is colonisation
by Crcesus, when he said that the Mysians of Olympus were
descendants of Lydian colonists.

** Strabo merely says that the Kibyrates were descended from
the Lydians who dwelt in Cabalia; since Croesus was, as far
as we know, the only Lydian king who ever possessed this
part of Asia, Radet, with good reason, concludes that Kibyra
was colonised by him.

*** Radet has given good reasons for believing that at least
some of these towns were enlarged and fortified by Croesus.

Their victory placed the Lydian king in a position of great perplexity,
since it annulled the treaties concluded after the eclipse of 585, and
by releasing him from the obligations then contracted, afforded him an
opportunity of extending the limits within which his father had confined
himself. Now or never was the time for crossing the Halys in order to
seize those mineral districts with which his subjects had so long had
commercial relations; on the other hand, the unexpected energy of which
the Persians had just given proof, their bravery, their desire for
conquest, and the valour of their leader, all tended to deter him from
the project: should he be victorious, Cyrus would probably not rest
contented with tke annexation of a few unimportant districts or the
imposition of a tribute, but would treat his adversary as he had
Astyages, and having dethroned him, would divide Lydia into departments
to be ruled by one or other of his partisans. Warlike ideas,
nevertheless, prevailed at the court of Sardes, and, taking all into
consideration, we cannot deny that they had reason on their side. The
fall of Ecbatana had sealed the fate of Media proper, and its immediate
dependencies had naturally shared the fortunes of the capital; but the
more distant provinces still wavered, and they would probably attempt
to take advantage of the change of rule to regain their liberty. Cyrus,
obliged to take up arms against them, would no longer have his entire
forces at his disposal, and by attacking him at that juncture it might
be possible to check his power before it became irresistible. Having
sketched out his plan of campaign, Croesus prepared to execute it with
all possible celerity. Egypt and Chaldaea, like himself, doubtless felt
themselves menaced; he experienced little difficulty in persuading them
to act in concert with him in face of the common peril, and he obtained
from both Amasis and Nabonidus