Croesus (redirected from Crosus)

Croesus (krē`səs), d. c.547 B.C., king of Lydia (560–c.547 B.C.), noted for his great wealth. He was the son of Alyattes. He continued his father's policy of conquering the Ionian cities of Asia Minor, but on the whole he was friendly to the Greeks, and he is supposed to have given refuge to the Athenian statesman Solon. Threatened by Cyrus the Great of Persia, Croesus allied himself with Amasis II of Egypt and Nabonidus of Babylonia against the Persian might, but the alliance was of no avail. Cyrus defeated and captured Croesus, and, according to Herodotus, Croesus cast himself upon a funeral pyre.

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Croesus

(died c. 546 BC) Last king of Lydia, famous for his great wealth. He succeeded his father as king c. 560 BC, and, after completing the conquest of mainland Ionia, he faced the rising threat of the Persians under Cyrus II. He forged an alliance with Babylon, Egypt, and Sparta to combat the Persians, but, after an inconclusive effort to invade Cappadocia, he returned to his capital at Sardis. The Persians pursued him, storming Sardis in 546 BC and conquering Lydia. Croesus's later fate is uncertain. Herodotus claims he was condemned to be burned alive but was saved by Apollo.

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Croesus

died ?546 bc, the last king of Lydia (560--546), noted for his great wealth

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Croesus

Lydian king; name became synonymous with riches. [Gk. Myth.: Kravitz, 69]

See : Wealth

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Croesus

Born 595 B.C.; died 546 B.C. Last ruler of Lydia, governing from 560 to 546.

Croesus expanded significantly the territory of the Kingdom of Lydia; he brought under his authority the Greek towns of Asia Minor (Ephesus, Miletus, and others) and conquered almost all of the western part of Asia Minor up to the Halys River. His wealth became proverbial, and many legends were created about him. Croesus was a Hellenophile; he sent generous gifts to Greek temples (Delphi and Ephesus) and sought to adapt Lydia to Greek culture. In a war with the Persian ruler Cyrus II he was defeated at Pteria (Cappadocia); the capital of Lydia, Sardis, was seized, and Croesus was taken prisoner (546). According to one version (Herodotus and the majority of ancient Greek historians), he was sentenced to be burned to death but was pardoned by Cyrus; according to another version (ancient Eastern cuneiform sources), he was executed.

REFERENCE

Dovatur, A. Povestvovatel’nyi i nauchnyi stil’ Gerodota. Leningrad, 1957.