Imagine being the richest person in the world. Would that make you happy? King Croesus of Lydia certainly thought so. He ruled over one of the wealthiest kingdoms in ancient times and was famous for his immense riches. Croesus even helped shape the world economy by creating the first gold coins. But despite his wealth, his story didn’t have a happy ending. His kingdom eventually fell, becoming part of a larger empire, fulfilling a prophecy that had been in the making for over a century.
The early life of Croesus is a bit of a mystery. Our main source of information is Herodotus, an ancient historian who wrote about Croesus in his book “Histories.” Croesus was born around 595 BC and ruled Lydia, a kingdom located in what is now Turkey. The Lydians didn’t leave behind much written history, so we rely on Greek accounts to learn about them.
Lydia was ruled by three dynasties over time. The first was the Maeoniae, followed by the Heraclid Dynasty, which claimed descent from the hero Hercules. The last king of the Heraclid Dynasty was Candaules, who lost his throne in a dramatic way. According to legend, Candaules boasted about his wife’s beauty and forced his bodyguard, Gyges, to see her naked. This led to a series of events where Gyges ended up killing Candaules and taking the throne, starting the Mermnad Dynasty.
Croesus became king after his father, Alyattes, who had expanded Lydia’s territory through wars. Croesus faced challenges from his half-brother but eventually secured his position as king. Once in power, he continued to conquer neighboring regions, including the Greek city of Ephesus, where he helped rebuild the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Croesus’s conquests made him incredibly wealthy. He was so rich that the phrase “as rich as Croesus” is still used today. He is credited with introducing the first gold and silver coins, which had standardized purity and exchange rates. These coins, called kroiseioi stateres, featured images of a lion and a bull. Croesus’s coins spread throughout the region, influencing the economies of many ancient civilizations.
Croesus loved to show off his wealth and welcomed many famous guests, including the Greek lawmaker Solon. Croesus asked Solon who he thought was the most blessed man, expecting to hear his own name. Instead, Solon named Tellus of Athens, who had a happy family and died heroically in battle. Solon taught that money isn’t everything and that fortune can change quickly. Croesus ignored this lesson, but it would soon become very relevant to him.
In 550 BC, the Median Empire was conquered by Cyrus the Great. Croesus, whose sister was married to the Median king, felt compelled to act. He consulted oracles for advice and was told that if he attacked Cyrus, he would destroy a great empire. Croesus assumed this meant he would defeat the Persians, but he was wrong. After a series of battles, Croesus was defeated, and Lydia fell to Cyrus. The fate of Croesus is uncertain, but legend says he realized too late that true happiness doesn’t come from wealth alone.
Imagine you are King Croesus or Solon. Engage in a debate with your classmates about whether wealth can truly bring happiness. Use arguments from the article and your own ideas to support your position. This will help you understand different perspectives on the value of money and happiness.
Research and create a visual timeline of the three dynasties that ruled Lydia: the Maeoniae, the Heraclid Dynasty, and the Mermnad Dynasty. Include key events and figures, such as Candaules and Gyges, to better understand the historical context of Croesus’s reign.
Inspired by Croesus’s introduction of gold and silver coins, design your own coin. Think about what symbols or images you would include to represent your kingdom or values. Share your design with the class and explain your choices, learning about the significance of currency in ancient economies.
Investigate the Temple of Artemis, which Croesus helped rebuild, and the other Six Wonders of the Ancient World. Create a presentation or poster that highlights their historical significance and architectural features. This will deepen your understanding of ancient cultures and their achievements.
Write a creative prophecy similar to the one Croesus received from the oracles. Predict the outcome of a fictional battle or event, using ambiguous language that could be interpreted in multiple ways. Share your prophecy with the class and discuss how interpretations can vary, just like in Croesus’s story.
**Sanitized Transcript: Croesus – All the Money in the World**
Can money truly bring happiness? If you ask King Croesus, the answer is a resounding “yes.” He ruled over the kingdom of Lydia during a time when it was one of the wealthiest and most powerful kingdoms on the planet. He amassed incredible riches and spurred the world economy by issuing the first gold coins. Yet, it all came crashing down in the end. Fortune abandoned Croesus, and he witnessed his once-mighty kingdom crumble and become part of a larger, more powerful empire. According to oracles, this was part of a prophecy over 100 years in the making, as Croesus was destined to pay for the sins of his ancestors.
