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'''Xenophon''' (In [[Greek language|Greek]] Ξενοφών, c. [[427 BC|427]]-[[355 BC]]) was a soldier, mercenary and [[Athens|Athenian]] student of [[Socrates]] and is known for his writings on the history of [[4th century BC|his own times]], the sayings of Socrates, and the life of [[Greece]].

While a young man, Xenophon participated in the expedition led by [[Cyrus the Younger]] against his older brother, the emperor [[Artaxerxes II]] of Persia, in [[401 BC]]. In this effort, Cyrus used many Greek mercenaries left unemployed by the cessation of the [[Peloponnesian War]]. Cyrus [[Battle of Cunaxa|fought]] Artaxerxes at Cunaxa: the Greeks were victorious but Cyrus was killed, and shortly thereafter their general, [[Clearchus]] of [[Sparta]], was invited to a peace conference, betrayed, and executed. The mercenaries, the [[Ten Thousand (Greek)|Ten Thousand ("Myrioi")]] Greeks, found themselves deep in hostile territory, near the heart of Mesopotamia, far from the sea, and without leadership. They elected new leaders, including Xenophon himself, and fought their way north through hostile Persians, Armenians, and Kurds to [[Trapezus]] on the coast of the [[Black Sea]] and then sailed westward and back to [[Greece]]. In [[Thrace]], they helped Seuthes II make himself king. Xenophon's record of this expedition and the journey home was titled ''[[Anabasis (Xenophon)|Anabasis]]'' ("The Expedition" or "The March Up Country" ).

Xenophon’s historical account in the ''[[Anabasis (Xenophon)|Anabasis]]'' is one of the first written accounts of an analysis of the characters of a leader and an example of a type of leadership analysis that has come to be known as Great man theory. In the account, Xenophon described the character of the younger Cyrus, saying that “of all the Persians who lived after Cyrus the Great, he was the most like a king and the most deserving of an empire (p. 91).” Chapter six is recommended reading because it describes the characters of five defeated generals who were turned over to the enemy. Clearchus was quoted as believing that “a soldier ought to be more frightened of his own commander than of the enemy (p. 131).” Menon was described as a man whose dominant ambition was to become wealthy (p. 133). Agias the Arcadian and Socrates the Achean were remembered for their courage and their consideration for friends (p. 135). (Reference: Xenophon. (published in Antiquity). ''[[Persian Expedition|The Persian Expedition]].'' (Rex Warner, Trans.). With an introduction and notes by George Cawkwell. New York, NY: Penguin Books. First Penguin publication date of 1949.)

Xenophon was later exiled from [[Athens]], probably because he fought under the [[Sparta]]n king [[Agesilaus]] against Athens at [[Coroneia]]. (It is possible that he had already been exiled for his association with Cyrus, however.) The Spartans gave him property at [[Scillus]], near [[Olympia]] in Elis, where the ''Anabasis'' was composed. His son fought for Athens at [[Mantinea]], while Xenophon was still alive, so Xenophon's banishment may have been revoked. Xenophon died at [[Corinth]], or perhaps Athens, and his date of death is uncertain; it is known only that he survived his patron Agesilaus, for whom he wrote an encomium.

==List of Works==
Xenophon's writings, especially the ''Anabasis'', are often read by beginning students of the [[Greek language]]. His ''[[Hellenica (Xenophon)|Hellenica]]'' is one chief source for events in Greece from 411 to 362 BC, and his Socratic writings, preserved complete, are the only surviving representatives of the genre of [[Sokratikoi logoi]] other than the dialogues of Plato.

Historical and Biographical works
* ''[[Anabasis (Xenophon)|Anabasis]]''
* ''[[Cyropaedia (Xenophon)|Cyropaedia ]]''
* ''[[Hellenica (Xenophon)|Hellenica ]]''
* ''[[Agesilaus (Xenophon)|Agesilaus]]''

Socratic works and dialogues
* ''[[Memorabilia (Xenophon)|Memorabilia ]]''
* ''[[Oeconomicus (Xenophon)|Oeconomicus ]]''
* ''[[Symposium (Xenophon)|Symposium ]]''
* ''[[Apology (Xenophon)|Apology ]]''
* ''[[Hiero (Xenophon)|Hiero ]]''

Short treatises
* ''[[On Horsemanship (Xenophon)|On Horsemanship]]''
* ''[[The Cavalry General (Xenophon)|The Cavalry General]]''
* ''[[Cynegeticus (Xenophon)|Hunting with Dogs]]''
* ''[[Ways and Means (Xenophon)|Ways and Means]]''
* ''[[Constitution of Lacedaemon (Xenophon)|Constitution of Sparta]]''

In addition, we have a short treatise once thought to be by Xenophon, but which was probably written when Xenophon was about five, on the Constitution of Athens. This is found in manuscripts among the short works of Xenophon, as though he had written it also. The author, often called in English the "Old Oligarch", detests the democracy of Athens and the poorer classes - but argues that the Periclean institutions are well designed for their deplorable purposes.

