| Croesus was the last king of Lydia, a powerful empire in the Middle East during the 6th century BC. He began preparing a campaign against Cyrus the Great of Persia. Before setting out he turned to the Delphic oracle to inquire whether he should pursue this campaign. The oracle answered, with typical ambiguity, that if Croesus attacked the Persians, he would destroy a great empire. Croesus, now feeling secure, launched his campaign against the Persian Empire in 547 BC. He was intercepted near the Halys River in central Anatolia and an inconclusive battle was fought. As was usual in those days, the armies would disband for winter and Croesus did accordingly. Cyrus did not, however, and he attacked Croesus in Sardis, capturing him. It became clear that the powerful empire Croesus was about to destroy was his own. |
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