Lydian Palace Guard 546BC -created for Poser Michael 4 https://www.artstation.com/artwork/RnXa6m Lydian palace guard of King Croesus in Sardis 546 BC BC shortly before the fall at the hands of the Persians. According to Herodotus (I, 53), the oracle of Delphi prophesied Croesus that he would destroy a great empire if he crossed the Halys. In the (mis)belief that this meant the Persian Empire, he attacked the Persians. In 547 Croesus was defeated by the Persians at Pteria. The Persians invaded the Lydian Empire and conquered the capital Sardis in 546. Lydia became a satrapy. In ancient sources, the Lydians are said to have invented coins. There is strong evidence that the Lydians were indeed the first to use double-sided coins. The earliest means of payment that can be regarded as coins date from the last third of the 7th century BC. Chr. Research details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydians https://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub371/entry-6053.html https://www.jstor.org/stable/1357214?read-now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3A14764f5b3dba21458f15c72e23f7d7c6&seq=15#page_scan_tab_contents