Picture the richest man in the ancient world. That was Croesus, King of Lydia — a kingdom in what's now western Turkey, sitting on ridiculous amounts of gold. "Rich as Croesus" became the ancient version of "rich as a billionaire." When you're that wealthy, you start believing you can buy anything — even the future. So he sent staggering gifts to the Oracle at Delphi: a solid gold lion over 500 pounds, golden bowls, and 117 bars of pure gold. His goal? Get the gods on his side.
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Lost & Found·1/7·1′
The place
Delphi - Sanctuary of Apollo & Oracle
The Fall of Croesus — When Prophecy Deceives
The richest king in the world destroyed by the Oracle's ambiguity
546 BCEDelphi - Sanctuary of Apollo & Oracle
Moral of the Story
“Prophecy is truth told in riddles. The wise ask for clarification; the proud assume they already understand. Know yourself, and you will understand the gods.”
Characters
C
Croesus of LydiaC
Cyrus the GreatT
The PythiaA
ApolloSource
Herodotus's Histories (Book 1, chapters 46-91), Plutarch's Moralia