Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), "Sedi titolari", pp. 819–1013 Lydia ( Lydian: ‎𐤮𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣𐤠, Śfarda; Aramaic: Lydia; Greek: Λυδία, Lȳdíā; Turkish: Lidya) was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern western Turkish provinces of Uşak, Manisa and inland Izmir. The ethnic group inhabiting this kingdom are known as the Lydians, and their language, known as Lydian, was a member of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family. The capital of Lydia was Sardis. [1] Although this dynasty is historical, the dates for it have never been determined with certainty. The traditional dates are derived from Herodotus, who gives some reign-lengths, but these have been questioned by modern scholars on the basis of synchronisms with Assyrian history. [11] [12] [13] The name of the dynasty (Gk. Μερμνάδες) may be attested in Lydian transmission as -𐤪𐤷𐤦𐤪𐤫𐤠 mλimna-. [14] Etymologically, it possibly contains the Carian word mno- 'son' or 'descendant', which would then represent an argument for the Carian origin of the Mermnad clan. [14] Lydia" in Oxford Dictionary of English. Oxford University Press, 2010. Oxford Reference Online. 14 October 2011.

Accepting Dale's dating of Croesus's reign starting in 585 BC and Leloux's assumption of Croesus being 35 years old at the beginning of his reign provides a birth date of 620 BCMoser, Mary E. (1996). "The origins of the Etruscans: new evidence for an old question". In Hall, John Franklin (ed.). Etruscan Italy: Etruscan Influences on the Civilizations of Italy from Antiquity to the Modern Era. Provo, Utah: Museum of Art, Brigham Young University. pp. 29- 43. ISBN 0842523340. New Testament Cities in Western Asia Minor: Light from Archaeology on Cities of Paul and the Seven Churches of Revelation ISBN 1-59244-230-7 p. 65

Later chronologists ignored Herodotus' statement that Agron was the first Heraclid to be a king, and included his immediate forefathers Alcaeus, Belus, and Ninus in their list of kings of Lydia. Strabo (5.2.2) has Atys, father of Lydus and Tyrrhenus, as a descendant of Heracles and Omphale but that contradicts virtually all other accounts which name Atys, Lydus, and Tyrrhenus among the pre-Heraclid kings and princes of Lydia. The gold deposits in the river Pactolus that were the source of the proverbial wealth of Croesus (Lydia's last king) were said to have been left there when the legendary king Midas of Phrygia washed away the "Midas touch" in its waters.However, the rich city of Sardes became a natural target for the armies of Cyrus, the king of Persia. He had overthrown his overlord, the Median king Astyages, and was rapidly expanding his territories. Croesus decided to strike first; after all, Astyages had been his brother-in-law, and if it were not possible to restore him to the Median throne, Croesus might, for example, conquer Cappadocia and Armenia. He allied himself to the pharaoh of Egypt, Amasis, and to the Spartans of Greece. Perhaps, king Nabonidus of Babylonia belonged to the same alliance. Head of Croesus on a Greek vase The Lydians’ wealth seemed to have no limit, and Croesus established his rule over the whole Mediterranean basin in financial matters. In the ancient world, the ability to manipulate money was a particularly political privilege that demonstrated the independence of each state. On the other hand, Croesus’ financial situation was incomparably better than that of the other nations, to the point that his monetary standard was universally adopted. As a result, he earned the reputation of being a powerful person, particularly the wealthiest man of his time. A Warning by Solon Solon before Croesus, by Nikolaus Knüpfer (1609–1655). Spalinger, Anthony J. (1978). "The Date of the Death of Gyges and Its Historical Implications". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 98 (4): 400–409. doi: 10.2307/599752. JSTOR 599752 . Retrieved 25 October 2021.

Croesus was renowned for his wealth; Herodotus and Pausanias noted that his gifts were preserved at Delphi. [5] The fall of Croesus had a profound effect on the Greeks, providing a fixed point in their calendar. "By the fifth century at least", J. A. S. Evans has remarked, "Croesus had become a figure of myth, who stood outside the conventional restraints of chronology." [6] Name [ edit ] Braun, T. F. R. G. (1982). "The Greeks in Egypt". In Boardman, John; Hammond, N. G. L. (eds.). The Cambridge Ancient History. Vol.3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp.32–56. ISBN 978-0-521-23447-4. Lydia had numerous Christian communities and, after Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire in the 4th century, Lydia became one of the provinces of the diocese of Asia in the Patriarchate of Constantinople. a b c d Dale, Alexander (2015). "WALWET and KUKALIM: Lydian coin legends, dynastic succession, and the chronology of Mermnad kings". Kadmos. 54: 151–166. doi: 10.1515/kadmos-2015-0008. S2CID 165043567 . Retrieved 10 November 2021. Candaules, aka Myrsilus (died c.687 BC; probably historical; son of Meles; murdered by Gyges) [10] [9]

Following this series of events, it seems that fate dealt Croesus a challenging hand. He received a warning in a dream that his son Atys, the commander of his forces, would perish from an iron spear wound. Despite all of the measures that were taken, the prophecy was certainly carried out: Atys was slain as a result of an accident that occurred while he was hunting. Is it possible that his unending wealth has caused him to lose his mind? Croesus believed that he was the best and happiest man alive, and he once said this about himself. But a warning was given to him when a figure who had been drawn to the splendors of the court emerged in Sardis. Bonfante, Giuliano; Bonfante, Larissa (1983). The Etruscan Language: An Introduction. Manchester University Press. p.50. ..confirmed by an analysis of the Lydian language, which is Indo-European.. The origins of coinage". britishmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015 . Retrieved 21 September 2015. Herodotus (1975) [first published 1954]. Burn, A. R.; de Sélincourt, Aubrey (eds.). The Histories. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-051260-8.