Quick Bios! Sardis/Lydia

• Kree-sus
• Descendant of Gyges
• King of Sardis and all of Lydia
• Thought he was the happiest man alive because money, wife, kid, but this wise man from Athens, Solon, said no. His life wasn't over yet and it could get bad.
• Croesus decides to attack Persia but asks the Oracles at Delphi first
• Oracle says two things:
• 1) "You will destroy a great empire"
• Problem: this does not specify which empire will be destroyed, Croesus or Cyrus?
• 2) "You will not be destroyed until a mule sits on the throne of Persia"
• Croesus thought it meant a real mule, but it was talking about how Cyrus was half-Mede half-Persian
• Croesus fights Cyrus and loses. He retreats back to Sardis where some horses eat some snakes. He recognizes this as symbolic: the Lydians are the snakes and the horses are Persians. He will be destroyed.
• Sardis is overtaken because of camels.
• Croesus us tied up to a stake and set on fire.
• He yells, "Solon, Solon... SOLON! HE WAS A MAN!" for he realizes that Solon was right and nothing in life is guaranteed.
• Cyrus wants to know who this Solon person is. Fortunately a magic Apollo cloud comes along and puts out the fire.
• Croesus and Cyrus become pals.
• Croesus tries to convince Cyrus not to go against Tomyris, but Cyrus doesn't listen.
• Cyrus dies, Croesus lives pretty happily in Persia until he dies.