Anabasis

By Xenophon

Book Overview

Xenophon's account of "The March of the Ten Thousand" Greek mercenaries, Anabasis or The March Up Country, is a classic of ancient Greek military history. Originally composed circa 360 BC, the seven books of Anabasis tell the story of the Ten Thousand, a mercenary expedition hired by Cyrus the Younger to seize the throne of Persia from his brother Artaxerxes II. After a victorious battle at Cunaxa in Babylon (401 BC), their employer Cyrus and the Greek leaders were killed, leaving the Ten Thousand leaderless and stranded deep in Persian territory. Anabasis recounts their incredible journey back to their Greek homeland, in which the Ten Thousand had to fight their way back through hostile territory. This remarkable and fascinating military campaign is immortalised in Xenophon's Anabasis -- a must-read for anyone interested in ancient Greek history. This edition of Xenophon's remarkable tale is based on the 1890 translation by scholar H.G. Dakyns (1838-1911). Xenophon of Athens was an ancient Greek historian and philosopher who lived during the 4th century BC. He is best known for his writings on the military campaigns of the Greek general and statesman, Cyrus the Younger. Xenophon was born around 430 BC in the city of Athens and was a student of Socrates. He was a part of the Athenian army, which was defeated by Sparta during the Peloponnesian War. Xenophon wrote extensively on the life, times and military campaigns of Cyrus the Younger, as well as his own experiences in the Greek army. His works include the Anabasis, which detailed the story of the failed expedition undertaken by Cyrus, as well as Hellenica, a history of Greece from 411 BC to 362 BC. Xenophon also wrote about Socrates, with his Symposium and Memorabilia providing invaluable insight into the philosopher's teachings and life. Xenophon's writings were influential in the development of political and military thought in the ancient world, and his works are still studied and read today. He is widely regarded as one of the most important historians of ancient Greece, and his works have shaped our understanding of the period. Today, Xenophon remains a major figure in the development of Western thought and philosophy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B09TMZ356R
• ISBN13: 9798427086264
• Release Date: March 2022
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 162 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.4" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

A story of leadership, faith and courage

I became aware of this story when reading Will Durants History of Ancient Greece. Durant described it as one of the greatest military accomplishments in history. I knew right then, I had to read it. This is the account of an army of 10,000 Greek mercenaries who were hired by Cyrus the Persian to help him overthrow his brother, the King. Cyrus, however, was defeated and killed in battle stranding the Greeks in Persia. To make matters worse, the Greek officers were slain by Persians under a false flag of truce, leaving the army leaderless, surrounded by overwhelming hostile forces and without provision 1500 miles from home. Leaderless, broke and despondent, the army, encouraged by Xenophon (354 B.C.) who was a solider on the expedition, elected new offices and began to fight its way home. This is a story of leadership, faith and courage. What is particularly interesting is the dialogues recorded (or recreated) by Xenophon. Especially telling was the debate among the officers as they were negotiating with the Persians before they were slaughtered. They were caught between the proverbial rock and hard place. Could they trust the Persian truce? Were they capable of defeating such a large army so far from home? If they choose to retreat, just how could they get this army of 10,000 home? They choose to negotiate and were betrayed and killed.No group of people remains leaderless for long. Leaders will arise, for the good or the worst. Fortunately for the Greeks, good men began to lead, and the long retreat up through Armenia, Kurdistan and to the Black Sea began. Throughout the march they faced one crisis after another- attacked by hostiles, struggling through the snowy mountains, depraved of food, water and provision. What is particularly sad, was the growing anarchy in the army as it came nearer to Greek civilization. Party factions arose, men began identify with their particular city-state rather than the army, resulting in discouragement and loss of life. This has to rank with one of the greatest military marches in history, perhaps only matched my Mao's long march during the Communist revolution in China. It is worth the read.

An Excellent Book for Self Study

This is an excellent edition for those who are studying Greek on their own. The Anabasis is a fine second year book because its Greek is easier than the "Apology of Socrates" by Plato. This edition also has grammatical notes and a Greek-English dictionary of all the words you will need for translation. You do not have to spend hours looking them up in the Liddell-Scott lexicon. Also, it lists interesting cognates and borrowings for most words. I strongly recommend this edition for those working on Greek as a hobby or outside of an academic environment.

The most famous account of a military withdrawal in history

This is an excellent translation of Xenophon's classic report, also known as "Anabasis." Xenophon (c. 430 B. C. to c. 355 B. C.) was a Greek soldier and historian who was born in Athens and was a student of Socrates. In 401 B. C., Xenophon joined an army of Greek mercenaries who were aiding Cyrus the Younger in his military campaign against his brother, King Artaxerxes II. Unfortunately, Cyrus was killed in the Battle of Cunaxa in 401 B. C. and the 10000 Greeks find themselves alone in enemy territory, more than 1000 miles from the nearest Greek colony. In addition, the leaders of the force were treacherously murdered by the Persian satrap Tissaphernes. Xenophon is one of the Greek leaders chosen to lead the army in retreat out of Persia. In a march that lasted five months, traveled over 1500 miles, and overcoming many obstacles (both external and internal), they finally reach the colony of Trapezus (now Trabzon, Turkey) on the Black Sea. This book, which (in the original Greek) is usually the first book read by modern students of the ancient Greek language, is Xenophon's eyewitness account of that retreat and is one of the most famous books in military history. It should be required reading for everyone.