 He was the son and successor of Cyaxares and his reign began at the end of the war after Cyaxares' death.Pliny the Elder mentions as well that Thales had predicted a solar eclipse during the reign of Alyattes.If one reads the description by Herodotus of the event as a solar eclipse, then based on modern astronomical calculations it can be identified with the solar eclipse of May 28, 585 BC (the Eclipse of Thales), hence yielding the exact date of the battle.