Croesus - The richest king of Lydia. World history in faces

If you search the World Wide Web, you can find very worthy things from "Rumi" to "Where have you been, Comrade Khrushchev?" However, the following five stories are completely unique and stunning.

Alexander the Great. Conquest of the world

They say that on the day Alexander became the ruler of the world, he locked himself in a room and cried.His generals were worried. What happened? They had never seen him cry. He was not that kind of person. They were with him in different situations: when life was in great danger, when death was very close, but no one noticed traces of despair and hopelessness on his face. He was an example of courage. What happened to him now, now that he has won, when the world has been conquered?
They knocked, entered and asked:
- What happened, why are you crying?
He replied:
- Now that I won, I realized that I lost. Now I am in the same place where I was when I started this senseless conquest of the world. It became clear to me only now, because before I was on the road, I had a goal. Now I have nowhere to move, no one to conquer. I feel a terrible emptiness inside me. I have lost.

Alexander died at the age of thirty-three. As he was carried to the burial site, his arms dangled freely on the sides of the stretcher. This was his will: he wanted everyone to see that he was leaving empty-handed.

Leonardo da Vinci. Creation of the "Last Supper" (Jesus and Jude)

When creating the fresco "The Last Supper", Leonardo da Vinci faced a huge difficulty: he had to portray Good, embodied in the image of Jesus, and Evil, in the image of Judas, who decided to betray him at this meal. Leonardo interrupted work in the middle and resumed it only after he found the ideal models.
Once, when the artist was present at the performance of the choir, he saw in one of the young singers the perfect image of Christ and, having invited him to his studio, made several sketches and sketches from him.
Three years have passed. The Last Supper was almost complete, but Leonardo has not yet found a suitable model for Judas. The cardinal in charge of painting the cathedral rushed him, demanding that the fresco be completed as soon as possible.
And after many days of searching, the artist saw a man lying in the gutter - young, but prematurely decrepit, dirty, drunk and tattered. There was no time left for sketches, and Leonardo ordered his assistants to deliver him directly to the cathedral, which they did.
With great difficulty they dragged him there and put him on his feet. He did not really understand what was happening, and Leonardo captured on the canvas the sinfulness, selfishness, evilness that his face breathed.
When he finished the work, the beggar, who by this time had already sobered up a little, opened his eyes, saw the canvas in front of him and cried out in fright and anguish:
- I've seen this picture before!
- When? Asked Leonardo, puzzled.
“Three years ago, even before I lost everything. At that time, when I sang in the choir and my life was full of dreams, some artist painted Christ from me.

Solon and Croesus

During his wanderings, Solon visited Egypt, the island of Cyprus, and then, at the request of the Lydian king Croesus, came to his capital, Sardis, in Asia Minor. Croesus was considered the richest of the kings of that time. His palace shone with splendor, the clothes of the courtiers - luxury. Solon took every courtier he met in the palace for a king. When, finally, Solon was brought to Croesus himself and the king ordered his treasury to be opened before the Athenian, everyone expected that Solon's amazement would have no boundaries. Solon, however, remained indifferent.
"Did you know anyone happier than me?" - asked the king.
“Yes, of course,” answered Solon. “Tella, my fellow countryman. He was an honest and decent man, died fighting for his homeland, and raised his children so that they became good and respected citizens. "
Croesus was very surprised that the guest prefers the fate of an insignificant Athenian to his fate. Hoping that he would come to his senses, he asked: "Who do you think is the happiest person after Tell?" Now he had no doubt that Solon would call his name. But instead Solon told him about two brothers, Cleobis and Biton, whose mother was a priestess of the goddess Hera. Young men grew up as mighty heroes and always won all competitions.There was a custom that the priestess of Hera on the feast of the goddess had to solemnly drive up to the temple in a chariot drawn by white oxen. Somehow it happened that on the day of the holiday, the oxen could not be found. Then the young men themselves harnessed to a heavy chariot and brought their mother to the temple. All the Athenians glorified the brothers, and the mother turned to Hera with a prayer, asking him to reward Cleobis and Biton for their feat with the highest happiness possible for a person. The goddess fulfilled the mother's request. That same night, without pain or sorrow, they died in their sleep. What could be happier than to die without suffering at the height of glory and honor ?!
“And you don’t consider me happy ?!” The king exclaimed.
“I don’t know,” Solon replied. He did not want to flatter the king, but he also did not want to anger him. “The gods have endowed us with such a mind that does not allow us to foresee the future. Only one who, having lived his life to the end, has not experienced grief and misfortune can be called a lucky person. To consider a person who is still living to be happy is the same as to proclaim a warrior who has not yet finished a duel the winner. " With these words, Solon left.

