In 482 BC, Pietios was also the richest merchant in Lydia, owning the vast fortunes of many small state monarchs. Although the homeland under his feet has long been destroyed, it does not prevent him from maintaining a strong family base with his shrewd mind. He was even good at exploiting the policy loopholes of the Persian Empire and taking the initiative to befriend the two supreme rulers, which can be called the imitation god who made a fortune in a muffled voice.
Lydian gold and silver coins of the 6th century BC
However, this good fortune came to an abrupt end before the outbreak of the Second Greco-Persian War. Unable to contain his instinctive greed, Pitios tried to donate his property in exchange for more rights. But he had to intercede for his son who was about to go to the battlefield, and finally ended up with a miserable end because he angered Long Yan.
Map of the Kingdom of Lydia at its peak
In fact, a slick and highly leveraged businessman like Pietios could only have been born in the eastern Aegean region of Lydia. Because since the end of the Bronze Age, this plain sandwiched between the Mediterranean Sea and the Anatolian Highlands has sprung up due to the multiple resources at its disposal. In addition to more farmland developed by iron smelting technology, the accidental discovery of gold reserves, and the geographical location itself, it is easy to concentrate the wealth of the surrounding area locally.
Lydian merchants were the first to set up fixed shops for operation or rent
As a result, Lydia became a trading hub between the Mediterranean world and the Near East, and with it the promotion of the entire business class to the "pig on the cusp." Even if similar operation methods have long been known, they can obtain "survivorship bias" that can be encountered but not sought by virtue of geographical advantages. And unlike the Greeks or Phoenicians scattered on both sides of the border, the Lydian merchants did not need to sail for a long time, risking their lives to escort goods to the end of the civilized world. Instead, they are more adept at sitting on the ground and using the world's first fixed shops to operate or rent. At the same time, the first round coins made of gold and silver were sent in order to achieve arbitrage gains by manipulating specific components.
The geographical advantage allowed Lydian merchants to only sit in their hometowns
These factors intertwine to shape the ethos of the entire Lydian elite. That is, to rely on gold and silver to open the way to diplomacy, and worry that they will face adversity. Even if you initially intend to fight to protect the property under your feet, it is easy to give up altogether later. He can even make any degree of compromise for economic interests, giving up his royal power to protect himself. For example, in the 7th century BC, they sponsored the 26th Dynasty of Egypt against Assyrian tyranny, and they themselves repeatedly used bribes to stop the invasions of the northern Sommerian tribes. In the 6th century BC, it was once again caught in a long war with the Median Empire, and finally had to rely on a third party to end up.
A small number of Lydian military elites usually presented themselves as cavalrymen
At the same time, the emerging Achaemenid dynasty of Persia arose, replacing the old Medes lord in a very short time. The unknown Lydians tried to expand their eastern borders, but they failed miserably because their core military strength was too weak. Immediately, most cities in the territory chose to wait and see. The capital Sardis was besieged by invaders and occupied, and the old king was killed by self-immolation. Fortunately, the new Iranian governors are not familiar with the local situation, and are willing to rely on former people to guide them, and they hope to use their business talents to receive high remuneration. Thus, the Lydians ushered in a period of transformation that required resignation.
The defeat in the war against Persia forced Lydia to be reduced to a province
Fearful of the power of some of its citizens, the Persian rulers embarked on cultural modifications to the population of Sardis and its surroundings. Not only is the law prohibiting the practice of martial arts, but the new generation of young people is required to wear trousers from primary school and to replace the training subjects in group activities with musical instrument exercises. As a result, in just over a decade, the population of the core area has shown a feminine atmosphere. They continued to enjoy a high political status, charging expensive commercial rents, but had to be protected entirely by garrisons sent by the empire. So much so that in the Great Ionian Revolt of 499 BC, a small number of Greek rebels easily stormed the city and destroyed it.
