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[Croesus,] king of [the] Lydians, thinking himself to be the richest and most fortunate man, summoned Solon the Athenian, a wise man, showed off his treasuries and his other riches to him and asked him, "Who, of all men, do you consider fortunate?" And he said "Tellos the Athenian,[1] who lived blessedly and died fighting for his country." And learning this he asked, "So who after Tellos?" Solon said, "Cleobis and Biton, Argives by birth, whose mother Theano or Kydippe[2] was a priestess and intended to lead a procession in the traditional festival in a wagon as far as the temple of Hera; as the oxen were delayed, her sons bent their own necks and dragged the wagon and took their mother to the precinct. And after their mother had prayed to Hera that the most beautiful thing for men might come to them, in the following night they were found dead."
Aelian said about Croesus: "groaning he fetched up a sigh and called out 'Solon!' three times."[3]

*kroi=sos, *ludw=n basileu/s, nomi/zwn e(auto\n plousiw/taton ei)=nai kai\ eu)daimone/staton, metapemya/menos *so/lwna to\n *)aqhnai=on, a)/ndra sofo/n, e)pe/deicen au)tw=| tou\s qhsaurou\s kai\ ta)/lla tou= plou/tou kai\ h)rw/thsen au)to/n, ti/na eu)dai/mona pa/ntwn a)nqrw/pwn neno/mikas; o( de\ e)/fh *te/llon to\n *)aqhnai=on, zh/santa eu)tuxw=s kai\ a)poqano/nta u(pe\r th=s patri/dos maxo/menon. punqanome/nou de\ au)tou=, ti/na ou)=n meta\ *te/llon; o( de\ e)/fh *kle/obin kai\ *bi/twna, to\ ge/nos *)argei/ous, oi(/tines th=s mhtro\s au)tw=n *qeanou=s h)\ *kudi/pphs i(erwme/nhs kai\ mellou/shs pompeu/ein th=| patri/w| e(orth=| e)pi\ a)ph/nhs me/xri teme/nous th=s *(/hras, xronizo/ntwn tw=n u(pozugi/wn, u(poqe/ntes tou\s i)di/ous au)xe/nas oi( pai=des th\n a)ph/nhn ei(/lkusan kai\ h)/gagon th\n mhte/ra e)pi\ to\ te/menos. eu)came/nhs de\ e)kei/nhs th=| *(/hra| gene/sqai au(th=s toi=s paisi\n o(/ ti ka/lliston a)nqrw/pois, th=| e)piou/sh| nukti\ eu(re/qhsan a)mfo/teroi teteleuthko/tes. o(/ti *ai)liano\s peri\ *kroi/sou e)/fh: o( de\ a)nhne/gkato a)/ra stena/cas kai\ e)s tri\s e)ka/lese to\n *so/lwna.

For Croesus see already kappa 2497, kappa 2498, and again kappa 2500. The material of the present entry derives from Herodotus 1.30ff, via an excerptor.
[1] Cross-referenced at tau 284.
[2] Herodotus gives no name(s).
[3] Aelian fr. 70l Domingo-Forasté (part of 67 Hercher); from alpha 2418.

William Hutton (Minor alterations) on 13 June 2000@23:42:30.
David Whitehead (modified translation; added notes, bibliography, keywords) on 25 May 2001@07:36:33.
David Whitehead (added note) on 23 October 2002@10:32:44.
David Whitehead (more keywords; tweaks and cosmetics) on 19 May 2008@10:26:30.
Catharine Roth (updated reference) on 23 March 2012@02:01:29.
David Whitehead on 18 March 2013@08:23:34.

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