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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]

Kroisos, Ludôn basileus, nomizôn heauton plousiôtaton einai kai eudaimonestaton, metapempsamenos Solôna ton Athênaion, andra sophon, epedeixen autôi tous thêsaurous kai talla tou ploutou kai êrôtêsen auton, tina eudaimona pantôn anthrôpôn nenomikas; ho de ephê Tellon ton Athênaion, zêsanta eutuchôs kai apothanonta huper tês patridos machomenon. punthanomenou de autou, tina oun meta Tellon; ho de ephê Kleobin kai Bitôna, to genos Argeious, hoitines tês mêtros autôn Theanous ê Kudippês hierômenês kai mellousês pompeuein têi patriôi heortêi epi apênês mechri temenous tês Hêras, chronizontôn tôn hupozugiôn, hupothentes tous idious auchenas hoi paides tên apênên heilkusan kai êgagon tên mêtera epi to temenos. euxamenês de ekeinês têi Hêrai genesthai hautês tois paisin ho ti kalliston anthrôpois, têi epiousêi nukti heurethêsan amphoteroi teteleutêkotes. hoti Ailianos peri Kroisou ephê: ho de anênenkato ara stenaxas kai es tris ekalese ton Solôna.

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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