The Last King of Lydia

A beaten king stands on top of a pyre. His conqueror, the Persian warrior Cyrus, signals to his guards; they step forward and touch flaming torches to the dry wood. Croesus, once the richest man of the ancient world, is to be burned alive. As he watches the flames catch, Croesus looks over his life with clarity. He remembers the time he asked the old philosopher, Solon, who was the happiest man in the world. With his wealth, Croesus used to think it was him. But then his wealth could not remove the spear from his dying son's chest; could not cure the mute boy with matted hair; could not make him as wise as his own slave; could not bring his wife's love back; could not stop his army being torn apart and his kingdom defeated. As the old philosopher had replied, a man's happiness can only be measured when he is dead. The first coils of smoke wrap around Croesus' neck like a noose.