506 Abydenus, in _Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum_, ed. C. Müller, iv. 282; Georgius Syncellus, _Chronographia_, i. p. 396, ed. G. Dindorf; E. Meyer, _Geschichte des Alterthums_, i. (Stuttgart, 1884) pp. 576 _sq._; G. Maspero, _Histoire Ancienne des Peuples de l’Orient Classique_, iii. 482-485. C. P. Tiele thought that the story of the death of Saracus might be a popular but mistaken duplicate of the death of Shamash-shumukin (_Babylonisch-assyrische Geschichte_, pp. 410 _sq._). Zimri, king of Israel, also burned himself in his palace to escape falling into the hands of his enemies (1 Kings xvi. 18). M129 Story that Cyrus intended to burn Croesus alive. It is unlikely that the Persians would thus have polluted the sacred element of fire. 507 Herodotus, i. 86 _sq._ 508 Raoul-Rochette, “Sur l’Hercule Assyrien et Phénicien,” _Mémoires de l’Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres_, xvii. Deuxième Partie (Paris, 1848), p. 274. 509 J. Darmesteter, _The Zend-Avesta_, vol. i. (Oxford, 1880) pp. lxxxvi., lxxxviii-xc. (_Sacred Books of the East_, vol. iv.). _ 510 Zend-Avesta_, _Vendîdâd_, Fargard, v. 7. 39-44 (_Sacred Books of the East_, iv. 60 _sq._). _ 511 Zend-Avesta_, translated by J. Darmesteter, i. pp. xc. 9, 110 _sq._ (_Sacred Books of the East_, iv.). 512 Strabo, xv. 3. 14, p. 732. Even gold, on account of its resemblance to fire, might not be brought near a corpse (_id._ xv. 3. 18, p. 734). M130 The older and truer tradition was that in the extremity of his fortunes Croesus attempted to burn himself. 513 Sardes fell in the autumn of 546 B.C. (E. Meyer, _Geschichte des Alterthums_, i. (Stuttgart, 1884), p. 604). Bacchylides was probably born between 512 and 505 B.C. See R. C. Jebb, _Bacchylides, the Poems and Fragments_ (Cambridge, 1905), pp. 1 _sq._ 514 Bacchylides, iii. 24-62. 515 F. G. Welcker, _Alte Denkmäler_ (Göttingen, 1849-1864), iii. pl. xxxiii.; A. Baumeister, _Denkmäler des klassischen Altertums_ (Munich and Leipsic, 1885-1888), ii. 796, fig. 860; A. H. Smith, “Illustrations to Bacchylides,” _Journal of Hellenic Studies_, xviii. (1898) pp. 267-269; G. Maspero, _Histoire Ancienne des Peuples de l’Orient Classique_, iii. 618 _sq._ It is true that Cambyses caused the dead body of the Egyptian king Amasis to be dragged from the tomb, mangled, and burned; but the deed is expressly branded by the ancient historian as an outrage on Persian religion (Herodotus, iii. 16).