at Adramyttios was
brother to Alyattes and uncle to Crosus, and the same person
as Adramys, the son of Sadyattes, according to Xanthus of
Lydia. Radet gives the year 584 for the date of these
events.
He even carried his arms into Bithynia, where, to enforce his rule, he
built several strongholds, one of which, called Alyatta, commanded
the main road leading from the basin of the Rhyndacus to that of
the Sangarius, skirting the spurs of Olympus.* He experienced some
difficulty in reducing Caria, and did not finally succeed in his efforts
till nearly the close of his reign in 566. Adramyttios was then dead,
and his fief had devolved on his eldest surviving brother or nephew,
Crosus, whose mother was by birth a Carian. This prince had incurred
his father's displeasure by his prodigality, and an influential party
desired that he should be set aside in favour of his brother Pantaleon,
the son of Alyattes by an Ionian. Croesus, having sown his wild oats,
was anxious to regain his father's favour, and his only chance of so
doing was by distinguishing himself in the coming war, if only money
could be found for paying his mercenaries. Sadyattes, the richest banker
in Lydia, who had already had dealings with all the members of the royal
family, refused to make him a loan, but Theokharides of Priene advanced
him a thousand gold staters, which enabled Crosus to enroll his
contingent at Bphesus, and to be the first to present himself at the
rallying-place for the troops.**
* Radet places the operations in Bithynia before the Median
war, towards 594 at the latest. I think that they are more
probably connected with those in Mysia, and that they form
part of the various measures taken after the Median war to
achieve the occupation of the regions west of the Halys.
** A mutilated extract from Xanthus of Lydia in Suidas seems
to carry these events back to the time of the war against
Priene, towards the beginning of the reign. The united
evidence of the accompanying circumstances proves that they
belong to the time of the old age of Alyattes, and makes it
very likely that they occurred in 566, the date proposed by
Radet for the Carian campaign.
Caria was annexed to the kingdom, but the conditions under which the
annexation took place are not known to us;* and Croesus contributed so
considerably to the success of the campaign, that he was reinstated in
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