Book 1
Cyrus had subjugated this Astyages, then, Cyrus' own mother's father, for the reason which I shall presently disclose.
Having this reason to quarrel with Cyrus, Croesus sent to ask the oracles if he should march against the Persians; and when a deceptive answer came he thought it to be favorable to him, and so led his army into the Persian territory.
When he came to the river Halys River (river), Turkey, Asia Halys , he transported his army across it—by the bridges which were there then, as I maintain; but the general belief of the Greeks is that Thales of Miletus [27.3,37.5] (Perseus) Miletus got the army across.
The story is that, as Croesus did not know how his army could pass the river (as the aforesaid bridges did not yet exist then), Thales, who was in the encampment, made the river, which flowed on the left of the army, also flow on the right, in the following way.
Starting from a point on the river upstream from the camp, he dug a deep semi-circular trench, so that the stream, turned from its ancient course, would flow in the trench to the rear of the camp and, passing it, would issue into its former bed, with the result that as soon as the river was thus divided into two, both channels could be forded.
Some even say that the ancient channel dried up altogether. But I do not believe this; for in that case, how did they pass the river when they were returning?
Passing over with his army, Croesus then came to the part of Cappadocia [36,38.5] (region (general)), Turkey, Asia Cappadocia called Pteria [35.33,39.733] (deserted settlement), Yozgat, Ic Anadolu, Turkey, Asia Pteria (it is the strongest part of this country and lies on the line of the city of Sinope [35.15,42.0167] (Perseus) Sinope on the Black Sea [38,42] (sea) Euxine sea ), where he encamped and devastated the farms of the Syrians;
and he took and enslaved the city of the Pterians, and took all the places around it also, and drove the Syrians from their homes, though they had done him no harm. Cyrus, mustering his army, advanced to oppose Croesus, gathering to him all those who lived along the way.
But before beginning his march, he sent heralds to the Ionians to try to draw them away from Croesus. The Ionians would not be prevailed on; but when Cyrus arrived and encamped face to face with Croesus, there in the Pterian country the armies had a trial of strength.
The fighting was fierce, many on both sides fell, and at nightfall they disengaged with neither side victorious. The two sides contended thus.
Croesus was not content with the size of his force, for his army that had engaged was far smaller than that of Cyrus; therefore, when on the day after the battle Cyrus did not try attacking again, he marched away to Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis , intending to summon the Egyptians in accordance with their treaty
(for before making an alliance with the Lacedaemonians he had made one also with Amasis king of Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt ), and to send for the Babylonians also (for with these too he had made an alliance, Labynetus at this time being their sovereign),
and to summon the Lacedaemonians to join him at a fixed time. He had in mind to muster all these forces and assemble his own army, then to wait until the winter was over and march against the Persians at the beginning of spring.
With such an intention, as soon as he returned to Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis , he sent heralds to all his allies, summoning them to assemble at Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis in five months' time; and as for the soldiers whom he had with him, who had fought with the Persians, all of them who were mercenaries he discharged, never thinking that after a contest so equal Cyrus would march against Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis .
This was how Croesus reasoned. Meanwhile, snakes began to swarm in the outer part of the city; and when they appeared the horses, leaving their accustomed pasture, devoured them. When Croesus saw this he thought it a portent, and so it was.
He at once sent to the homes of the Telmessian interpreters,These were a caste of priests of Apollo at Telmessus or Telmissus in Lycia (region (general)), Turkey, Asia Lycia . τῶν ἐξηγητέων Τελμησσέων is contrary to Greek usage, ἐξηγητής being a substantive: Stein suggests that the true reading may be Τελμησσέων τῶν ἐξηγητέων. to inquire concerning it; but though his messengers came and learned from the Telmessians what the portent meant, they could not bring back word to Croesus, for he was a prisoner before they could make their voyage back to Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis .
Nonetheless, this was the judgment of the Telmessians: that Croesus must expect a foreign army to attack his country, and that when it came, it would subjugate the inhabitants of the land: for the snake, they said, was the offspring of the land, but the horse was an enemy and a foreigner. This was the answer which the Telmessians gave Croesus, knowing as yet nothing of the fate of Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis and of the king himself; but when they gave it, Croesus was already taken.
When Croesus marched away after the battle in the Pterian country, Cyrus, learning that Croesus had gone intending to disband his army, deliberated and perceived that it would be opportune for him to march quickly against Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis , before the power of the Lydians could be assembled again.
This he decided, and this he did immediately; he marched his army into Lydia [27.516,38.683] (region (general)), Turkey, Asia Lydia and so came himself to bring the news of it to Croesus. All had turned out contrary to Croesus' expectation, and he was in a great quandary; nevertheless, he led out the Lydians to battle.
Now at this time there was no nation in Asia (continent) Asia more valiant or warlike than the Lydian. It was their custom to fight on horseback, carrying long spears, and they were skillful at managing horses.
