Croesus Destroyed His Own Empire

According to a likely legendary account by Greek historian Herodotus, the famously wealthy King Croesus of Lydia consulted the Oracle of Delphi after Persian king Cyrus the Great overthrew his brother-in-law in 550 BC. The oracle told Croesus that attacking Cyrus would "destroy a great empire," which he interpreted as a promise of Persian defeat. Croesus launched the war, but Cyrus defeated him at Pteria and Thymbra before capturing the Lydian capital of Sardis. The prophecy came true, but the great empire Croesus destroyed was his own.

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