CRGSUS

(560-546 B.C.), the last King of Lydia, of the Mermnad dynasty s. of Alyattes. He conquered the Ionian, Alina, and other neighboring tribes, till his empire finally extended from the N. and W. coasts of Asia Minor to the R. Halys on the HE. and the Taurus Mts. in the 8. His enormous wealth was proverbial, and the phrase ‘a perfect Croesus’ still survives. For the legend of his interview with Solon; see Hero dot us, i. 29. After the overthrow of the Median empire (549), the kings of Lydia and Babylonia leagued together against Cyrus of Persia. The Delphic oracle gave C. the ambiguous answer that if he marched against the Persians ‘a great empire would be overthrown.’ This proved to be his own. He was utterly defeated near Sardis and taken prisoner, 546. Accounts of his death vary greatly: Cyrus probably spared his life. The dedication in Greek on fragmentary columns from the temple of Artemis (British Museum) are by C. See Bacchylides, iii. 23-62. Staters, or gold coins, bearing the image and superscription of Croesus were found at Sardis by an American Archzeological Expedition in 1922.