Herodotus' Histories is often considered the gold standard of knowledge pertaining to the Persian empire. Little is made of the fact that this Ionian had certain political grudges against his political masters and had never visited Persia or had entry into Persian society. Xenophone however was a nobleman who lived amongst the Persians and the Medes and was acquaianted with their ways and histories. Xenophone's observations on Persian society and religion are far closer to modern scholarship than Herodotus. Furthermore even the chronological inaccuracies of Cyropaedia are in the Persian tradition. As evidenced by Sassanian histories, the Persians had the habit of attributing the conquests of dynasties to their founders. However the most fascinating and thrilling aspect of reading this book is that the educational stories attributed to Cyrus are identical to the stories found in Adab or the Persian courtly literature of Islamic era. Given that Xenophone was not translated into Persian or Arabic, this confirms the authenticity of the materials used by Xenophone. I love this book and have read it twice already. I recommend it to anyone who wants to have a closer look at the realities of Persia.

Xenophobia is the fear of foreigners. Yet Xenophon's greatest book was a biography of the most hated foe of the greeks, Cyrus.

Cyrus was the greatest emperor of the Persian empire, and the antecedent (see what a great scholar I am? I can't remember all the exact facts like a real student should; I read this stuff for fun) of the Persian emperor who Alexander defeated right before Alexander went crazy and decided to conquer the rest of the world while he was on a streak.

In today's Jingoistic anti-Iran & Iraq climate, it's illuminating to get the Persian perspective on world history, and since I haven't found any Persian histories written from the ancient Persian viewpoint, this book is the best I've read.

Nadon's careful examination of Xenophon's Education of Cyrus is by far the best available treatment of the work: careful, concise, beautifully written. Highly recommended as an introduction not only to Xenophon, but to the reading of classical literature generally.

The Rex Warner writes the translation of The Persian Expedition in the odd passive voice of the classical styles making for an awkward read. Does this mean avoid the book? Resoundingly no! Even if not familiar w/classic styles, it's a tale worth the struggle. Regardless of which translation, it holds much in store for those who enjoy a ripping good story or are interested in the historical aspects of Greek politics, society, & military.

Beginning in Persia c404 BCE & ending in Greece c398 BCE, the story opens w/the Persian king on his deathbed calling for his sons. Once he dies, the eldest son is installed on the throne. Due to a duplicitous action on the part of a so-called friend, the younger brother is jailed on allegations he's planning usurpation & only their mother's intercession frees him. Deciding he'd rather not face the experience again, he plans to make good on the deed of which he was accused. Using the guise of ridding a troublesome tribe from his lands, he begins raising an army consisting of native forces & mercenaries from the Greeks city-states.

Marching to the heart of Persia, battle is joined & the usurper killed. The Greeks, w/o a benefactor, parlay a truce & commence withdrawal. During the retreat, more treachery ensues as the Persians, under the pretext of meeting to discuss allaying the distrust between the Greeks & the Persian escort, murder the five remaining generals in charge of the forces. Apathy quickly sets in & the Greeks sit apathetically waiting for death, slavery, or worse.

Among them, the Athenian Xenophon, disciple of Socrates & knight of a noble house, who oddly has no rank or title in the army. He's simply an observer of sorts, there only b/c a mutual friend offered him a personal introduction to the usurper. Until Xenophon speaks up he scarcely plays a role, however, from that moment forward the story is from his point-of-view. He then narrates how he actively leads the Greeks back to their homeland. Upon returning, Xenophon is embroiled in the political complexities of his homeland & must continue to do his best for the remaining troops. After facing trials on foreign soil where lesser men would have folded, then deal w/adversity on his home turf that would make weaker men crumble, he finally earns a well-deserved respite & settles down as landed aristocracy under the protection of Spartan.

Xenophon's recounting is rich w/the events of the Mediterranean & Asia Minor of the era & paints a vibrant map of the times, peoples, & places. As pointed out in the introduction, "The Greek was pre-eminently a 'political animal,' [...]" (p9). A fact demonstrated by Xenophon's documenting the intrigues created by a satrap in the Persian court @ the beginning of the book, and then recording the political currents in the lands the Ten Thousand travel through, finally concluding w/the start of a feud between Sparta & the same satrap whose scheming set the entire series of events in motion.

