Xenophon: The Expedition of Cyrus

[RamistThomist]

I think one could write a dissertation arguing that Hollywood subconsciously stole all of their “behind enemy lines” from Xenophon. He was in a mercenary band fighting for Cyrus the Younger. The army loses and the generals are treacherously slain. Finding themselves thousands of miles into enemy country and without a leader, Xenophon leads his men back to Greece, fighting battles the whole way.

The Cast

Xenophon: He writes about himself in 3rd Person. He always seems to say the right thing at the right time.

Cyrus: The younger brother of King Artaxerxes II. His army probably could have won but he dies early in the battle.

Clearchus: Basically think of Sean Bean. A noble general for the Greeks. In line with the Sean Bean character, he is betrayed and slain.

Meno: Another Greek leader and enemy of Xenophon. Interestingly enough, this is the same Meno who appears in Plato’s dialogue of the same name. It’s interesting to compare the two accounts.

While there is the legendary cry of “The Sea! The Sea!” the book doesn’t end on a high note. As can be expected, the army begins to grumble at the very end (also at the same time when they are out of any real danger). This reflects the essence of democracy and the mob.

I am not a military historian, but evidently Xenophon demonstrated that a lean and tactical force can inflict devastating losses on an army many times its size.

 

[Pergamum]

Call me a nerd but I used to play the March of the Ten Thousand in my woods as a kid.

At one point in the Anabasis there is an extended account of river crossings under enemy threat and I remember crossing creeks and playing at this. I also remember the repetitive recounting of how much they marched each day or each leg in the account and so I also marched all day long through the woods imagining what it must have been like. As a 12-year old I tried to figure out the route back to the sea but I had a modern map of Turkey so couldn't figure it out, and was surprised some years later to find a map of the suspected route of the Ten Thousand.

I also thought it should have been a movie.

 

[arapahoepark]

Jacob,
How fast do you read?
Any tips on disciplining one's self to read more and/ot faster?

 

[RamistThomist]

Jacob,
How fast do you read?
Any tips on disciplining one's self to read more and/ot faster?

Not as fast as the legends surrounding me suggest. It took me about a week to read this. Everyday I am also chipping off several other books. I also listen to Shakespeare on audio when I drive, so I count that as well.