At this time, the famous fabulist Aesop lived in the city of Sardi. Having met Solon, Aesop told him: "With the kings, Solon, you either should not talk at all, or you should try to tell them only pleasant things."
"And I think," answered Solon, "with the tsars, either it is not worth talking at all, or it is necessary to tell them the pure truth."

Some time later, Croesus was defeated in the war with the Persian king Cyrus. Croesus was captured, and by order of the victor he was to be burned at the stake. The bound Croesus was erected to the stake in the presence of the Persian nobles and Cyrus himself. When the flames began to lick the branches of the fire, Croesus began to shout loudly: "Oh, Solon, Solon! .." Surprised Cyrus ordered to extinguish the flame and ask who this Solon is, whom the unfortunate captive is summoning in the last minutes.
"This is a Greek sage," Croesus replied. "He warned me that while a man is alive, he cannot be called a lucky man, since no one knows what will happen to him tomorrow ..." And Croesus told Cyrus that he was only at the stake realized how foolish it was to boast to Solon of his wealth, which he then considered equal to happiness.
Cyrus pardoned Croesus. Thus, the once-wise words of Solon, spoken in this way, saved the life of the Lydian king and turned the Persian from unnecessary cruelty.

Famous physicists. Ways.

A university professor turned to Sir Ernest Rutherford, president of the Royal Academy and Nobel Prize winner in physics, for help. He was going to give the lowest grade in physics to one of his students, while he claimed that he deserved the highest grade. Both the professor and the student agreed to rely on the judgment of a third party, a disinterested arbiter. The choice fell on Rutherford. The exam question was: "Explain how you can measure the height of a building with a barometer?"
The student's answer was: "You need to climb with the barometer on the roof of the building, lower the barometer down on a long rope, and then pull it back in and measure the length of the rope, which will show the exact height of the building."
The case was indeed difficult, since the answer was absolutely complete and correct! On the other hand, the exam was in physics, and the answer had little to do with the application of knowledge in this area.
Rutherford suggested that the student try to answer again. After giving him six minutes to prepare, he warned him that the answer must demonstrate knowledge of physical laws. After five minutes, the student still did not write anything on the exam sheet. Rutherford asked him if he was giving up, but he said that he had several solutions to the problem, and he simply chose the best.
Interested, Rutherford asked the young man to proceed with the answer, without waiting for the expiration of the allotted time. The new answer to the question read: “Climb the barometer to the roof and throw it down, measuring the time of the fall. Then, using the formula, calculate the height of the building. "
Here Rutherford asked his fellow teacher if he was satisfied with this answer. He finally gave up, finding the answer satisfactory. However, the student mentioned that he knew several answers and was asked to open them.
“There are several ways to measure the height of a building with a barometer,” the student began. - For example, you can go outside on a sunny day and measure the height of the barometer and its shadow, as well as measure the length of the building shadow. Then, having decided a simple proportion, determine the height of the building itself.
“Not bad,” Rutherford said. - Are there other ways?
- Yes. There is a very simple way that I am sure you will like. You take the barometer in your hands and climb the stairs, placing the barometer against the wall and making marks. By counting the number of these marks and multiplying it by the size of the barometer, you get the height of the building. Quite an obvious method.
“If you want a more complicated method,” he continued, “then tie a string to the barometer and, swinging it like a pendulum, determine the magnitude of gravity at the base of the building and on its roof. From the difference between these values, in principle, you can calculate the height of the building. In this case, by tying a string to the barometer, you can climb with your pendulum on the roof and, swinging it, calculate the height of the building from the precession period.
“Finally,” he concluded, “among many other ways to solve this problem, perhaps the best is this: take the barometer with you, find the manager and tell him:“ Mr. Manager, I have a wonderful barometer. It is yours if you tell me the height of this building. "
Here Rutherford asked the student if he really did not know the generally accepted solution to this problem. He admitted that he knew, but said at the same time that he was fed up with school and college, where teachers impose their way of thinking on students.
This student was Niels Bohr (1885 - 1962), Danish physicist, Nobel laureate of 1922.

Bishop Wright's mistake

Many years ago, a bishop from the east coast of the United States of America attended a small religious college on the west coast. He was settled in the house of the president of the college - a progressive young man, professor of physical and chemical sciences.
One day, the president invited the members of the pulpit to dine with the bishop so that they could enjoy the company of a wise, experienced man. After lunch, the conversation touched upon the Golden Age of mankind. The bishop said that he would come very soon. As proof, he cited the fact that everything in nature had already been studied and all possible discoveries had been made.
The President objected politely. In his opinion, humanity, on the contrary, was on the verge of the greatest discoveries. The bishop asked the president to name at least one. The President replied that according to his calculations, within the next fifty years, people will learn to fly.
This greatly amused the bishop.
“Nonsense, my dear,” he exclaimed, “if God would have liked us to fly, he would have given us wings. The sky was given only to birds and angels.
The bishop's last name was Wright. He had two sons. One was called Orville, and the other was Wilber - they were the ones who invented the first airplane.

The beginning of the topic "The best parables about the meaning of life"

Who doesn't know the expression "rich as Croesus"? Does everyone remember where Croesus's wealth came from, what became of him and how Croesus's life ended?

Croesus (or Cres) was from the Mermand family. He was born in 595 BC. NS. and after the death of his father and a short struggle with his brother, he became king of Lydia. The Lydian kingdom occupied almost the entire western part of Asia Minor (northwestern part of modern Asian Turkey). Croesus created a vast state, which, in addition to Lydia proper, included Ionia, Eolis, Doris of Asia Minor, Phrygia, Mysia, Bithynia, Paphlagonia, Caria and Pamphylia. All of these areas appear to have retained significant internal autonomy. Croesus subdued such Greek cities as Ephesus, Miletus and others. The ruins of these ancient cities are actively visited by tourists today.

Croesus ruled for a relatively short time, from 560 to 546 BC. NS. The wealth of this king was associated not only with the lands that obeyed him. He was the first to start minting metal coins, which became a source of fabulous income. Croesus was a fan of Greek culture. He sent rich gifts to the Greek temples at Delphi and Ephesus.

But wealth needs to be protected - especially from immediate neighbors. Croesus was out of luck. His reign coincided with the rise of the Persian state, headed by the outstanding ruler and military leader Cyrus II. The Persians conquered Media and began to attack Lydia. The Delphic oracle, in response to Croesus's question, said that he would crush the mighty kingdom. And the king started a war. After the first battle with a tie, he had to start a retreat to his capital, Sardis. But Cyrus swiftly pursued the enemy and defeated the Lydians under the walls of the city. The city began to defend itself, but the Persians managed to find a secret path to the Acropolis and seize the fortress with a sudden blow. King Croesus was captured.

Herodotus and most of the ancient Greek historians believed that Croesus was sentenced to be burned, but then Cyrus pardoned him. The wonderful story of Croesus's salvation is as follows. According to legends, the Greek sage Solon visited Sardis. Croesus loved to show his wealth and asked the sage: "Is it possible to consider the owner of such great wealth truly the happiest of mortals?" To which Solon replied: "No one can be called happy before his death." Already at the stake, Croesus called to Solon, remembering his words. They began to explain the essence of the matter to Cyrus, and he gave the order to put out the fire. But the flame flared up so that Cyrus's order could not be fulfilled. This is where the gifts sent by Croesus to the Greek temples came in handy. God Apollo heard the calls of Croesus and brought down a downpour to the ground, extinguishing the fire. After that, Croesus was content with the position of adviser to Cyrus II and his son. By the way, Croesus sent his chains to the Delphic Oracle as a complaint. And he received a worthy answer: “You have destroyed the mighty kingdom. Your own! "

Croesus turned out to be the last king of the Lydian kingdom, which dissolved in the Persian Empire. All the gold of the once rich ruler went to the Persians, and later to Alexander the Great. Coin minting became a part of everyday life, and Croesus himself went down in history.

