Xenophon

Lore & Background

Xenophon was born c. 430 BC in the deme of Erchia in Athens, the son of Gryllus, and belonged to an aristocratic family. He lived through the Peloponnesian War and associated with Socrates, as was common for wealthy young men. He likely served in the Athenian cavalry and witnessed key political events such as the return of Alcibiades, the trial of the generals, and the overthrow of the Thirty Tyrants. At age 30, invited by Proxenus, he joined Cyrus the Younger's mercenary army, sailing to Ephesus to participate in the campaign against the Persian satrap Tissaphernes.

Reader's Guide

Xenophon's significance lies in his dual role as a participant in and recorder of major historical events. His Anabasis provides a firsthand account of the Greek mercenaries' journey into Persia and their harrowing retreat after the Battle of Cunaxa, where Cyrus was killed. As a military leader, he was elected one of the new commanders after the Persian betrayal and execution of the original generals. His tactical innovations, such as forming a reserve behind the phalanx and using feints and flanking maneuvers, were later praised by military historians. His writings, including Cyropaedia and Hellenica, influenced later figures like Alexander the Great. For at least two millennia, debate has persisted over whether Xenophon was primarily a general, historian, or philosopher, though he has long been recognized as a philosopher by figures like Quintilian. Today, he is regarded as one of the greatest writers of antiquity, and his works remain key sources for understanding Spartan society and Persian history.

Did You Know?

• Xenophon was known as the 'Attic Muse' because of the sweetness of his diction, according to Diogenes Laërtius.
• He was elected as one of the leaders of the Ten Thousand after the original generals were captured and executed by Tissaphernes.
• Xenophon's Anabasis and Cyropaedia inspired Alexander the Great and other Greeks to conquer Babylon and the Achaemenid Empire.
• Much of what is known about Spartan society comes from Xenophon's biography of King Agesilaus and the Constitution of the Lacedaemonians.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Greek text cited from E. C. Marchant, Xenophontis Opera Omnia, vols. I–V (Oxford, 1921), unless otherwise noted." — Xenophon "Greek text cited from C. Hude, Xenophon. Historia Graeca (Stuttgart, 1934)." — Xenophon "καὶ γὰρ τὸ μὲν ἐν ταῖς εὐπραξίαις πιστοὺς φαίνεσθαι οὐδὲν θαυμαστόν· ὅταν δέ τινες ἐν συμφοραῖς γενομένων φίλων βέβαιοι φανῶσι, τοῦτ᾿ εἰς ἅπαντα χρόνον μνημονεύεται." — Xenophon "τό [τε] γε μὴν ἐντεῦθεν γενόμενον ἔξεστι μὲν τὸ θεῖον αἰτιᾶσθαι, ἔξεστι δὲ λέγειν ὡς τοῖς ἀπονενοημένοις οὐδεὶς ἂν ὑποσταίη." — Xenophon