The Story of Croesus

The second law of Herodotus, pertaining not only to history but human life, is that human happiness never remains long in the same place.

The kingdom of Croesus, Lydia, was a powerful Asiatic state located between Greece and Persia (Turkey). Croesus accumulated great riches in his palaces, entire mountains of gold and silver for which he was renowned in the world and which he willingly displayed to visitors. This show took place in the middle of the sixth century BCE, several decades before the birth of Herodotus. The capital, Sardis, was visited by every learned Greek alive at the time, including Solon: a poet, creator of Athenian democracy, and famed for his wisdom. Croesus personally received Solon and took him for a tour of his palace and city, showing him his riches, and certain that the sight of them astonished his guest, he asked "So I really want to ask you whether you have ever come across anyone who is happier than everyone else?"

But Solon did not flatter him in the least and instead cited as the happiest of men several Athenians heroically fallen in defense of their city, adding: "Croesus, when you asked me about men and their affairs, you were putting your question to someone who is well aware of how utterly jealous the divine is, and how it is likely to confound us. Anyone who lives for a long time is bound to see and endure many things he would rather avoid. I place the limit of a man's life at 70 years. Seventy years makes 25, 200 days...No two days bring events which are exactly the same. It follows, Croesus, that human life is entirely a matter of chance..."

"Now I can see that you are extremely rich and that you rule over large numbers of people, but I won't be in a position to say what you are asking me to say about you until I find out if you died well... Until a man is dead you had better refrain from calling him happy, and just call him fortunate."

The punishment of the gods descended after Solon's departure. Croesus had two sons-the strong Arys and another who was deaf and dumb. Arys was the apple of his father's eye, protected and watched over. But this protection failed whe Arys was killed by accident on a hunting trip, by a guest named Adrastus. Adrastus waited for the end of the funeral, approached the grave and then, realizing that there was no one in his experience who bore a heavier burden of misfortune than himself, he took his own life at the graveside.

After his son's death, Croesus lived two years in profound grief. During this time, the great Cyrus comes to power in neighboring Persia, and under him the might of the Persian increases rapidly. Croesus is worried that if Persia continues to gather strength, it could one day threaten Lydia, and so he hatches a plan for a preemptive strike.

It is custom at the time to ask an oracle before making an important decision. The most popular oracle was in Greece: the temple at the top of a mountain in Delphi. In order to obtain a favorable prophecy, one makes offerings to the deity. Croesus, therefore, orders a gigantic collection of offerings. Three thousand cattle are to be killed, heavy bars of gold melted, countless objects forged out of silver. He commands that a huge fire be lit, on which he burns in sacrifice gold and silver couches, purple cloaks and tunics. He also told all the Lydians that everyone of them was to sacrifice whatever he could. We can imagine the numerous and humbly obedient Lydian people as they make their way along the roads to where the giant pyre is burning and throw into the flames what until now was the most precious to them-gold jewelry, sacred and domestic vessels, family relics, favorite clothes...

The opinions which the oracle delivers are typically ambiguous and vague. Croesus waits impatiently for the return of his envoys to the Oracle. They return, and tell their king and told him that the oracle's answer was if you set out against the Persians, you will destroy a great nation. And Croesus, who desired war, blinded by lust and aggression, interpreted this prophecy to support his attack.

So he attacked, but he lost the war, and as a result-annihilated his own great state and was himself enslaved. The Persians too their prisoner to Cyrus, who built a high funeral pyre and made Croesus and fourteen Lydians climb up to the top. Perhaps he intended them to be a victory offering for some god or other, or perhaps he wanted to fulfill a vow he had made, or perhaps he had heard that Croesus was a god-fearing man and he made him get up on the pyre because he wanted to see if any immortal would rescue him from being burnt alive...Although Croesus's situation up on top of the pyre was desperate , his mind turned to Solon's saying that no one who is still alive is happy, and it occurred to him how divinely inspired Solon had been. This thought made him sigh and groan, and he broke a long silence bu repeating the name Solon three times.

Now, at the request of Cyrus standing next the the pyre, the interpreters ask Croesus whom he is calling and what does it mean. Croesus answers, but as he is telling the story, the pyre starts to burn in earnest. Cyrus, moved by pity but also fearing divine retribution, reverses the decision and orders the fire extinguished. But all attempts to control the blaze failed.

Croesus realized that Cyrus had changed his mind. When he saw that it was too late for them to control the fire, despite everyones efforts, he called on Apollo...Weeping, he called on the god, and suddenly the clear, calm weather was replaced by gathering clouds; a storm broke, rain lashed down, and the pyre was extinguished.

Once Cyrus was able to get Croesus down from the pyre he asked him who had persuaded him to invade his country and be his enemy rather than his friend. "My lord," Croesus replied, "it was my doing. You have gained and I have lost. But responsibility lies with the god of the Greeks who encouraged me to make war on you. After all, no one is stupid enough to prefer was to peace; in peace sons bury their fathers, and in war fathers bury their sons. However, I suppose the god must have wanted this to happen."

Cyrus untied him and had him seated near by. He was very impressed with him and he and his whole entourage admired the man's demeanor. But Croesus was silent, deep in thought.

Finally Cyrus asked Croesus if there was anything he could do for him. Croesus was bitter in his silence and was full of sacrilege and hate. "Master" Croesus replies, "nothing would give me more pleasure than to be allowed to send these shackles of mine to the god of the Greeks, whom I revered more than any god, and ask him if it is his normal practice to trick his benefactors?"

Cyrus agrees to the request and Croesus sends another delegation to the oracle. Croesus told the delegation to lay his shackles on the threshold of the temple and ask the god if he was not ashamed to have used his oracles to encourage Croesus to march against the Persians...and they were also to ask whether Greek gods was normally so ungrateful.

The Oracle of Delphi relied:

"Not even a god can escape his ordained fate. Croesus has paid for the crime of his ancestor four generations ago, who, though a member of the personal guard of the Heraclidae, gave in to a woman's guile, killed his master, and assumed a station which was not rightfully his at all. In fact, Apollo wanted the fall of Sardis to happen in the time of Croesus' sons rather than that of Croesus himself, but it was not possible to divert the Fates..."

When Croesus heard this he realized it was his fault, and not the gods.