Customer Reviews

Xenophon: Anabasis Books I-VII (Loeb Classical Library)

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Xenophon wrote several books that survive: "A History of My Times" and "Cavalry Tactics" to name two, but the one he's most famous for, and arguably the best read is "Anabasis". A detailed accounting of moving 10,000 troops through hostile country, ulimately extracting them back to Greece. The fact that this is a "Classic" shouldn't put off any readers who've plodded through ancient literature. Xenophon wrote in an informal style, with much detail about the areas and peoples he encountered. It's almost as much travel story as a study in military leadership; but it IS ultimately a recounting of leadership under the most deadly conditions.
There are some timeless lessons here for military and civilian leaders. Xenophon fully explains his decisions (when he can), and ALWAYS asks for advice from other generals. This was critically important in an army of mercenaries whose loyalty was to themselves. Getting other leaders to "buy into" his decisions gave them a sense of empowerment (to use TQM jargon) and a stake in the outcome. He tries to be fair and cares for his troops-though he doesn't hesitate to risk lives if the mission calls for it. In battle he uses what might be termed asymmetric warfare: always pitting Greek strengths against enemy weaknesses; avoiding fighting the way his enemy fights best.
This is a great memoir of an amazing feat of arms and personal leadership. Highly recommended.

Between the fall of the Athenian Empire and the rise of Alexander, many Greeks sought adventure and fortune as mercenaries. Cyrus of Persia attempted to usurp the throne with an army stiffened by 10,000 Greek mercenaries. The author found himself among that number. Cyrus went down to defeat and death at the Battle of Cunaxa, but one contingent of his army emerged victorious--The Ten Thousand. Alone and unsponsored, surrounded by enemies, and deep in the heart of Persia, The Ten Thousand began their fighting retreat to the sea and freedom. Along the way they met with battle, treachery, hardship, and death. Xenophon became one of their leaders, and eventually lived to write this stirring account of their exploits. The successful retreat of the Ten Thousand served as proof to Phillip of Macedon that a Greek army could conquer Persia, and he made his preparations for the invasion. Phillip's death forestalled his plans, but Alexander took up his father's project and the rest, as they say, is history. If there had been no Westward march by the Ten Thousand, there may have been no Eastward march by Alexander.

Xenophon's Anabasis is a classic tale of adventure, and a model of precise style on par with the more familiar works of Roman authors like Julius Caesar (De bello gallico) and Tacitus (Germania). Like Caesar, he uses simple, straightforward language, and the language reflects the character of the man who helped lead 10,000 Greek mercenaries through hostile territory: a man of clear values, determination, ambition, and a strong sense of honor. With Tacitus he shares an interest in odd details and in strange customs of foreign people: "a four days' march of sixty miles took him to the river Chalus, which was a hundred feet in breadth and full of large tame fish which the Syrians regarded as gods and would not allow anyone to harm them. (They think the same way about pigeons.)".

Xenophon's story has an immediacy and clarity that is truly amazing given the fact that he wrote it down 30 years after the events took place, and that we read it today, almost 2,400 years later. The Italian writer Italo Calvino captured the vivid yet factual tone of the Anabasis very nicely when he remarked that reading the book today "is the nearest thing to watching an old war documentary which is repeated every so often on television or on video." (Calvino's essay can be found in his collection of essays "Why Read the Classics?") Although the story is a never-ending succession of visual details and action, it is never boring. Xenophon writes succinctly, sprinkles small anecdotes, portraits of soldiers, speeches, and interesting details over the text, and peppers the story with exotic details.

Certain passages of the Anabasis reminded me of Hemingway's "A Moveable Feast". Especially in the way both authors employ visual images and celebrate the qualities of food. Hemingway enjoys "the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture"; Xenophon reminisces that "going forward, then, they arrived at the villages where the guides told them they could get supplies. There was plenty of corn there and date wine, and a sour drink made form boiled dates. As for the dates themselves, the sort which one sees in Greece were set aside for the servants, while the ones reserved for the masters were choice fruit, wonderfully big and good looking. Their colour was just like amber, and they used to dry some of them and keep them as sweets." The big difference, however, is that the aging Hemingway recreated the joy of his best years in Paris whereas the old Xenophon wrote an account of the most challenging weeks of his life.

Xenophon is not only a very fine writer, he is also a man whose writing reveals his ethics. As it befits the writer who does not want to hit his readers on the head with a sermon, his morality is implicit in the style in which he writes, and in the tone of his story. Xenophon is not a sufferer, nor is he a stoic. He is an officer, a professional soldier. Xenophon's morality is that of a man of action who decides on right and wrong by looking at what he needs to do in order to master a given situation: "what we have to do is to surmount our difficulties like brave men, not to give in, but to try, if we can, to win honour and safety by victory." Italo Calvino sensed in this attitude a precursor to the modern ethic of perfect technical efficiency, but in my opinion, Xenophon's ethics are more informed by a sense of commitment to the men he commands and the gods he respects. Xenophon strives to do his job well in order to generate discipline, solidarity and trust among his men, which is necessary not only for surviving the hardships of the journey but also for keeping one's dignity. He knows the psyche of his soldiers ("when people are not trusted, their words, I notice, merely drift about without force in themselves and without inspiring confidence in others") and he knows how to motivate them ("there will be a great rise in their spirits if one can change the way they think, so that instead of having in their heads the one idea of 'what is going to happen to me?' they may think 'what action am I going to take?'").

Even if one can not enjoy Xenophon's qualities as a storyteller, or if one does not agree with his ethics, the Anabasis is still a fine example of how literature can give style and sense to a military debacle and a desperate adventure which, being a retreat after a defeat, is not honorable or heroic in itself....

