- Xenophon was an ancient Greek Soldier and Historian (c. 431-360 BCE) who was born and lived in Athens, Greece.
- He was a student of Socrates. His most famous Work was the ‘Anabasis’.
Works
- ‘Anabasis’
- Anabasis means the Expedition. It consisted of 7 books written in c.370 BCE.
- This is the story of a Greek mercenary army of 10,000 men, who were hired in 401 BCE by Cyrus the Younger, to seize the Kingdom of Persia from his brother, Artaxerxes II.
- Although Xenophon attributes the authorship to Themistogenes, Plutarch considered that Xenophon was the author.
- When Cyrus the Younger was killed in a battle near Babylon, his General and senior officers were killed or captured by treachery, removing the motive for the expedition.
- The Greek Army then elected Xenophon and two other officers to become their leaders. They decided they had to fight their way north to reach the Black Sea. They had no supplies and were pursued by the Persian Army through the hostile desert and mountains before finally reaching the safety of the Black Sea
- Throughout, Xenophon had to make minute by minute decisions that could result in either success or defeat, leading the army by Socratic principles on the basis of a Republic.
- The story was read and admired throughout Greece and possibly formed the basis for the Invasion of Persia by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE.
Babylon