said to have reigned for fifty four years. During his reign Callithyia, daughter of Peiranthus, became the first priestess of Hera. According to Eusebius, Criasus reigned"
"electrum coins. They were in use in Lydia and surrounding areas for about 80 years. The unpredictability of its composition implied that it had a variable value which was very hard to determine, which greatly hampered its development. Croesus (Reigned c.560–c.546 BC), king of Lydia, who became associated with great wealth. Croesus is credited with issuing the ""Croeseid"", the first true gold coins with a standardised purity for general circulation, Herodotus mentioned the innovation made by the Lydians: Many ancient bimetallic systems would follow, starting with Achaemenid coinage. From around 515 BCE under Darius I, the minting of Croesids in"
"Briseus In Greek mythology, Briseus (Ancient Greek: Βρισεύς) or Brises (Ancient Greek: Βρίσης) is the father of Briseis (Hippodameia), a maiden captured by the Greeks during the Trojan War, as recorded in the ""Iliad"". Eustathius of Thessalonica, a commentator on Homer, says Briseus and Chryses were brothers, as sons of Ardys (otherwise unknown), with Briseus dwelling in Pedasus, and Chryses residing in Chryse; both were towns in the Troad. Pedasus was said by Homer to be Lelegian settlement, ruled by the Lelegian king Altes. Thus, Briseus may also have been a Lelegian. Other sources say that Briseus was a priest"
"Chryses In Greek mythology, Chryses (; ""Khrúsēs"") was a Trojan priest of Apollo at Chryse, near the city of Troy. According to a tradition mentioned by Eustathius of Thessalonica, Chryses and Briseus (father of Briseis) were brothers, sons of a man named Ardys (otherwise unknown). During the Trojan War (prior to the actions described in Homer's ""Iliad""), Agamemnon took Chryses' daughter Chryseis (Astynome) from Moesia as a war prize and when Chryses attempted to ransom her, refused to return her. Chryses prayed to Apollo, and he, in order to defend the honor of his priest, sent a plague sweeping through"
"levied an army and marched against the Lydians, increasing his numbers while passing through nations in his way. The Battle of Pteria was effectively a stalemate, with both sides suffering heavy casualties by nightfall. Croesus retreated to Sardis the following morning. While in Sardis, Croesus sent out requests for his allies to send aid to Lydia. However, near the end of the winter, before the allies could unite, Cyrus the Great pushed the war into Lydian territory and besieged Croesus in his capital, Sardis. Shortly before the final Battle of Thymbra between the two rulers, Harpagus advised Cyrus the Great"
"an advisor. This is according to Herodotus, who also states that Croesus was first sentenced to death by burning and was only allowed to live after showing his wisdom. In the reference in the Nabonidus Chronicle to a campaign by Cyrus in (possibly) 547 BC, during which a country was taken and its king killed, the text showing the name of the country is damaged, although it may be Urartu. Accounts by Berossus and the retrospective Hellenistic Babylonian dynastic prophecies state that he was allowed to retire to live in Carmania. Nabonidus Nabonidus (; , ""Nabu is praised"") was the"
"neighbouring Lydia, a king had come to power: Croesus, who was somewhat too aggressive for the size of his army. He had conquered most of the states of coastal Anatolia, including the cities of the Ionians. The story is told in Herodotus. The Lydians were at war with the Medes, who were a remnant of the first wave of migration of ancient Iranian peoples, who had subsequently settled into the region, over the issue of refuge the Lydians had given to some Scythian soldiers of fortune inimical to the Medes. The war endured for five years, but in the sixth"
"then Emperor Cyrus invades. Cyrus' army is triumphant, and Croesus' kingdom is ravaged and Croesus himself is captured and ordered to be executed. As Croesus is about to be burned on a pyre, he cries out Solon's name. Cyrus stops the pyre to hear what Croesus has to say. Croesus relates Solon's story to Cyrus, and Cyrus is moved by the notion that Fate can bring misery to a rich man and happiness to a poor man. Croesus is freed and the emperor and the king become good friends. This is the report passed down by Greek historian Herodotus; but"
"tyrant of Samos. After the tyrant was murdered, Democedes was captured by the Persians and brought to King Darius, curing him of a dislocated ankle. Democedes' fame was, according to Herodotus, the basis for the prestige of Croton's physicians. Pythagoras founded his school, the Pythagoreans, at Croton c. 530 BC. Among his pupils were the early medical theorist Alcmaeon of Croton and the philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer Philolaus. The Pythagoreans acquired considerable influence with the supreme council of one thousand by which the city was ruled. Sybaris was the rival of Croton until 510 BC, when Croton sent an army"
"Anthas In Greek mythology, Anthas (Ἅνθας), also Anthes (Ἅνθης), was a son of Poseidon and Alcyone, and brother of Hyperes. The brothers were eponymous founders and first kings of the cities Hyperea and Anthea in a region they reigned over; later on these two cities were merged into the historical Troezen. Anthas was father of at least two sons, Aëtius and Dius, of whom Aëtius was the successor to both his father and uncle, and further co-ruled with Pittheus and Troezen. The descendants of Anthas through Aëtius reputedly founded colonies in Caria: Halicarnassus and Myndus, and accordingly the people of"
"Olympia; by virtue of which qualifications the Egestaeans worshipped him after his death as a hero. Philippus of Croton Philippus, son of Butacides (fl. 6th century BC) was a citizen of Croton. Having married the daughter of Telys, king of the rival state of Sybaris, and being obliged in consequence to leave his country, he sailed away to Cyrene; and, when Dorieus, the Spartan prince, son of Anaxandridas II, set forth from the Libyan coast, on his Sicilian expedition, Philippus accompanied him with a galley, equipped and manned at his own expense, and was slain in Sicily in a battle"
"taken place in Antioch, or even Ephesus. Sohaemus was hailed on the imperial coinage of 164 under the legend : Verus sat on a throne with his staff while Sohaemus stood before him, saluting the emperor. In 163, while Statius Priscus was occupied in Armenia, the Parthians intervened in Osroene, a Roman client in upper Mesopotamia, just east of Syria, with its capital at Edessa. They deposed the country's leader, Mannus, and replaced him with their own nominee, who would remain in office until 165. (The Edessene coinage record actually begins at this point, with issues showing Vologases IV on"
"Creusa of Troy In Greek mythology, Creusa (; Ancient Greek: Κρέουσα ""Kreousa"" ""princess"") was the daughter of Priam and Hecuba. She was the first wife of Aeneas and mother to Ascanius (also known as Iulus). Creusa's death at the will of the gods is dealt with briefly by Virgil in his ""Aeneid"". As Troy is falling to the Greeks, Aeneas goes to his home to lead his father Anchises, Creusa, and their son Ascanius out of the city and into the countryside. Anchises refuses to leave the house, prompting Aeneas to decide that he will stay in Troy so that"