Definitions for pactoluspækˈtoʊ ləs
This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word pactolus
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
a small river in Asia Minor, in ancient Lydia: famous for the gold washed from its sands.
Category: Geography (places)
A river, formerly an important feature of ancient Lydia and said to contain gold; now rising and emptying in modern Turkey.
Pactolus is a river near the Aegean coast of Turkey. The river rises from Mount Tmolus, flows through the ruins of the ancient city of Sardis, and empties into the Gediz River, the ancient Hermus. The Pactolus once contained electrum that was the basis of the economy of the ancient state of Lydia. According to legend, King Midas divested himself of the golden touch by washing himself in the river.
The Nuttall Encyclopedia
a small river of Lydia, famous for the gold contained in its sand, due, it was alleged, to Midas washing the gold off him in its waters, and the alleged source of the wealth of Croesus; its modern name is Sarabat. See Midas.
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