The Washington times., 1922-04-23
Mound Which Is Believed to Hide
the Tomb of King Croesus.

worth while propitiating. So he determined
to offer to 1t sacrifices and gifts such as
had never before been brought. He took
three thousand perfect animals--oxen
sheep, horses--and heapins them up in
great pile burned them on beds OF gold
and silver. The immense heap was COW
cred with robes OF richest purple, en-
broided with gold, and then walls of gold
dust were poured out over the robes.
After this colossal sacrifice was over he
melted down gold and cast III brick, of
which the ancient records S. "The long
est were six palms in length and the
shortest three and all in thickness one
palm" This gold weighed altogether 1880
pounds-or about a ton. He made also a
lifesized figure of lion which weighed
$500 pounds. He cast a figure OF a wo-
man five feet high in solid gol, weighing
5000 pounds. With these offerings he sent
two large bowls one Of gold, the other
OF silver. He also sent four silver casks.
and dedicated two lustral vases. one Of
gold. the other OF silver, and also neck.
laces and girdles Of his wife and other
women of gold and precious stones"
This treasure is computed to have
weighed Ave tons of gold in all. Now,
what would such an offering be worth to.
day?
We can arrive at some idea Of its value
by taking the price OF wheat as a stand
ard Wheat at 81 a bushel Is a mark
which has been touched In this country,
and IL represents what many farmers
would like to see as a standard price. A
$50 gold piece weighs an ounce and Is
worth $40, 1t would buy, therefore, at 81
bushel. twenty bushels of wheat. But
back in the days of Croesus gold had a far
ofor ,hoc inn han dav
has been computed that an ounce Of gold
then would buy 1000 bushels of wheat.
The five tons Of gold he gave TO the oracle
at Delphi contained 120, 900 ounces This
would have bought 1870 O00, 900 bushels OF
wheat at that day.
And this, at 81 wheat day, would mean
that Croesus's Ave tons of gold would now
be worth in purchasing power $4,000 900!
The orscles, or prophecies OF Apollo at
Delphi, we're delivered through the mouth
of a priestess called the Pythoness. She
sat on high tripod in a cave, from a rift
In the floor OF which gaseous vapors-
something like our nitrous oxide or laugh.
ing gas-arose. When she had inhaled
these vapors the Pythoness was supposed
to be possessed OF the spirit Of the god, and
her hysterical, crazed incoherencies were
taken down In writing by p,iests, and after
ward put In the shape OF divine mes
sage"
II is easy to see OF course, how the
uttersnces Of the Pythoness could be fixed
up by the priests In any shape or form
they thought best. Also when kings held
back their armies or sent them forward,
punished or granted great favors, and so
on, upon the strength Of these prophecies,
II Is easy to see how powerful the priests
at Delphi were. II ia also plain why their
favor WAS courted by those who felt that
sometime they might need friend at
court"
Canny old Croesus saw this very clearly
He not only sent valuable presents to the
Pythoness herself, but added about FIVE
more tons Of gold and jewels to the treas
ures Of the shrine.
Besides that, he sent to Delphi and had
r census made OF its inhabitants-about
10000, To each of these he pretLnted two
skaters Of gold'-equivaen in purchas.
ing power to about $500 of our money
today.
In return for this benefcence the Del
phians gave Croesus and the Lydians the
right to consult the oracle before all
others.
But Croesus spent much more than all
this on his court and his own Injuries. He
was passionatey fond Of the richest most
extravagant art. II was at the height of
his luxury that Soion. the great Athenian
philosopher, paid him visit. The King
asked Solon who was the happest man
in the world expecting, of course, that
the wise man would say "Croesus" He
was disappointed when Solon named
Tellus, the Athenian, who had lived in