Xenophon

Xenophon (431- c. 360 BC), whose name literally means "strange sound," was an Athenian knight, an associate of Socrates, who is known for his chronicles of a mercenary expedition against Persia and the subsequent history of Greece.

The expedition was led by Cyrus against his older brother, the Persian emperor Artaxerxes II. A battle took place at Cunaxa, where the Greeks were victorious but Cyrus was killed, and shortly thereafter their general, Clearchus of Sparta, was captured and executed. The mercenaries found themselves deep in hostile territory, far from the sea, and without leadership. But they elected new leaders, including Xenophon himself, who led them north through Armenia and back to Greece. This journey is called the Anabasis.

Afterwards, Xenophon retired to Athens, but finding the city to be unfriendly, rejoined his comrades and helped the Spartans against Persia. When Athens allied with Persia against Sparta, he was banished, and spent the next few decades at Scillus, where his Anabasis was put together. Later the banishment was revoked, and Xenophon spent his last years at Athens. His date of death is uncertain, it is known only that he survived his patron Agesilaus, for whom he wrote an encomium.

Works

Besides the Anabasis, Xenophon also wrote the Oeconomicus, a treatise on home life in Greek culture.

Xenophon's works are often among the first read by beginning Greek students, as his style is plain and he can be quite repetitive.

External Links

e-texts of english translations of some of Xenophon's works:

• Anabasis
• Cyropaedia
• The Economist
• Hellenica
• Hiero
• The Memorabilia
• On Horsemanship
• The Symposium