**The Kingdom of Lydia**
The early years of Croesus remain shrouded in mystery. One of our main sources is Herodotus, who focused the beginning of his first book, “Histories,” on Croesus, but even he had limited information about the Lydian before he became king. As with many ancient texts, there is a mix of legend and truth, so take it with a grain of salt. Croesus was born around 595 BC and would go on to rule Lydia, a kingdom located in Asia Minor, or Anatolia, as we know it today. The kingdom itself is an enigma, as no literature or monuments with extensive inscriptions have survived. What we know of the Lydians comes from the Greeks. The name is derived from Lydus, an early king of Lydia who ruled sometime during the 2nd millennium BC.
He was part of the first of three dynasties that ruled over the kingdom – the Maeoniae. The details of their rule and how they lost power are unclear, but they were eventually replaced by the Heraclid Dynasty, named for their claimed descent from Hercules. Herodotus noted that the Heraclids ruled over Lydia for 22 generations, or 505 years, with a son succeeding his father each time. We only know the names of three of them, but relevant to us is the last king, Candaules, also known as Myrsilus to the Greeks. The story of how he lost power is fascinating, even if it might be just a legend.
Candaules had a beautiful wife named Nyssia, whom he believed was the most stunning woman in the world. He boasted about her beauty to anyone who would listen, particularly to his bodyguard, Gyges. One day, sensing skepticism from Gyges, Candaules decided that Gyges must see Nyssia naked to be convinced of her beauty. Despite Gyges’s protests, the king insisted, and that night, Gyges hid behind a door to witness Nyssia undressing. When she saw him, she felt ashamed and sought vengeance. The next day, she offered Gyges a choice: kill himself or kill Candaules and take her as his wife. Gyges chose the latter, killed Candaules, and took over the throne, founding the Mermnad Dynasty.
This is just one of several stories about the fall of the Heraclids. In another version by Plato, Gyges was a shepherd who took power with the help of a magic ring that made him invisible. Some modern historians believe Candaules was simply assassinated due to unpopularity. After Candaules’s death, a minor civil war broke out, but Nyssia quelled it by decreeing that they should heed the oracle of Delphi. The oracle sided with Gyges but foretold that the Heraclids would have their vengeance after five generations. The Mermnadae ruled Lydia successfully for 140 years. During the reign of the fourth king, Alyattes, the kingdom expanded significantly. However, in 560 BC, Alyattes died and was succeeded by his son, Croesus.
**King Croesus**
Alyattes was a powerful king who ruled for almost 60 years, waging many wars to expand his kingdom, particularly against the Ionian and Aeolian Greek city-states. In 585 BC, during a war with the Median Empire, a solar eclipse occurred, prompting both sides to declare a truce. A treaty was signed, establishing the Halys River as the border between the two empires, and a royal marriage was arranged between Croesus’s sister, Aryenis, and the King of Media, Astyages. This alliance would later lead Croesus into a war that would bring about his downfall.
Croesus’s rise to the throne was not without challenges. He was positioned as his father’s heir when he was given the governorship of an important city, Adramyttium. However, upon Alyattes’s death, Croesus faced opposition from a half-brother named Pantaleon and narrowly escaped a poisoning attempt by his stepmother. Ultimately, Croesus prevailed and became king at the age of 35.
Once secure in his role, Croesus resumed his father’s habit of fighting neighboring territories. His first target was Ephesus, a Greek city known for its temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis, which had been destroyed by a flood. Croesus conquered Ephesus around 560 BC and sponsored the rebuilding of the Temple of Artemis, making it larger and more opulent than before. This temple would later be recognized as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, although it would be destroyed again in the 4th century BC by an arsonist named Herostratus, who sought fame through his actions.
After conquering Ephesus, Croesus continued to expand his kingdom, subjecting all the Greek cities west of the Halys River, except for the Cilicians and Lycians. He initially planned to conquer the nearby Aegean islands but ultimately decided against it, opting instead to form alliances with them.
**Toss a Coin to Your King**
Croesus’s conquests made him incredibly wealthy, likely among the richest men in history. His wealth came from tributes from the Greek cities and abundant mineral deposits in Lydia, particularly in Sardis, the capital. The phrase “as rich as Croesus” is still used today. Besides his wealth, Croesus is known for introducing coins, credited with issuing the first gold and silver coins with standardized purity and fixed exchange rates. These coins, called kroiseioi stateres, depicted a lion and a bull. While the use of coins is generally attributed to Lydia, there are claims that other regions may have used them first.
