Croesus was the king of Lydia in the middle of the sixth century B.C.E., and he was immensely wealthy. In today's image, you see him confronting one of the seven sages of ancient Greece, Solon of Athens, a story that is told by the Greek historian Herodotus, and centuries later it became the subject of a story by Leo Tolstoy, "Croesus and Fate." Although Croesus was confident that his wealth and power secured him certain happiness, Solon warned him that this was not necessarily the case at all. Later, when Croesus witness the death of his son and also the death of his wife, he realized that wealth and power could not protect him from the blows of Fortune.
You can also find more myths and legends for the week of July 29 - August 4 here. For more information and links to the actual javascript code, see the Myths & Legends Widget Reference Page.
