Xenophon’s Anabasis, or The Expedition of Cyrus

Xenophon’s Anabasis, or The Expedition of Cyrus, is one of the most exciting historical narratives to have survived from ancient Greece. It tells the story of Cyrus, a charismatic Persian prince, who in 401 BC enlisted thousands of Greek mercenaries in an attempt to seize the vast Persian empire for himself. Cyrus was killed in a great battle, and Xenophon, an Athenian aristocrat, found himself in the unexpected position of leading the Greeks from the vicinity of Babylon in modern Iraq back to the Greek cities in Turkey. This book unveils the literary artistry and narrative strategies that have gone into shaping one of the greatest survival stories of all time.