The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1922-08-17
.CR0ESUS seen
IN new ROLES
Godfather of the Modern Hotel
and Patron Saint of Travel
ing Salesman.
GOLD COINS OIL WORLD TRADE
Recent Discovery of First Gold Coins
Ever Minted Recalls Number Of
Heritages Civilization Owes
to Buried Sardis.

Washington, D. O. - Introducing
Croesus-godfather of the modern
hotel and patron saint of the travelling
salesman!
These are new roles assigned to the
srstwhile richest man in the world In
a bulletin from the Washington, D.
O., headquarters Of the National
Geographic society.
1.-THE discovery of thirty gold pieces
from Croesus' mint, which were part
of the first series of gold coins evef
struck off, recalls one Of a number Of
heritages which civilization owes to
buried Sardis," says the bulletin.
Gold Oils World Trade.
'These n%ew-feund coins and q few
other pieces already In museums Sig
nalize the Lydian inception Of the
gold basis for world trade-an instru-
mentality which l%ubricates interna.
tional commerce to- this day.
"The hotel, Or the humble inn which
was it's forerunner, was not possible
until some standardized and compact
medium Of exchange was available.
Therefore it is not surprising that his
torians generally agree that the first
inns, where board and lodging might
be had for payment of regular fees,
were established in Lydia.
Before that time caravanserai were
known. But they were evidences. of
eastern hospitality, set up at points
where constant applications for en-
tainment grew burdensome, and were
maintained as q sort of cooperative
guest room, or modern municipal
lodging house.
"Now it followed further that when
a man might be assured convenient
abode when he travelled, and he could
close a business deal with a pocket
full of gold rather than a herd Of cat
tie, that the trading radius of the
ancient world suddenly expanded. Men
began to travel for pleasure as well
as for business, In fact the Greeks al
ready had ventured forth for his
torie and for discovery Thus 1t
would seem that not only the trade
representative but the tourist and
the geographer owe Croesus consider
able gratitude.
1.-The modern man can hardly appre-
bend, without an effort of his mag
nation, how great a boon it was to
the ancients Of the Sixth century B. O.
merely to visit another city. Important
events were taking place. 1t was the
time Of Buddha and Confucius, Of
Scion and Cyrus, as we'll as Croesus,
yet any high school boy Of today can
know more about what was going on
In the world then than any one living
at that time possibly could have
known.
The casual traveller was unknown.
The stranger was always feared and
his life-was in jeopardy. Traders with
caravans, sailors with their cargoes
high officials with stately retinues, a
few beggars and religious. pilgrims
these the only travellers Of that
time.
Digging for History.
despite these marked steps towart
culture, Lydia has remained only
flash in the pan Of history. Until ex
plorers recently began digging in thu
dust Of the land that now is a Greel
mandate IN the Aegean shores o.
Asia Minor nearly all we knew O
Lydia was the rambling, but colorfu
story Of Herodotus. And some Of what
we did know, 1t now %transpires, wa,
wrong. The tale Of how Scion, wher
asked by Croesus to name the happi
est man in the world, did not repl,
that Croesus was the man, as thu
monarch expected, but mentioned In
stead some humble and dutiful citi
Gems Of Athens, may persist, for ita
moral but has been ruled out of his
tory. -. - g
"Lydia's wealth is thought to have
been due to various minerals and prin
+ eipally to her trade. Her capital
Sardis, was set on a hill whose rufni
even now betoken an imposing dig
nifty. The site ii sIxtv miles narfhaaS