Hellenophilus versus Greek city-states

King Croesus (560 - 546 BC) belonged to the Mermnad dynasty, a family that ruled Lydia from the 8th century BC. NS. The Lydians spoke their own language, which belonged to the Indo-European family. Although scholars continue to argue about the origin of this people, it is known that they were strongly influenced by the Hittites.

Croesus was not Greek, but was considered a Hellenophile

The core of the Lydian state was in the west of Asia Minor. Croesus established control over a large part of the peninsula, conquering the ancient Greek tribes who settled in Asia Minor after the fall of the Hittite kingdom: Ionians, Dorians and Aeolians. At the same time, he entered into an alliance with the Lacedaemonians.

Monetary reform

The organization of the economy of Lydia was also taken up by the predecessor of Croesus Gigues. He began to put the state seal on the bullion used as money. The Lydians had no shortage of precious metal - the river Pactolus flowed through the territory of their country. She was gold-bearing. Pactol brought electrum, a mineral that was an alloy of silver and gold.

Croesus Gold Coin

Croesus continued the work of Gyges and carried out a new reform. His gold coins spread not only to Lydia, but also to Greece. Herodotus reports that the king, in gratitude, presented his money to the inhabitants of Delphi. The oracle of this city predicted for him a victory over Persia in the coming war. The Greeks liked the coins. Trade also contributed to their spread.

Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

Croesus captured Ephesus, one of the largest Greek city-states in Asia Minor. The inhabitants of the city worshiped the cult of Artemis. The Lydian king respected the faith of the Ephesians and allocated money for the construction of a new large temple to the goddess of fertility and hunting. It was completed only in the first half of the 5th century BC. NS. This temple is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The vain Herostratus set it on fire, wanting to immortalize his name.

Model of the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus in Turkey

Archaeologists managed to find two inscriptions of Croesus on the columns left from the ruins of the temple. Ephesus itself reached economic heyday under Croesus. More than 200 thousand people lived here - a gigantic figure for the ancient world. Despite this, Sardis remained the capital of Lydia (the lion - the heraldic symbol of the city - was minted on coins).

Rescue at the stake

Croesus's conquests stopped after his possessions came into contact with the territory of Persia. The Achaemenid state was also on the rise. Tsar Cyrus II annexed Media and was not going to stop his onslaught to the west.

A coalition of Lydia, Sparta, Egypt and Babylon fought against Persia

Since a clash with the Persians was inevitable, Croesus made an alliance with Sparta, Egypt and Babylon. The idea to turn to the Greeks for help was prompted by the oracles. However, hopes that the coalition would be able to cope with Cyrus did not come true. After two defeats on the battlefield, the Lydians had to defend their own capital. Sardis was besieged for 14 days. The Persians took the city by trick and found a secret path to the acropolis.

Croesus at the stake

In most ancient Greek sources, the version was fixed that Croesus was sentenced to be burned at the stake, but pardoned by Cyrus's decision. According to Herodotus, the king, prepared for death, recalled a conversation with the Greek sage Solon and his thought that no one could be considered happy during his lifetime. The Athenian despised Croesus's wealth. Once at the stake, the Lydian was ready to exchange all his treasures for the opportunity to speak with Solon. The translators explained to Cyrus the words of the defeated enemy. The impressed Persian king ordered to extinguish the fire, but it was already on fire and it was already impossible to extinguish it. Croesus was saved by Apollo, who rained downpour on the ground.

