Plutarch, Parallele Geschichten 5:

At the city of Celaenae in Phrygia the earth yawned open together with a heavy rain, and dragged down many homesteads with their inhabitants into the depths. Midas the king (1) received an oracle that if he should throw his most precious possession into the abyss, it would close. He cast in gold and silver, but this availed nothing. But Anchurus [Ἄγχουρος], the son of Midas, reasoning that there is nothing in life more precious than a human life [λογισάμενος μηδὲν εἶναι τιμιώτερον ἐν βίῳ ψυχῆς ἀνθρωπίνης], embraced his father and his wife Timothea, and rode on his horse into the abyss. When the earth had closed, Midas made an altar of Idaean Zeus golden by a touch of his hand (2). This altar becomes stone at that time of the year when this yawning of the earth occurred; but when this limit of time has passed, it is seen to be golden. So Callisthenes in the second book of his Metamorphoses.

Because of the wrath of Jupiter Tarpeius (3) the Tiber coursed through the middle of the Forum, broke open a very large abyss and engulfed many houses. An oracle was given that this would end if they threw in their precious possession. As they were casting in gold and silver, Curtius, a youth of noble family, apprehended the meaning of the oracle, and, reasoning that human life is more precious, he hurled himself on horseback into the abyss, and saved his people from their miseries. (4) So Aristeides in the fortieth book of his Italian History.

(Moralia 306E-307A)

(1) gemäß assyrischen Quellen als König für 718-709 bezeugt; als weitgehend mythische Figur in der griechischen Überlieferung populär.
(2) Midas war berühmt dafür, Dinge durch Berührung in Gold verwandeln zu können (die goldene Hand des Midas).
(3) d.h. Jupiter Capitolinus
(4) Vgl. Livius VII 6; Dionysios Halicarnassos, Römische Altertümer XIV 11