Why Is Herodotus Paid For The Poor In Lydia's Republic?

Herodotus mentions in his histories that the Lydian people suffered in the time of king Atys’ reign (fifth century B.C.) from severe famine for a long period of eighteen years. In order to survive, they had to find a system of allocating their resources that would elongate the life of most of their citizens or what an economist might call, a way of smoothing consumption. The obvious choice was to daily allocate half of a needed portion to each citizen. For a time people lingered on as patiently as they could, but soon it became clear that no improvement of their situation was in sight.
Atys now had to overcome a new problem: the misery and the lack of hope of its citizens. Luckily, as Herodotus mentions, the Lydians were a sophisticated and
advanced society – they were the creators of gold and silver coinage and also, retailing. Soon after the period of famine began people had already started looking for ways to alleviate their misery. Various expedients to distract themselves were devised, for example - the invention of dice, knuckle bones, ballgames and a primitive form of card games. Nevertheless, they were suffering immensely.
The king knew that loosing hope was as bad as walking on an empty stomach, but he had no way of satisfying simultaneously these two basic needs of its people. He called its advisors and asked them for a way out of this dilemma, for it was clear to the king that its people will not survive. Famine or despair, or more likely both, were going to destroy his kingdom. Many counsels have gather in order to solve this problem, but no clear and efficient solution was found.
Many months had passed, and Atys himself fell prey to despair. He walked the streets of his kingdom each day, seeing his people suffering. The only thing he could do was to pray to the gods for help and so he did, each day, for months. But one fortuitous day, he noticed a child. The king had seen him many times at the fountain in front of the temple, but until that day never really noticed him. The child was carrying water from the fountain in two large buckets. For a grown man, carrying both buckets would have not been a problem, but the child had to carry them one at the time. At that moment, the king was struck in revelation of the fact that the gods have answered his prayer each and every day. As the child could not carry the two buckets at the same time, the king - a child in the eyes of the gods, could not carry the burdens of his people at the same time.
And so, Atys decides to carry the burdens of its people on at a time. He would tend to the hunger of its people for one day, and in the next one to their despair. Thus, the king ordered its people to eat and play on alternative days – one day playing so continously that they had no time to think about food, and eating on the next full portions without playing at all. After a while, the Lydians regained some of their strenght and demanded that their situation be further improved.
Atys knew the people were right to demand the end of this famine, but after so many years of hunger his people were to weak to work and so many thing were needed to be done. The king knew he had to feed some of the people better in order for them to be able to work. An obvious solution would have been choose the strongest of its people to receive the food, but the king knew that this could only solve part of its kingdom’s problems.
He than decided to give the food to the man best suited for the job that was needed to be done.
Atys soon realized that this method would not work either, since many people could have done a particular job, and thus feeding only one citizen would have been injust. The king also knew that giving each citizen an equal chance at doing the job would have been inefficient, for not everybody is suited for everything.
The king once again turned to the gods for help, but this time payed much attention to what his people were already doing. On the way to the temple he passed by his people: first a farmer, than a blacksmith, then a midwife, and a priest. He asked them to join him, to walk with him to the temple and discuss the problem.
The priest advocated that gods must choose the right man for the job, for that man would have the gods on its side that day. Atys knew the priest was right but he also knew that as the child could not carry both buckets, some people will not be able to do some jobs.
The farmer, a man of a more practical nature, said that each season brings a new type of task. So, the task should be primarely divided acording to season.
The blacksmith thinking at his hard work said that no man can be able to work if its fed only on that day. He needed at least a week of feeding and regained his full
strenght.
The midwife said nothing. But since she was the one who helped him enter this life, as she did with so many others, Atys asked the midwife to divide the people into groups based on their talents and character as well as their defects.
The king asked the priest to find out what was the will of the gods regarding each person in his kingdom.
The blacksmith and farmers concerned were easily accomodated, for a year has four seasons, and a year has 52 weeks. All he needed to do know, was a method of assigning chance to each of its citizen. Once again the gods intervened and inspired the king, for on the steps of the temple he found two man playing cards. And so the king decided that each type of man, would receive a card according to what traits he had and how the cards favored him. All he needed now, was 52 cards of four colors.
The Lydians escaped the famine and regained their prosperity, with the help of the gods and the inspired and wise Atys. Herodotus does not describe in its histories the exact method that was used, but as all things of importance linger, the method was kept, passed from generation to generation by the midwife. And today it can reach you.