The King of
Lydia (around 550 BC)who was fabled for his great wealth. The tale of Croesus, told by
Herodotus, goes like this: on being sentenced to death by the
Persian king
Cyrus, Croesus called out the name of
Solon, who had prophesied his fall: and on learning this ironic tale, Cyrus made Croesus his adviser.
The story is historically impossible, and was intended as an illustration of the
Greek proverb 'Count no man happy until he is dead'. The phrase 'rich as Croesus' is still in use.