As a commentary on Greek society, Xenophon's writing includes colourful descriptions of the "barbarians" the Ten Thousand encounter. For instance, when Xenophon describes a tribe of Mossynoeci they come across on the trek from Cerasus to Cotyora along the Black Sea coast:

[...] These people wanted to have sexual intercourse in public w/the mistresses whom the Greeks brought w/them, this being actually the normal thing in their country. [...] Those who were on the expedition used to say that these people were the most barbarous & the furthest removed from Greek ways of all those w/whom they came in contact. When they were in a crowd, they acted as men would in private, & when they were by themselves, they used to behave as they might do if they were in company; they used to talk to themselves, & laugh to themselves, & stop & dance wherever they happened to be, just as if they were giving a display to others (p237).

The unity of Greek culture can't be defined by what it was, but what it wasn't when compared to other cultures. However, in-fighting among the various factions of the city-states was always a threat, yet, they were bonded by the sea & the principles of Greek democratic honour. A fact demonstrated by their cries of "The sea! The sea!" as the first of the Ten Thousand attained summit of Thekes & unite to build a memorial to the occasion on the spot (p211). Their united brotherhood is verified as Arcadian, Athenian, Spartan, & even Thracian, all work together and set aside their city-state loyalties as they celebrate a common bond-the sea.

The military historian absolutely must have this book in their collection. Xenophon is pure Sun-Tzu in motion, &, a copy of his Art of War should be @ hand while reading the tale. Whereas Sun-Tzu wrote the technical manual, Xenophon is the practical application. There are so many examples in the Persian Expedition to cite only one is an injustice. Suffice it; Xenophon displays a profound understanding of how to apply strategy, tactics, & negotiation, in a practical & honourable fashion to enemy, ally, & neutral native. It's worth noting that Sun-Tzu's work predated Xenophon by roughly 150 years & the sparsely worded treatise wasn't introduced to the West for another 1,700 years. Yet, here's an Athenian performing exactly as the master's work w/o benefit of reading or even knowing of Sun-Tzu! Indeed, the master would consider Xenophon "A heaven born general".

As an aside, readers who enjoy Science & Fantasy fiction will enjoy the account. From persona, experience I wonder if Xenophon inspired many Science & Fantasy fiction writers? Two immediately come to mind: Robert Heinlein & Chris Bunch, the former for Starship Troopers, & the latter for Seer King. The two authors mentioned above have emulated the way Xenophon gives what some might term "A Grunt commander's eye-view".

Simply put, the tale of The Persian Expedition is fantastic.

Between the fall of the Athenian Empire and the rise of Alexander, many Greeks sought adventure and fortune as mercenaries. Cyrus of Persia attempted to usurp the throne with an army stiffened by 10,000 Greek mercenaries. The author found himself among that number. Cyrus went down to defeat and death at the Battle of Cunaxa, but one contingent of his army emerged victorious--The Ten Thousand. Alone and unsponsored, surrounded by enemies, and deep in the heart of Persia, The Ten Thousand began their fighting retreat to the sea and freedom. Along the way they met with battle, treachery, hardship, and death. Xenophon became one of their leaders, and eventually lived to write this stirring account of their exploits. The successful retreat of the Ten Thousand served as proof to Phillip of Macedon that a Greek army could conquer Persia, and he made his preparations for the invasion. Phillip's death forestalled his plans, but Alexander took up his father's project and the rest, as they say, is history. If there had been no Westward march by the Ten Thousand, there may have been no Eastward march by Alexander.

The classic story of the march of the "ten thousand" from fatalism to freedom is exciting to read, but is it factual? Many scholars have believed that it was composed using diaries Xenophon kept with him on the campain, but certain inconsistences in the narrative leave this in doubt. However, whether it is a true to life account or not it remains a testament to the will for survival and the Greek spirit of brotherhood among men under pressure.