'Willing obedience always beats forced obedience' -Xenophon

==Project Gutenberg e-texts==
* {{gutenberg author| id=Xenophon | name=Xenophon}}
**[http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=1169 Agesliaus]
**[http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=1170 Anabasis]
**[http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=1171 The Apology]
**[http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=1172 The Cavalry General]
**[http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=2085 Cyropaedia]
**[http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=1173 The Economist]
**[http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=1174 Hellenica]
**[http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=1175 Hiero]
**[http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=1177 The Memorabilia]
**[http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=1176 On Horsemanship]
**[http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=1179 On Revenues]
**[http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=1178 The Polity of the Athenians and the Lacedaemonians]
**[http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=1180 The Sportsman]
**[http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=1181 The Symposium]

==External links==
*[http://www.iep.utm.edu/x/xenophon.htm Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Xenophon]
*[http://www.liv.ac.uk/~gjoliver/xenophon.html Graham Oliver's Xenophon Homepage]
*[http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/small/10.html Xenophon's Education of Cyrus (Cyropaedia) Web directory]
*[http://www.ironyage.com/alderman/xenophon/ Xenophon's Socratic Works]

{{Credit wikipedia}}

[[Category:Ancient Athenians]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek historians]]
[[Category:431 BC births]]
[[Category:355 BC deaths]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek generals]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:27, January 29, 2006
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−	'''Xenophon''' (In [[Greek language\|Greek]] Ξενοφών, c. [[427 BC\|427]]-[[355 BC]]) was a soldier, mercenary and [[Athens\|Athenian]] student of [[Socrates]] and is known for his writings on the history of ~~[[4th century BC\|~~his own times]], the sayings of Socrates, and the life of [[Greece]].	+	'''Xenophon''' (In [[Greek language\|Greek]] Ξενοφών, c. [[427 BC\|427]]-[[355 BC]]) was a soldier, mercenary and [[Athens\|Athenian]] student of [[Socrates]] and is known for his writings on the history of his own times, the sayings of Socrates, and the life of [[Greece]].

	While a young man, Xenophon participated in the expedition led by [[Cyrus the Younger]] against his older brother, the emperor [[Artaxerxes II]] of Persia, in [[401 BC]]. In this effort, Cyrus used many Greek mercenaries left unemployed by the cessation of the [[Peloponnesian War]]. Cyrus [[Battle of Cunaxa\|fought]] Artaxerxes at Cunaxa: the Greeks were victorious but Cyrus was killed, and shortly thereafter their general, [[Clearchus]] of [[Sparta]], was invited to a peace conference, betrayed, and executed. The mercenaries, the [[Ten Thousand (Greek)\|Ten Thousand ("Myrioi")]] Greeks, found themselves deep in hostile territory, near the heart of Mesopotamia, far from the sea, and without leadership. They elected new leaders, including Xenophon himself, and fought their way north through hostile Persians, Armenians, and Kurds to [[Trapezus]] on the coast of the [[Black Sea]] and then sailed westward and back to [[Greece]]. In [[Thrace]], they helped Seuthes II make himself king. Xenophon's record of this expedition and the journey home was titled ''[[Anabasis (Xenophon)\|Anabasis]]'' ("The Expedition" or "The March Up Country" ).		While a young man, Xenophon participated in the expedition led by [[Cyrus the Younger]] against his older brother, the emperor [[Artaxerxes II]] of Persia, in [[401 BC]]. In this effort, Cyrus used many Greek mercenaries left unemployed by the cessation of the [[Peloponnesian War]]. Cyrus [[Battle of Cunaxa\|fought]] Artaxerxes at Cunaxa: the Greeks were victorious but Cyrus was killed, and shortly thereafter their general, [[Clearchus]] of [[Sparta]], was invited to a peace conference, betrayed, and executed. The mercenaries, the [[Ten Thousand (Greek)\|Ten Thousand ("Myrioi")]] Greeks, found themselves deep in hostile territory, near the heart of Mesopotamia, far from the sea, and without leadership. They elected new leaders, including Xenophon himself, and fought their way north through hostile Persians, Armenians, and Kurds to [[Trapezus]] on the coast of the [[Black Sea]] and then sailed westward and back to [[Greece]]. In [[Thrace]], they helped Seuthes II make himself king. Xenophon's record of this expedition and the journey home was titled ''[[Anabasis (Xenophon)\|Anabasis]]'' ("The Expedition" or "The March Up Country" ).

@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 ==Project Gutenberg e-texts==
-* {{gutenberg author| id=Xenophon | name=Xenophon}}
 **[http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=1169 Agesliaus]
 **[http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=1170 Anabasis]