According to another version, the Lydian king really died after the fall of his capital. Another legend says that Apollo, who helped Croesus, took him to the country of the Hyperboreans. But whatever the fate of the king, Lydia herself became part of Persia. Since then, the Mermnads ruled the country as satraps, dependent on the Achaemenid state. And the Persians adopted the technology of the Lydians - King Darius began to mint his own gold darik coin.

CROESUS(Kroisos) (c. 595 - after 529 BC), the last ruler of the Ancient Lydian kingdom. Son of King Lydia Alyatta (c. 610–560 BC) from the Mermnad dynasty; mother is from Caria. In the 560s. BC. was the Lydian governor in Mysia (an area in the north-west of Asia Minor). Shortly before his death, his father appointed him as his heir. He took the throne approx. 560 BC at the age of thirty-five. Having come to power, he ordered to kill another contender for the crown - his half-brother Pantaleon.

In the early 550s BC. went on a campaign against the Greek city-states (city-states) on the western coast of Asia Minor and forced them to pay tribute to him. He also planned to subjugate the Greek-populated islands in the eastern part of the Aegean Sea (Samos, Chios, Lesbos) and began building a fleet, but then abandoned his plans; according to ancient tradition, he made this decision under the influence of the Greek sage Bias of Priene. Conquered all of Asia Minor to the river. Galis (modern Kyzyl-Irmak), except for Lycia and Cilicia. He created a vast state, which, in addition to Lydia itself, included Ionia, Eolis, Doris of Asia Minor, Phrygia, Mysia, Bithynia, Paphlagonia, Caria and Pamphylia; these areas appear to have retained considerable internal autonomy.

He was famous for his exorbitant wealth; hence the saying "rich as Croesus" came from. He considered himself the happiest person on earth; the legend tells of a visit to him by the Athenian sage and politician Solon, who refused to call the king happy, because a person's happiness can only be judged after his death (this legend is hardly based on real facts).

He maintained friendly relations with the Median kingdom, ruled by his brother-in-law Astyages, and the states of Balkan Greece ( cm. ANCIENT GREECE). Patronized the Delphic oracle of the god Apollo ( cm. DELPHI) and the Theban oracle of the hero Amphiaraus; sent them rich gifts.

After the absorption of Media by the Persians approx. 550 BC organized a coalition with Sparta, Babylon and Egypt against the Persian king Cyrus II ( cm. Cyrus the Great). Having received, as Herodotus reports ( cm. HERODOTUS), a favorable prediction from the Delphic oracle ("Galis crossing the river, Croesus will destroy a vast kingdom"), invaded in the fall of 546 BC. in Cappadocia, dependent on the Persians, devastated it and captured the Cappadocian cities. He gave Cyrus II a battle at Pteria, which did not bring victory to either side, after which he returned to Lydia and dismissed the mercenary army for the winter. However, unexpectedly for him, Cyrus II moved deep into the Lydian state and approached its capital - Sardam. Croesus managed to collect only a small cavalry army, which was defeated by the Persians in the battle of Sardis. After a 14-day siege, the Lydian capital was taken, Croesus was captured and sentenced to be burned. According to legend, at the stake, he pronounced the name of Solon three times; hearing this, Cyrus II demanded clarification and, having learned from the condemned about his meeting with the Athenian sage, pardoned him and even made him his closest adviser.

In 545 BC, after the uprising of Pactius in Lydia, he dissuaded Cyrus II from intending to destroy Sardis and sell all Lydians into slavery. In 529 BC. during the campaign of Cyrus II against the Massagets, he persuaded the Persian king to give battle on the land of the nomads, and not on his own territory. After the death of Cyrus II, he retained a high position at the court of his son and heir Cambyses (529-522 BC). The further fate of Croesus is unknown.

Ivan Krivushin

Croesus

Lydian gold coin of King Croesus. VI century BC

Croesus, king of Lydia (Asia Minor) from the family of Mermnads, who ruled in 560-547. BC Son of Aliatt. Genus. 595 B.C.

