Title: The Persian Expedition (Anabasis)

Author: Xenophon

Year Published: 370BC

Kind of Book: History/Legend/Autobiography

How Strongly I Recommend It: 6/10

My Impressions: This was a fascinating story which details true events about thousands of Greek soldiers trying to find their way home after a battle in Persia. It is a suspiciously similar story to the Odyssey and it has been suggested the Xenophon was influenced by it and paints himself as the Odysseus character in this story. The writing is a little dry and difficult, but after using a few supplementary resources like podcasts and summaries online I was able to follow along fairly easily. 

Date Read: April 2020

Summary (key points)

  • Daris (King of Persia) had two sons, Artaxerxes and Cyrus

  • Artaxerxes had the right to the throne and believed Cyrus was plotting to overthrow him

  • Cyrus gathered a large group of Greek mercenaries to fight

  • He didn't tell them that they were hired to help him overthrow his brother and become the new King of Persia until they were already near Persia

  • Cyrus was killed in the battle against Artaxerxes and the Greek mercenaries were left in Persia thousands of miles from their home

  • The Greek generals were invited to meet with the Persian camp to work out a treaty.

  • The Persians massacred the Greek generals

  • Xenophon (a Greek soldier) takes charge of the 10,000 Greeks and leads them out of Persia before they get killed by the Persians

  • The Persians trail them all the way until they get to the mountains.

  • The Greeks have to march through snow, sleep under the sky with no tents, and are eat food that they steal from towns they pass through. Many soldiers die along the way

  • They finally reach the sea where the men rejoice "The sea the sea"

  • The rest of their journey includes disputes among the men about money and rights to pillage

  • They are in constant battle and dispute with different people of the towns and villages they pass through—sometimes plundering, sometimes buying goods, sometimes doing nothing

  • The mercenaries split up into three groups at one point. Depending on which men want to stay in a city and which want to keep marching towards Greece

  • A lot of the end is Xenophon's attempt to justify why he did what he did while he was in command (Because Xenophon was exiled from Athens when he returned to Athens where we wrote the tale)

 

Quotes

Thelatta! Thelatta! (the sea! The sea!)-Xenophon (Anabasis)

Surprising Facts

  • All Persian commanders fought in the center of their troops during battle. This was the safest spot and the easiest spot to communicate orders to the troops

 

Unknown Terms

Infantry: soldiers marching or fighting on foot; foot soldiers collectively

Hoplite:a Greek foot soldier heavily armed with a spear and shield