Battle of Halys

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Battle of Halys
date First half of the 6th century BC BC (probably during the solar eclipse of May 28, 585 BC )
place Asia Minor
Exit draw
Parties to the conflict

Lyder

Medes

Commander

Alyattes II.

Kyaxares II. Or Astyages


The Halys in the border region between Lydia and Media in the early 6th century BC Chr.

The so-called Battle of Halys was a battle between Alyattes II , King of Lydia , and the Medes in the early 6th century BC. BC, which ended in a draw. However, it is not certain whether it actually took place on the Halys River (now Kızılırmak) or in its immediate vicinity.

According to Herodotus (5th century BC), a sudden change from day to night during the battle moved the warring parties to peace, with a Syennesis from Cilicia and a Labynetus from Babylon acting as mediators. He does not name the time or place of the battle.

He also reported that Thales of Miletus (6th century BC) had predicted the change in the day. Pliny reports in the 1st century AD that Thales had in the 4th year of the 48th Olympiad , that is, in the year 585/84 BC. That solar eclipse was predicted that would take place in the year 170 after the founding of the city of Rome , i.e. 584/83 BC. BC, during the rule of the Alyattes. Even Marcus Tullius Cicero reports predicted by Thales eclipse, but leaves it during the reign of Astyages , son of Cyaxares, have occurred. This version is also followed by Eusebius of Caesarea and Solinus , while Herodotus only connects the peace treaty with Astyages for the Median side.

This solar eclipse was in the 20th century with the help of astronomical calculations with that of May 28, 585 BC . Chr identified. This would make the battle the first historical event of that epoch that could be dated to the exact day. In Thales' time, however, it was impossible to predict a solar eclipse. Otta Wenskus thinks it is more likely that the eclipse was merely of an atmospheric nature, that Thales predicted something different and that the battle cannot therefore be precisely dated.

Kevin Leloux is of the opinion that there may be no causal relationship between the solar eclipse and the course of the battle, just a certain temporal proximity. Since solar eclipses made a particularly strong impression on ancient peoples, it is conceivable that they served Herodotus and other historians only as temporal reference points and that actually separate events in their immediate temporal proximity were merged into one common event in later historiography. Leloux considers the event during the war to be likely, but the connection with the end of the war as constructed. From this he concludes that historically it is only certain that in the first quarter of the 6th century BC A battle between Lydern and Medes took place. Neither the exact year nor the location of the battle are certain, and not even the kings of the two parties who will officiate in the battle can be determined with any certainty.

Remarks

  1. Herodotus, Historien 1,74,2 ( English translation ).
  2. Pliny, Naturalis historia 2.9 (53) ( English translation ).
  3. Cicero, De divinatione 1.49 ( English translation ).
  4. Eusebius, Chronikon 2.1430.
  5. Solinus, De mirabilibus mundi 15:16.
  6. Otta Wenskus : The alleged prediction of a solar eclipse by Thales von Milet. Why this legend persists and why it is important not to believe it. In: Hermes . Volume 144, No. 1, 2016, pp. 2-17.
  7. Kevin Leloux: The Battle of the Eclipse (May 28, 585 BC): A Discussion of the Lydo-Median Treaty and the Halys Border. In: Polemos. Volume 19, No. 2, 2016, ISSN  1331-5595 , pp. 31-54, in particular 37-39, 49 ( online ).