Although not as well known by the general populace as other great classics, Xenophon's Anabasis is both an exciting read and classic work of literature. Anabasis tells the tale of 10,000 Greek hoplites in western Persia (modern day Turkey and Iraq), and is a real page- turner. It provides valuable insight into hoplite warfare and the state of Greece and Persia during the time period in which the book was written (circa 400 B.C.).

Some knowledge of Greek warfare is required to fully appreciate Anabasis. Also, numerous Greek units of measurement are used throughout the book, but their modern equivalents can be found in footnotes in the book.

The Loeb edition is excellent, and the actual book is of the highest quality. An ancient Greek translation is provided, and hundreds of footnotes provide valuable information to today's reader.
P.S.- A helpful map is included.

Anyone with an interest in history, especially political or military history will enjoy this facinating story of a band of Greek soldiers traveling hundreds of miles on their way home through lands inhabited by hostile peoples, and pursued by a relentless enemy. The courage of the soldiers and the character of the officers who led and held them together are inspirational. The political manuvering is every bit as engrossing as the battles that are fought. This is an incredible true story that you won't want to put down. Xenophons skill as a leader of men is equalled by his skill as an author.

The word anabasis means military advance, or journey. And what a journey this was for 10,000 Greek mercenaries, who have to get out of Persia after their expedition goes wrong! This was an exciting true-life adventure story, better than any fictional one. If you like adventure or military stories, you'll enjoy this. A little knowledge of contemporary Greek history is helpful, but not necessary to enjoy this very readable translation.

I confess that I have heard of this classic for years and never made an attempt to read it until recently. It is a classic because it has stood the test of time. It is an outstanding account of the Greek Mercinaries who fought with Cyris in the 5th century BC. Although it reads much differently than a novel it is much more fascinating when you know that the words are written by the man who really participated in this epic adventure and survived to tell his story. I highly reccomend it to anyone who is interested in classsical warfare of just likes a good adventure story of men enduring extreme hardship and winning the battle in the end. You will not be disappointed.

If a Hollywood producer unfamiliar with Xenophon was given a screenplay version of the Anabasis, I suspect he would have two reactions. Dollar signs would dance before his eyes as he envisioned a blockbuster epic film. At the same time, he would find it difficult to believe that the fantastic adventure story he had just read actually occurred in early 4th century BCE Greece. Fantastic but historical, the Anabasis is a wonderful window on the character, strategy and tactics of the Greeks as well as the tenuous nature of life, freedom and personal property in classical times, all of which is wrapped within a memoir of one of history's most amazing military journeys.

Xenophon was an Athenian soldier, philosopher and historian who lived during the eventful period that produced the genius of Socrates, Plato, Thucydides, Aristophanes, Pericles, Herodotus, Sophocles and Euripides. He wrote broadly on topics such as the pleasures of hunting, his experiences with Socrates, the characteristics of government and the Spartan legal system. However, his most well-known work is his military memoir, the Anabasis. The book tells the story of 10,000 Greek mercenaries ("the Ten Thousand") that marched deep into Persian territory with the forces of the Persian prince Cyrus in an attempt to usurp the throne from his brother Artaxerxes. After the defeat and death of Cyrus outside of Babylon, the Greek generals are treacherously murdered during a truce, leaving the rank-and-file Hellenic soldiers leaderless, deep in enemy territory surrounded by vastly greater numbers, without food, adequate ammunition and cavalry and with no guides to help them navigate the two thousand mile return journey through enemy territory. Despite his civilian status, Xenophon rallies the spirits of the Ten Thousand, is elected as one of the replacement generals and plays a key role in the harrowing return trip as the group battles enemy forces, hunger and bitter cold.

While the raw material for the book is fantastic, Xenophon's writing style, as translated by Brownson and Dillery, is very utilitarian and, with the exception of a glowing tribute to the leadership of Cyrus, the reader learns very little about the individuals found in the book. My biggest complaint with this Loeb Classical Library edition is the lack of additional maps to more easily follow the myriad of towns and peoples encountered. That said, the Introduction and notes are invaluable aids to better understanding the geography, various tribes and historical allusions found in the text. Finally, the Anabasis is best read after tackling both the Histories of Herodotus and the History of the Peloponnesian War of Thucydides, as these classics provide extremely helpful background on the predecessor wars between the allied Greek city-states and Persia and the intra-Hellenic conflict between Athens and Sparta.

The Greek scholar Edith Hamilton said that, "The Anabasis is the story of the Greeks in miniature" and that "no other piece of writing gives so clear a picture of Greek individualism, that instinct that was supremely characteristic of ancient Greece and decided the course of Greek achievement." This is a must read for anyone with either an interest in classical Greece or a passion for military history and I give it four stars.

This is a brilliant book - it is about leadership, covers a real life adventure, is written in a very easy chatty style and provides an insight into life in 4th century B.C.

I highly respect Peter Drucker and in his interview in Business 2.0 he mentioned that he learnt the most about leadership from Xenophon's books. And I had to read this book!

The introduction is a little boring but once the real story begins it is hard to put down, my third day I finished this book at 3 AM in the morning.

One of the best books, I have ever read ( I read a lot!!!)

Arguably the greatest military memoir ever written as well as the one of the greatest adventure stories ever told. Xenophon shows himself to be both a strong, fair leader and a humble person as he recounts the retreat from enemy territory. I understand there was a time when this was part of a mandatory curriculum in schools. How far we have fallen. Anabasis is a great story for all ages and would be a wise choice as a gift for young readers ( even if the younger ones need some help from their parents).