"Anabasis"

I read the Henry Graham
Dakyns translation

"Anabasis" – sometimes translated as "The March of the Ten Thousand" – is Xenophon's autobiographical account of the tribulations of an army of Greek mercenaries hired by Cyrus the Younger to fight against his brother, Achaemenid king Artaxerxes II. Cyrus is cut down by a javelin in the Battle of Cunaxa, and the Greeks are left stranded and surrounded by enemies with no supplies, shelter, or even pay¹.

What follows is possibly the greatest military adventure of all time. During the retreat, the Greeks are betrayed by their former allies in an attempt to curry favor with Artaxerxes, and their generals are captured and executed. The soldiers elect new leaders, including Xenophon himself, to decide on the best course of action, and against all odds the new captains keep the troops together and in fighting order through thousands of miles of hostile territory until they reach the Aegean sea over a year later.

Besides its narrative value, "Anabasis" also has some interesting things to say about leadership. Xenophon himself was Athenian and uses stirring speeches and public votes to sway the troops, in contrast to most of the other captains, many of whom were Spartan and more used to harsh discipline. Xenophon also writes a eulogy for Cyrus and each of the deceased Greek generals, praising them in turn for nobility of spirit, strength of arms, care for their troops, administrative genius, inspiring virtue in others, and so on². He implies that these traits (as exhibited by himself) are what kept the troops united during their long journey home.

Verdict: "Anabasis" is at once a gripping historical adventure, an important primary source, and a study on leadership and credibility in the midst of an unfolding crisis. Highly recommended.

1 These are mercenaries, after all. (back)

2 The exception is Xenophon's reflections on the general Menon, apparently something of a sociopath, who valued cheating and theft and "prided himself on a capacity for fraud, on the fabrication of lies, on the mockery and scorn of friends," and believed "the possessions of his foes were secure from his designs, since it was no easy task, he thought, to steal from people on their guard; but it was his particular good fortune to have discovered how easy it is to rob a friend." It's such a reversal from his praise of the others that I couldn't help but laugh! (back)