Anabasis, the March of the Ten Thousand Xenophon Contents BOOK I ................................................... 3 II .................................................... 4 III ................................................... 6 IV ................................................... 8 V .................................................... 10 VI ................................................... 11 VII ................................................... 12 VIII .................................................. 14 IX ................................................... 15 X .................................................... 17 BOOK II .................................................. 18 I .................................................... 18 II .................................................... 20 III ................................................... 22 IV ................................................... 23 V .................................................... 25 VI ................................................... 28 BOOK III .................................................. 30 I .................................................... 30 II .................................................... 33 III ................................................... 36 IV ................................................... 37 V .................................................... 41 BOOK IV .................................................. 42 I .................................................... 42 II .................................................... 43 III ................................................... 45 IV ................................................... 47 Grace Notes, a ministry of Austin Bible Church http://gracenotes.info/ Anabasis, the March of the Ten Thousand 2 V .................................................... 49 VI ................................................... 51 VII ................................................... 53 VIII .................................................. 54 BOOK V .................................................. 56 I .................................................... 56 II .................................................... 58 III ................................................... 60 IV ................................................... 61 V .................................................... 62 VI ................................................... 64 VII ................................................... 67 VIII .................................................. 69 BOOK VI .................................................. 71 I .................................................... 71 II .................................................... 73 III ................................................... 75 IV ................................................... 76 V .................................................... 78 VI ................................................... 80 BOOK VII ................................................. 83 I .................................................... 83 II .................................................... 86 III ................................................... 88 IV ................................................... 91 V .................................................... 93 VI ................................................... 94 VII ................................................... 97 VIII .................................................. 100 Translation by H. G. Dakyns The Anabasis is his story of the march to Persia to aid Cyrus, who enlisted Greek help to try and take the throne from Artaxerxes, and the ensuing Xenophon the Athenian was born 431 B.C. He was return of the Greeks, in which Xenophon played a a pupil of Socrates. He marched with the Spartans, leading role. This occurred between 401 B.C. and and was exiled from Athens. Sparta gave him land March 399 B.C. and property in Scillus, where he lived for many years before having to move once more, to settle in Corinth. He died in 354 B.C. Grace Notes, a ministry of Austin Bible Church http://gracenotes.info/ Anabasis, the March of the Ten Thousand 3 BOOK I Cyrus. In Miletus, Tissaphernes, having become aware of similar designs, had forestalled the con- Darius and Parysatis had two sons: the elder was spirators by putting some to death and banishing named Artaxerxes, and the younger Cyrus. Now, the remainder. Cyrus, on his side, welcomed these as Darius lay sick and felt that the end of life fugitives, and having collected an army, laid siege drew near, he wished both his sons to be with him. to Miletus by sea and land, endeavouring to rein- The elder, as it chanced, was already there, but state the exiles; and this gave him another pretext Cyrus he must needs send for from the province for collecting an armament. At the same time he over which he had made him satrap, having ap- sent to the king, and claimed, as being the king’s pointed him general moreover of all the forces that brother, that these cities should be given to himself muster in the plain of the Castolus. Thus Cyrus rather than that Tissaphernes should continue to went up, taking with him Tissaphernes as his friend, govern them; and in furtherance of this end, the and accompanied also by a body of Hellenes, three queen, his mother, co-operated with him, so that hundred heavy armed men, under the command of the king not only failed to see the design against Xenias the Parrhasian.1 himself, but concluded that Cyrus was spending his money on armaments in order to make war on Tis- Now when Darius was dead, and Artaxerxes was saphernes. Nor did it pain him greatly to see the established in the kingdom, Tissaphernes brought two at war together, and the less so because Cyrus slanderous accusations against Cyrus before his was careful to remit the tribute due to the king brother, the king, of harbouring designs against from the cities which belonged to Tissaphernes. him. And Artaxerxes, listening to the words of Tis- A third army was being collected for him in the saphernes, laid hands upon Cyrus, desiring to put Chersonese, over against Abydos, the origin of him to death; but his mother made intercession which was as follows: There was a Lacedaemo- for him, and sent him back again in safety to his nian exile, named Clearchus, with whom Cyrus province. He then, having so escaped through peril had become associated. Cyrus admired the man, and dishonour, fell to considering, not only how he and made him a present of ten thousand darics2. might avoid ever again being in his brother’s power, Clearchus took the gold, and with the money raised but how, if possible, he might become king in his an army, and using the Chersonese as his base of stead. Parysatis, his mother, was his first resource; operations, set to work to fight the Thracians north for she had more love for Cyrus than for Artaxerxes of the Hellespont, in the interests of the Hellenes, upon his throne. Moreover Cyrus’s behaviour to- and with such happy result that the Hellespontine wards all who came to him from the king’s court cities, of their own accord, were eager to contribute was such that, when he sent them away again, they funds for the support of his troops. In this way, were better friends to himself than to the king his again, an armament was being secretly maintained brother. Nor did he neglect the barbarians in his for Cyrus. own service; but trained them, at once to be ca- pable as warriors and devoted adherents of himself. Then there was the Thessalian Aristippus, Cyrus’s Lastly, he began collecting his Hellenic armament, friend 3, who, under pressure of the rival political but with the utmost secrecy, so that he might take party at home, had come to Cyrus and asked him the king as far as might be at unawares. for pay for two thousand mercenaries, to be con- tinued for three months, which would enable him, The manner in which he contrived the levying of he said, to gain the upper hand of his antagonists. the troops was as follows: First, he sent orders to Cyrus replied by presenting him with six months’ the commandants of garrisons in the cities (so held pay for four thousand mercenaries–only stipulating by him), bidding them to get together as large a that Aristippus should not come to terms with his body of picked Peloponnesian troops as they sever- antagonists without final consultation with himself. ally were able, on the plea that Tissaphernes was In this way he secured to himself the secret main- plotting against their cities; and truly these cities of tenance of a fourth armament. Ionia had originally belonged to Tissaphernes, be- ing given to him by the king; but at this time, with Further, he bade Proxenus, a Boeotian, who was an- the exception of Miletus, they had all revolted to other friend, get together as many men as possible, 1Parrhasia, a district and town in the south-west of Arcadia. 2A Persian gold coin = 125.55 grains of gold. 3Lit. “guest-friend.” Aristippus was, as we learn from the “Meno” of Plato, a native of Larisa, of the family of the Aleuadae, and a pupil of Gorgias. He was also a lover of Menon, whom he appears to have sent on this expedition instead of himself. Grace Notes, a ministry of Austin Bible Church http://gracenotes.info/ Anabasis, the March of the Ten Thousand 4 and join him in an expedition which he meditated more than an invasion of Pisidia: so he argued; and against the Pisidians 4, who were causing annoy- with what speed he might, he set off to the king, at- ance to his territory.