Croesus' lost shield and other marvellous objects

The paper discusses the new ‘Croesus’s dedication’ from Thebes. It argues that we should read this inscription independently from Herodotus text, and, thus, suggests a different restoration for lines 4–5 based on contemporary epigraphic forms. The article also examines why the shield of Croesus can cause marvel. It situates the epigram in the context of traditions about Croesus’s dedications in general, as well as traditions about other powerful objects. The power of the shield that Croesus has dedicated is not, I argue, that of a talismanic object, in the sense that its viewing has the power to affect the attitudes of the worshippers. Such traditions seem to be late in Greek culture. The shield of Croesus in the epigram is instrumental in confirming the power of Apollo Ismenios and making the truthfulness of his oracle manifest