Croesus’s coins were made from electrum, an alloy of gold and silver. While earlier Lydian coins were impractical for everyday transactions, Croesus introduced smaller denominations, making coins usable for daily purchases. The spread of coins was expedited by Croesus’s conquests, reaching Greek cities and eventually spreading to the Romans and beyond.
**A Visitor from Greece**
Croesus lived by the creed of “if you got it, flaunt it.” He welcomed many esteemed guests, including Aesop and the notable Athenian statesman Solon. During Solon’s visit, Croesus proudly displayed his wealth and asked who he considered the most blessed man. To Croesus’s surprise, Solon named Tellus of Athens, who had a good family and died gloriously in battle. Croesus was angered that he was not considered the most blessed and dismissed Solon without gifts.
Solon’s stories conveyed two lessons: that money isn’t everything and that fortune can change suddenly. Croesus dismissed these lessons but would later learn them the hard way. Soon after Solon left, Croesus had a dream predicting that his son, Atys, would be killed by an iron spear. Fearing this, he forbade Atys from leading armies. However, when a giant boar threatened the province of Mysia, Croesus allowed Atys to lead an expedition against it, accompanied by a bodyguard named Adrastus. Tragically, during the fight, Adrastus accidentally killed Atys.
**Croesus Fights Cyrus**
In 550 BC, the Median Empire was conquered by Cyrus the Great, who sought to expand his empire. As Croesus’s sister was the Median queen, he felt compelled to respond. Before taking action, Croesus consulted the oracles, sending agents to inquire what he would be doing 100 days later. Only two oracles provided satisfactory answers, including the oracle of Delphi, which predicted that Croesus would eat tortoise and lamb meat boiled in a bronze cauldron on the hundredth day. After this came to pass, Croesus sought the oracle’s advice on whether to attack Cyrus. The oracle warned that if he attacked, he would destroy a great empire, which Croesus assumed referred to the Persians.
Croesus allied with the Spartans, Egyptians, and Babylonians, but ultimately, these alliances made little difference. He faced Cyrus at the Battle of Pteria, resulting in a stalemate, and was decisively defeated at the Battle of Thymbra. Croesus retreated to Sardis, but Cyrus laid siege and captured the capital after two weeks. The Kingdom of Lydia fell, and the fate of Croesus is uncertain. Ancient accounts claim that Apollo saved him from execution, and he became an advisor to Cyrus. However, many historians believe he died in 546 BC, either by his own hand or by being burned on a pyre. According to Herodotus, while on the pyre, Croesus called out Solon’s name three times, finally understanding the lesson that no man is truly blessed until he dies well, as fortune can change at any moment.
Croesus – A wealthy king of Lydia, known for his immense riches and the phrase “as rich as Croesus.” – Croesus was famous in history for his wealth, which he used to build magnificent temples and monuments.
Lydia – An ancient kingdom located in what is now western Turkey, known for being the first to use coined money. – Lydia played a crucial role in economic history by introducing the use of coins, which revolutionized trade.
Wealth – An abundance of valuable resources or material possessions, often associated with prosperity. – The wealth of ancient empires was often measured by their ability to control vast lands and resources.
Coins – Metal pieces used as money, first introduced by the Lydians as a standardized medium of exchange. – The invention of coins in Lydia made trade easier and more efficient across different regions.
Economy – The system of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services in a society. – The Roman Empire had a complex economy that relied on agriculture, trade, and slave labor.
History – The study of past events, particularly in human affairs, often focusing on significant developments and changes. – Understanding history helps us learn from past mistakes and successes to shape a better future.
Happiness – A state of well-being and contentment, often considered in historical contexts as a goal of societies and individuals. – Ancient philosophers like Aristotle believed that happiness was the ultimate purpose of human life.
Empire – A large political unit or state, usually under a single leader, that controls many peoples or territories. – The British Empire was once the largest in history, with colonies spread across the globe.
Solon – An Athenian statesman known for his efforts to legislate against political, economic, and moral decline in ancient Athens. – Solon’s reforms laid the foundation for democracy in Athens by balancing the power between the rich and the poor.
Cyrus – The founder of the Persian Empire, known for his military conquests and respect for the cultures of the lands he conquered. – Cyrus the Great is remembered for his innovative approach to governance, which included respecting the customs and religions of his subjects.
