The histories of Herodotus;

74-76] CRCESUS INVADES CAPPADOCIA 29
had foretold to the Ionians, fixing beforehand this year as
the very period in which the change actually took place. The
Lydians and Medes, seeing night succeeding in the place of
day, desisted from fighting, and both showed a great anxiety
to make peace. Syennesis x the Cilician, and Labynetus 2 the
Babylonian, were the mediators of their reconciliation ; these
were they who hastened the treaty between them, and made
for they persuaded Alyattes to give
a matrimonial connection ;
his daughter Aryenis in marriage to Astyages, son of Cyaxares.
For, without strong necessity, agreements are not wont
to remain firm. These nations in their federal contracts observe
the same ceremonies as the Greeks, and in addition,
#
when they have cut their arms to the outer skin, they lick up
one another's blood.
Cyrus had subdued this same Astyages, his grandfather by
the mother's side, for reasons which I shall hereafter relate.
Croesus, alleging this against him, sent to consult the oracle,
if he should make war on the Persians ; and when an ambiguous
answer came back, he, interpreting it to his own advantage,
led his army against the territory of the Persians. When
he arrived at the river Halys, Croesus transported his forces,
as I believe by the bridges which are now there. But the
common opinion of the Grecians is that Thales the Milesian
procured him a passage. For, while Croesus was in doubt
how his army should pass over the river (for they say that
these bridges were not at that time in existence), Thales, who
was in the camp, caused the stream, which flowed along the
left of the army, to flow likewise on the right ; he contrived
it thus : having begun above the camp, he dug a deep
trench, in the shape of a half moon, so that the river, being
turned into this, from its old channel, might pass in the rear
of the camp pitched where it then was, and afterward, having
passed by the camp, might fall into its former course ; so
that as soon as the river was divided into two streams it became
fordable in both. Some say that the ancient channel of
the river was entirely dried up ; but this
for how then could they have crossed
I can not assent to
it on their return?
Croesus, after passing the river with his army, came to a
place called Pteria, in Cappadocia. (Now Pteria is the strongest
position of the whole of this country, and is situated
over against Sinope, a city on the Euxine Sea.) Here he
1 Syennesis seems to have been a name common to the kings of Cilicia.
In addition to the one here mentioned, we meet with another in the time
of Darius, and a third in the time of Xerxes.
* The same, says Prideaux, with the Nebuchadnezzar of Scripture.
: