The Persian Expedition, by Xenophon.
The Persian Expedition Xenophon was considered, in his own lifetime, to be primarily a philosopher. Moreover, on a par with his contemporary, Plato.
Over the past 2,300 years, it is his historical writings that he has become best known for. In addition, he is more recognized as a military tactician, perhaps the foremost before Alexander the Great.
Born an Athenian, a Spartan by choice, Xenophon eventually offered his loyalty to Cyrus the Younger, in his bid to wrest the the throne of the Persian Empire from King Artaxerxes II.
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After Cyrus’s mismanaged campaign ended in predictable disaster, and most of the other Greek leaders succumbed to treachery and assassination, it fell to Xenophon to lead the survivors of the mercenaries, the Ten Thousand, back from the heart of the vast Persian Empire to their distant homes around the Aegean Sea.
Anabasis is the story of that epic journey, across more than a thousand miles, through treacherous terrain inhabited by hostile tribes.
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The book is part military history, part travelogue, and part philosophical reflection on the challenges of leadership and the solitude of command.
There is action, wonder and humor here, and the odd chilling reflection on the fragility of humanity and civilization, such as when, while staring awestruck at the colossal ruins of the Assyrian city, Ninevah, capital of a kingdom that fell less than lifetime before, he is told by a local guide that the mighty walls were built by a race of gods-and believes him.
It is no spoiler to say that, against all odds, Xenophon succeeds in his mission.
The scene where the 10,000 breast the top of a hill. Furthermore, see the Mediterranean stretched out beneath them, became an iconic episode of classical studies in Victorian England.
For all the bloodthirsty battles, the scaling of sheer cliffs, and the vivid depictions of exotic landscapes and peoples. However, the message one takes away from Anabasis is the characteristic that makes a true soldier.
Lastly, a good soldier does not fight for ideology, fortune or glory; he fights so he can go home, and he fights to win, so he has a home to go to. Real soldiers don’t fight to start wars, but end them.
The Persian Expedition Written by Hadrian Jeffs
