Table of Contents

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

About the Author

SHANE BRENNAN isAssociate Professor of History and Classics at the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh. From 2016-22 he taught at the American University in Dubai, UAE, and from 2011-16 at Mardin Artuklu University in the south-east of T rkiye. He has co-edited and contributed to several books and is the author of a travelogue based on Xenophon's Anabasis, In the Tracks of the Ten Thousand, and a monograph, Xenophon's Anabasis- A Socratic History.

DAVID THOMAS trained in classics at the University of Oxford, being awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy in 1978 and returning to Xenophontic studies in 2003 on his retirement from his career in finance. He is the author of the introduction to The Landmark Xenophon's Hellenika and serves as a vice president of the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies.

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.

Reviews

"This is an ideal volume for novices of the subject ... or for non-academic readers who enjoy the text for its own merits. . . . The remarkably detailed Index at the end of the volume, a virtually complete index of all people, places, events, and concepts in the Anabasis, will be useful to all readers studying the text. . . . An excellent addition to the study of Xenophon’s works. Its comprehensive but readable nature lends itself to students of all backgrounds."
—Bryn Mawr Classical Review

“The Landmark series presents classics of ancient history . . . in a format that makes even annotated editions look skimpy. Maps, photographs, explanatory notes, extracts from related documents, extensive bibliographies and an encyclopedic index consequently add deep context.”
—The Washington Post

“In his eyewitness account, Xenophon’s engaging descriptions of battles and of the highs and lows of the march are a classic illustration of what ancient writers termed enargeia, “vividness.” This quality is one reason why his Anabasis has retained its appeal to readers over the centuries. Another is the book’s value as a mine of historical geography. A further element in its enduring appeal is its engagement with themes of interest to Xenophon and his audience. These were topical, but also in many cases timeless. Xenophon does not present his lessons as such, but embeds them in colorful vignettes that are rooted in events that took place on the march.
 
“It is a measure of [Xenophon’s] craft as a writer that a reader can enjoy the story without feeling distracted by, or even being aware of, the underlying themes driving it. Likewise the complex narratorial structure of the text, where Xenophon has several presences (author, narrator, the character “Xenophon” and the historical persona behind this figure), does little to disrupt the story. While literary scholars are kept engaged by the text, some identifying themes and concerns in the work, others reading between the lines to uncover hidden meanings, its durability ultimately resides in its telling of a human story of ambition, adversity and triumph.
A classic is classic, Ezra Pound wrote, “not because it conforms to certain structural rules, or fits certain definitions (of which its author had quite probably never heard). It is classic because of a certain eternal and irrepressible freshness.” ”
—Lit Hub

“Philosopher-warrior Xenophon’s 4th-century BCE Anabasis, edited here by historians Brennan and Thomas, comes packed with the Landmark series’ trademark commentary and scholarly analysis. Lengthy footnotes supplement each passage, highlighting the traditional summaries of the text compiled by scribes over the ages. This edition features helpful maps too, for students unfamiliar with the distance and geography of the ancient world’s city-states. The appendices shed further light on what we know about Xenophon and his relation to Socrates, among other in-depth revelations about Anabasis. The translated prose reads easily and rolls from passage to passage quickly, while the edition’s scholarly material brings secondary sources into one tremendous research springboard. The book ends with a glossary and an extensive list of sources cited, which serves as a starting point for further research. History, literature, and classics departments will be grateful for this edition’s supplementary teaching and research material.”
—Library Journal