Croesus ended the war started by his ancestors with the Greeks of Asia Minor. First he conquered Ephesus, and then all the other Ionians and Aeolians. Over time, he managed to subdue almost all the peoples west of the Galis River, so that all of them, except the Cilicians and Lycians, had to pay tribute to Croesus. The domination of many flourishing countries gave the Lydian king huge incomes - the wealth of Croesus even entered the proverb. Wanting to further expand the boundaries of his power, he attacked Cappadocia and captured the city of Pteria. But soon, instead of the Syrians, Croesus had to deal with the huge army of the Persian king Kurush, who, having conquered Media, decided to conquer the countries lying to the west of it. The first battle between the Persians and the Lydians took place under the walls of Pteria. It lasted all day and ended in vain. But since his army was outnumbered by the army of Kurush, Croesus retreated to Sardis. Kurusha vigorously pursued him and suddenly appeared with his entire army under the walls of the Lydian capital. A decisive battle took place on the great plain in front of the city. After huge losses on both sides, the Lydians were defeated. The remnants of their defeated army locked themselves in Sardis. This city was heavily fortified, but the Persians managed to find a secret path that led to the acropolis and seize the fortress with a sudden blow. Thus, Sardis fell, and Croesus was captured by Kurush. Lydia was included in the Persian state and was never revived as an independent state.

Used materials from the book by K. Ryzhov. All the monarchs of the world. The Ancient East. M., "Veche". 2001.

Croesus - son of Alyattes, the last Lydian king (560-546 BC). Continuing his father's policy, Croesus waged an active struggle with the Greek policies in Asia Minor for access to the Mediterranean Sea. With the exception of Miletus, they all submitted to Croesus and had to pay tribute to him. At the same time, Croesus maintained friendly relations with Balkan Greece and enjoyed the support of the Delphic priests, to whom he sent rich gifts. In general, Croesus strove to introduce Lydia to Greek culture. He was the first to mint gold coins.
In 547, Lydia was attacked by the Persians. Croesus was defeated by Cyrus the Great at Pteria in Cappadocia; then his army was defeated in the valley of the Germ; he failed to keep his capital - Sardis. Croesus was captured by Cyrus the Great, but was generously pardoned by him. Moreover, the Persian king made Croesus his advisor.
Croesus took part in the unsuccessful campaign of Cyrus the Great against the Massagetae. Cyrus' successor Cambyses retained the position of adviser to Croesus, which he apparently held under Darius I.
During his reign, Croesus was considered one of the richest people; his name has become a household name. The catch phrase "rich as Croesus" has survived to this day.

Used materials of the book: Tikhanovich Yu.N., Kozlenko A.V. 350 grand. A short biography of the rulers and generals of antiquity. The Ancient East; Ancient Greece; Ancient Rome. Minsk, 2005.

Croesus (Kroisos, Croesus) - the last king of Lydia (560-546 BC). Significantly expanded the kingdom of Lydia inherited from his father Aliattus; subjugated the Greek cities of Asia Minor (Ephesus, Miletus, etc.) and captured almost the entire western part of Asia Minor up to the Galis River. The wealth of Croesus has become a proverb, many legends have developed about him. Croesus was a Hellenophile: he sent generous gifts to Greek temples (Delphi, Ephesus) and sought to introduce Lydia to Greek culture. He was the first to mint gold coins. In the war with the Persian king Cyrus II, Croesus was defeated - at Pteria in Cappadocia, the capital of Lydia, Sardis, was captured (about 547), and Croesus was taken prisoner (546). According to one version (Herodotus and most Greek historians), Croesus was sentenced to be burned at the stake, but was pardoned by Cyrus. According to another (ancient Eastern cuneiform sources and the Armenian text of Eusebius), Croesus was executed.

T. M. Shepunova. Moscow.

Soviet Historical Encyclopedia. In 16 volumes. - M .: Soviet encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 8, KOSHALA - MALTA. 1965.

Read on:

Lydia, brief historical information about the state in the central part of Asia Minor.

Literature:

Damascus Nikolay, About his life and his upbringing. History, "VDI", 1960, No 3, p. 265-76;

Dovatur A., ​​Narrative and scientific. style of Herodotus, L., 1957, ch. 3-4 and approx.