Ἱστορίαι Ἡροδότου — ϛ’

Κροῖσος ἦν Λυδὸς μὲν γένος, παῖς δὲ Ἀλυάττεω, τύραννος δὲ ἐθνέων τῶν ἐντός Ἅλυος ποταμοῦ, ὃς ῥέων ἀπὸ μεσαμβρίης μεταξὺ Συρίων τε καὶ Παφλαγόνων ἐξιεῖ πρὸς βορέην ἄνεμον ἐς τὸν Εὔξεινον καλεόμενον πόντον.

οὗτος ὁ Κροῖσος βαρβάρων πρῶτος τῶν ἡμεῖς ἴδμεν τοὺς μὲν κατεστρέψατο Ἑλλήνων ἐς φόρου ἀπαγωγήν, τοὺς δὲ φίλους προσεποιήσατο. κατεστρέψατο μὲν Ἴωνάς τε καὶ Αἰολέας καὶ Δωριέας τοὺς ἐν τῇ Ἀσίῃ, φίλους δὲ προσεποιήσατο Λακεδαιμονίους.

πρὸ δὲ τῆς Κροίσου ἀρχῆς πάντες Ἕλληνες ἦσαν ἐλεύθεροι· τὸ γὰρ Κιμμερίων στράτευμα τὸ ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰωνίην ἀπικόμενον Κροίσου ἐὸν πρεσβύτερον οὐ καταστροφὴ ἐγένετο τῶν πολίων ἀλλʼ ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς ἁρπαγή.

Kroisos ēn Lydos men genos, pais de Alyatteō, tyrannos de ethneōn tōn entos Halyos potamou, hos rheōn apo mesambriēs metaxy Syriōn te kai Paphlagonōn exiei pros boreēn anemon es ton Euxeinon kaleomenon ponton.

houtos ho Kroisos barbarōn prōtos tōn hēmeis idmen tous men katestrepsato Hellēnōn es phorou apagōgēn, tous de philous prosepoiēsato. katestrepsato men Iōnas te kai Aioleas kai Dōrieas tous en tē Asiē, philous de prosepoiēsato Lakedaimonious.

pro de tēs Kroisou archēs pantes Hellēnes ēsan eleutheroi; to gar Kimmeriōn strateuma to epi tēn Iōniēn apikomenon Kroisou eon presbyteron ou katastrophē egeneto tōn poliōn allʼ ex epidromēs harpagē.

Croesus was of the line of Lydus, a child of Alyattes and the ruler of the people living on the Halys river. This river flows from the south (lit. mid day) between Syria and Paphlagonia and is sent out in the north into the Black Sea.

This Croesus was the first of the barbarians whom we know of that conquered some Greeks and earned their respect and made friends of others. Those he conquered were the Ionians, Aioleans and Doreans in Asia; those he befriended were the Spartans.

Before the reign of Croesus, all Greeks were free; for the Cimmerian campaign that attacked Ionia before Croesus’ reign did not subdue the cities, but rather raided and robbed them.