The Landmark Xenophon's Anabasis

The Landmark Xenophon’s Anabasis is the definitive edition of the ancient classic—also known as The March of the Ten Thousand or The March Up-Country—which chronicles one of the greatest true-life adventures ever recorded.
 
As Xenophon’s narrative opens, the Persian prince Cyrus the Younger is marshaling an army to usurp the throne from his brother Artaxerxes the King. When Cyrus is killed in battle, ten thousand Greek soldiers he had hired find themselves stranded deep in enemy territory, surrounded by forces of a hostile Persian king. When their top generals are arrested, the Greeks have to elect new leaders, one of whom is Xenophon, a resourceful and courageous Athenian who leads by persuasion and vote. What follows is his vivid account of the Greeks’ harrowing journey through extremes of territory and climate, inhabited by unfriendly tribes who often oppose their passage. Despite formidable obstacles, they navigate their way to the Black Sea coast and make their way back to Greece.
 
This masterful new translation by David Thomas gives color and depth to a story long studied as a classic of military history and practical philosophy. Edited by Shane Brennan and David Thomas, the text is supported with numerous detailed maps, annotations, appendices, and illustrations. The Landmark Xenophon’s Anabasis offers one of the classical Greek world’s seminal tales to readers of all levels.

Series editor ROBERT B. STRASSLER is an unaffiliated scholar who holds an honorary doctorate of humanities and letters from Bard College and is chairman of the Aston Magna Foundation for Music and the Humanities. He lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.

SHANE BRENNAN is a lecturer at the American University in Dubai. He is the author of In the Tracks of the Ten Thousand: A Journey on Foot through Turkey, Syria and Iraq and coeditor of Turkey and the Politics of National Identity: Social, Economic and Cultural Transformation.

DAVID THOMAS is an unaffiliated scholar who trained in classics at the University of Oxford. He was a major contributor to The Landmark Xenophon's Hellenika. He lives near Oxford, England.

Introduction by Shane Brennan xiii
List of Xenophon’s Writings li
Editors’ Preface by Shane Brennan and David Thomas liii
     Features of this Edition liii
     The Map Scheme and Route of the Army lv
Acknowledgments lxi
Summary by Book and Chapter lxv
Key to Maps and Diagrams lxx
 
Book One 1
Book Two 49
Book Three 79
Book Four 109
Book Five 149
Book Six 185
Book Seven 215

Epilogue by Shane Brennan 263
 
Appendix A: Xenophon and Socrates, Robin Waterfield, Lakonia, Greece 267
Appendix B: Xenophon and Sparta, Paul Cartledge, University of Cambridge 277
Appendix C: The Persian Empire, Christopher Tuplin, University of Liverpool 286
Appendix D: The Persian Army, Christopher Tuplin, University of Liverpool 296
Appendix E: Panhellenism, Vivienne J. Gray, University of Auckland 306
Appendix F: Thrace, Zosia H. Archibald, University of Liverpool 313
Appendix G: Divinity and Divining, Michael A. Flower, Princeton University 319
Appendix H: Infantry and Cavalry in Anabasis, Peter Krentz, Davidson College 327
Appendix I: The Size and Makeup of the Ten Thousand; David Thomas, Buckinghamshire, UK 335
Appendix J: A Soldier’s View of the March, John W. I. Lee, University of California, Santa Barbara 342
Appendix K: The Noncombatant Contingent of the Army, Emily Baragwanath, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 351
Appendix L: The Battle of Cunaxa, David Thomas, Buckinghamshire, UK 359
Appendix M: Other Ancient Sources on the Ten Thousand, David Thomas, Buckinghamshire, UK 366
Appendix N: Xenophon and the Development of Classical Historiography, John Dillery, University of Virginia 375
Appendix O: Ancient Greek and Persian Units of Measurement, Thomas R. Martin, College of the Holy Cross 383
Appendix P: The Route of the Ten Thousand, Shane Brennan, American University in Dubai 393
Appendix Q: The Chronology of the March, Shane Brennan, American University in Dubai 405
Appendix R: The Legacy of Xenophon’s Anabasis, Tim Rood, University of Oxford 413
Appendix S: Selections from The Library of History of Diodorus Siculus Relevant to Anabasis, Translated by Peter Green, University of Iowa 420
Appendix T: Selections from Plutarch’s Life of Artaxerxes Relevant to Anabasis, Translated by Pamela Mensch, New York, NY 435
Appendix U: Selections from Photius’ Synopsis of Ctesias’ Persika Relevant to Anabasis, Translated by Pamela Mensch, New York, NY 445
Appendix V: Diogenes Laertius’ Life of Xenophon, Translated by R. D. Hicks 448
Appendix W: Brief Biographies of Selected Characters in Anabasis, David Thomas, Buckinghamshire, UK 453

Translator’s Notes by David Thomas 487
Ancient Sources Cited in this Edition 507
Glossary 517
Selected Bibliography 523
Figure Credits 531
Index 533
Reference Maps and Directory 583