|
Xenophon (430 B.C – circa 354 B.C.) is one of the most famous of Greek historians and also one of the most readable. He was born to a noble family in an Athens which was then at the height of her power, and came of age during the tragic Peloponnesian war, serving as a soldier. However, Xenophon grew to admire the Spartans, and even fought against the Athenians and Thebans at the battle of Coroneia in 394. As a result, he was banished from his native Athens and spent the majority of his remaining years indulging himself in sport and literature on his country estate in the Peloponnese.
THE MARCH OF THE TEN THOUSAND is one of the most admired and widely read pieces of ancient literature. Xenophon employs a very simple, straightforward style to describe what is probably the most fabulous military adventure ever undertaken. When Cyrus, brother to the Great King of Persia, attempts to overthrow his feckless sibling, he employs a Greek mercenary army of 10,000 hoplites. Xenophon is among the common soldiers. When this army becomes stranded as a result of the death of Cyrus, and then witnesses the treacherous murder of its entire officer corps, despair overtakes them. Xenophon rallies the Greeks, has them elect new officers, then leads them to freedom across 1,500 miles of hostile territory seething with adversaries. It is an epic of courage, faith and democratic principle.
|
|
|