Due to the cultural castration, the Lydians devoted all their energy to business
On the other hand, a few business oligarchs survived and even used the policies of the empire to get rich. For example, the protagonist of this article, Pittios, is most likely a large merchant living in the eastern inland region. The place where he was located was originally second-tier, economically and politically attached to the main city of Sardis, which was closer to the sea. It was not until the Persian Empire completed its conquest that it was included in the radiation range of the new royal road. It is tantamount to relying on executive orders to suddenly obtain a pivotal status that has not been available in the past, and it is difficult to get rich. In particular, the descendants of the landed aristocracy who lived in the countryside were often exempt from cultural bans against former capitals and were able to continue training in horseback riding, wrestling, and other combat skills. There are also fewer restrictions on business, and it is entirely possible to open semicolons in towns east of the Harus. This was a good thing that could not have been imagined in the past Lydian Kingdom era.
The establishment of the royal road of Persia soared the trading status of the interior of Lydia
In addition, Pittios himself was very good at drilling camps, risking risky political speculation. In 519 BC, he presented Darius I, who was on his way to the European front, with a hanging wood and vine made of pure gold. Although there is no historical record of what he received for this, there are still nobles in the Persian court decades later whose names and resumes are clearly known. It can be seen that this Lydian magnate has successfully made a personal name for himself, and is bound to enjoy a higher voice in the Anatolian plateau far away from the emperor of the mountain. Perhaps the speculative act that was accidentally recorded was the first pot of gold that was completely discovered.
In the war of Darius' expedition to Europe, Pietios took the initiative
In 481 BC, Xerxes' expedition to Greece was well underway. At the same time that the canal was excavated and the cross-sea bridge project was in full swing, the main force began to move along the royal road towards the Aegean Sea. For Pithios, this is undoubtedly a good opportunity for him to completely soar. So, without waiting for the Persians to set foot in Lydia, he was already waiting for the city of Caylene, in the province of Cappadocia. As soon as he was able to meet the great king, he immediately moved out of his offering to the previous monarch. By the way, he paid for the entire army and promised to spend all his money on the continued war funds.
The most important means of payment in the Persian Empire is about 0.3 ounces of gold coins each
Probably as a sign of sincerity, Pithios claimed to own 2,000 tarrants of silver (about 52,000 kilograms) and 393,000 gold coins (about 1,197,900 ounces) on the crotch of the king. And they are willing to spend all of it on military expenses, so that they can live only on the output of the farm under their name. Xerxes was a little moved after hearing this, and directly announced that the businessman he met for the first time was his friend. Even willing to pay 7,000 more gold coins when returning military expenses in the future.
The speculative performance of Pietios moved Xerxes a little
At this point, this previously unknown local merchant became a sweet potato in the mobile court of Persia. Not only did he accompany the expeditionary force through all of Lydia, but it was also possible to quickly recover the donated property in another way by contracting logistics operations. The bad news was that all five of his sons were drafted to become Herodotus' strangers wearing Greek heavy infantry equipment. You may be able to use a pack horse instead, but after all, you need to face a cruel fate on the battlefield of the future.
The dedication of the property of Pythios allowed the Persian nobility to eat and drink on the front line
Thus, the exemplary monarch-merchant relationship between Pytios and Xerxes was severely rifted on the Bosphorus. The former publicly petitioned the king, hoping to pardon his eldest son for his obligation to join the army so that he could help his elderly self manage the family business. As soon as the words came out, Long Yan was furious because he nakedly showed his concern about the battle situation. The latter, without any regard for the proper decency of the Ninety-Five, cursed almost all the old men, and redefined the previously appointed "friends" as "despicable slaves".
Pietios' public petition made Xerxes furious
At this point, the speculative behavior of this top rich Lydian businessman ended in complete failure. Xerxes used his previous friendship as an excuse to honorably spare him and his four sons who continued to serve. But he could not spare the eldest son, and ordered him to be cut in half from head to toe, and discarded on both sides of the road through which the whole army must pass to give a bloody warning. More importantly, the loan that had been promised interest of 7,000 gold coins was also directly lost. The end of Pieos is undoubtedly empty, not only losing the richest man's position, but also casting a shadow over the family's future. Considering the later course of the war, his other heirs are probably just as fierce.
The Lydian soldiers who joined the Persian army were similar in equipment to the Greeks
Decades later, Herodotus began to compile his immortal masterpiece, History, which deliberately included the miserable plight of Pyrios. It seems that he wants to use his fate to tell the objective truth that the companion is like a tiger, and to accuse the Persian Empire of institutional tyranny. After all, there will be no only businessman with similar experiences, but it is difficult to leave some afterimages in the historical books full of princes and generals and violent peasants...