So the armies met in the plain, wide and bare, that is before the city of Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis : the Hyllus and other rivers flow across it and run violently together into the greatest of them, which is called Hermus (this flows from the mountain sacred to the Mother Dindymene Identified with the Phrygian and Lydian goddess Cybele. and empties into the sea near the city of Foca [26.75,38.666] (inhabited place), Izmir Ili, Ege kiyilari, Turkey, Asia Phocaea ).
When Cyrus saw the Lydians maneuvering their battle-lines here, he was afraid of their cavalry, and therefore at the urging of one Harpagus, a Mede, he did as I shall describe. Assembling all the camels that followed his army bearing food and baggage, he took off their burdens and mounted men upon them equipped like cavalrymen; having equipped them, he ordered them to advance before his army against Croesus' cavalry; he directed the infantry to follow the camels, and placed all his cavalry behind the infantry.
When they were all in order, he commanded them to kill all the other Lydians who came in their way, and spare none, but not to kill Croesus himself, even if he should defend himself against capture.
Such was his command. The reason for his posting the camels to face the cavalry was this: horses fear camels and can endure neither the sight nor the smell of them; this then was the intention of his maneuver, that Croesus' cavalry, on which the Lydian relied to distinguish himself, might be of no use.
So when battle was joined, as soon as the horses smelled and saw the camels they turned to flight, and all Croesus' hope was lost.
Nevertheless the Lydians were no cowards; when they saw what was happening, they leaped from their horses and fought the Persians on foot. Many of both armies fell; at length the Lydians were routed and driven within their city wall, where they were besieged by the Persians.
So then they were besieged. But Croesus, supposing that the siege would last a long time, again sent messengers from the city to his allies; whereas the former envoys had been sent to summon them to muster at Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis in five months' time, these were to announce that Croesus was besieged and to plead for help as quickly as possible.
So he sent to the Lacedaemonians as well as to the rest of the allies. Now at this very time the Spartans themselves were feuding with the Argives over the country called Thyrea;
for this was a part of the Argive territory which the Lacedaemonians had cut off and occupied. (All the land towards the west, as far as Malea, belonged then to the Argives, and not only the mainland, but the island of Cerigo (island), Attica, Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Cythera and the other islands.)
The Argives came out to save their territory from being cut off, then after debate the two armies agreed that three hundred of each side should fight, and whichever party won would possess the land. The rest of each army was to go away to its own country and not be present at the battle, since, if the armies remained on the field, the men of either party might render assistance to their comrades if they saw them losing.
Having agreed, the armies drew off, and picked men of each side remained and fought. Neither could gain advantage in the battle; at last, only three out of the six hundred were left, Alcenor and Chromios of the Argives, Othryades of the Lacedaemonians: these three were left alive at nightfall.
Then the two Argives, believing themselves victors, ran to Argos [22.7333,37.6417] (Perseus) Argos ; but Othryades the Lacedaemonian, after stripping the Argive dead and taking the arms to his camp, waited at his position. On the second day both armies came to learn the issue.
For a while both claimed the victory, the Argives arguing that more of their men had survived, the Lacedaemonians showing that the Argives had fled, while their man had stood his ground and stripped the enemy dead.
At last from arguing they fell to fighting; many of both sides fell, but the Lacedaemonians gained the victory. The Argives, who before had worn their hair long by fixed custom, shaved their heads ever after and made a law, with a curse added to it, that no Argive grow his hair, and no Argive woman wear gold, until they recovered Thyreae;
and the Lacedaemonians made a contrary law, that they wear their hair long ever after; for until now they had not worn it so. Othryades, the lone survivor of the three hundred, was ashamed, it is said, to return to Sparta [22.4417,37.0667] (Perseus) Sparta after all the men of his company had been killed, and killed himself on the spot at Thyreae.
The Sardian herald came after this had happened to the Spartans to ask for their help for Croesus, now besieged; nonetheless, when they heard the herald, they prepared to send help; but when they were already equipped and their ships ready, a second message came that the fortification of the Lydians was taken and Croesus a prisoner. Then, though very sorry indeed, they ceased their efforts.
This is how Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis was taken. When Croesus had been besieged for fourteen days, Cyrus sent horsemen around in his army to promise to reward whoever first mounted the wall.
After this the army made an assault, but with no success. Then, when all the others were stopped, a certain Mardian The Mardi were a nomadic Persian tribe. called Hyroeades attempted to mount by a part of the acropolis where no guard had been set, since no one feared that it could be taken by an attack made here.
For here the height on which the acropolis stood is sheer and unlikely to be assaulted; this was the only place where Meles the former king of Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis had not carried the lion which his concubine had borne him, the Telmessians having declared that if this lion were carried around the walls, Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis could never be taken. Meles then carried the lion around the rest of the wall of the acropolis where it could be assaulted, but neglected this place, because the height was sheer and defied attack. It is on the side of the city which faces towards Tmolus.
The day before, then, Hyroeades, this Mardian, had seen one of the Lydians come down by this part of the acropolis after a helmet that had fallen down, and fetch it; he took note of this and considered it.