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Political Stability in Xenophon's “Cyropaedia”

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Political Stability in Xenophon's “Cyropaedia” POLITICAL STABILITY IN XENOPHON’S CYROPAEDIA Brandon Zitar Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS December 2020 APPROVED: Steven Forde, Committee Chair Richard Ruderman, Committee Member Alexander Duff, Committee Member Rafael Major, Committee Member Martin Yaffe, Committee Member Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha, Chair of the Department of Political Science Tamara L. Brown, Executive Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Victor Prybutok, Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Zitar, Brandon. Political Stability in Xenophon’s “Cyropaedia.” Doctor of Philosophy (Political Science), December 2020, 177 pp., bibliography, 41 titles. While there have been several rich studies that have provided insight into the teachings of Xenophon that emerge from a careful reading of the Cyropaedia, the problem of reconciling the apparent good rule of Cyrus with the ruin of his empire persists. I argue that this problem can be reconciled by focusing on the problem that Xenophon initially informs us he is interested in, political stability. Copyright 2020 by Brandon Zitar ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my Dissertation Committee members, Steven Forde, Richard Ruderman, Alexander Duff, Rafael Major, and Martin Yaffe for seeing this project through with me. I consider it a privilege and a blessing to have had such insightful instruction and guidance throughout this process. I would also like to thank my friends, Elliot Montagano whose patience, intellect, and calming influence proved invaluable to this project, and Sebastian Graham whose enthusiasm for the study of political philosophy is contagious. While their counsel and encouragement helped to push me to complete the project, I count their friendship as the greater reward. I am also indebted to my twin sister, Heidi Keeling, for her continued support and willingness to talk through ideas with me. Her ability to make sense of complex ideas and kind encouragement have often provided much needed wind for my sails. Finally, I would like to express my unending gratitude for my wise and beautiful wife, Dani, and our two wonderful children Colton and Cadence. Their patience and support made this endeavor possible. If I have ever accomplished anything of worth, it is because of them. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2. POLITICAL STABILITY AND THE PERSIAN LAWS....................................... 8 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 8 What is Political Stability?................................................................................................ 12 Xenophon’s Reflections .................................................................................................... 14 The Persian Education: Private vs Public Good ............................................................... 20 Cyrus’ Median Education ................................................................................................. 27 Military Rule vs Rule of a Polis ........................................................................................ 28 On the Art of Horsemanship ............................................................................................. 29 On Hunting........................................................................................................................ 30 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 31 CHAPTER 3. A TALE OF TWO TUNICS.................................................................................. 33 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 33 The Case of the Tunics ..................................................................................................... 34 Justice and the Rule of Law .............................................................................................. 38 Justice as What is Fitting .................................................................................................. 45 Justice and Force ............................................................................................................... 47 The Teacher ...................................................................................................................... 50 The Smaller Boy ............................................................................................................... 52 The Bigger Boy ................................................................................................................. 52 Mandane’s Argument........................................................................................................ 55 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 59 CHAPTER 4. THE TYRANNY OF CYRUS............................................................................... 62 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 62 Xenophon’s Definition of Tyranny ................................................................................... 62 Strauss and the Tyranny of Cyrus ..................................................................................... 67 Knowledge as the Basis for Rule ...................................................................................... 70 iv Willing Obedience ............................................................................................................ 73 Gratitude ........................................................................................................................... 76 Tigranes’ Teachings .......................................................................................................... 78 Cyrus and Philosophy ....................................................................................................... 89 The Rule of Cyrus ............................................................................................................. 92 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 97 CHAPTER 5. THE WISE KING AND THE TYRANT .............................................................. 99 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 99 The Dialogue between Cyrus and Cambyses.................................................................. 100 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 128 CHAPTER 6. A CONSIDERATION OF PHERAULAS .......................................................... 130 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 130 Pheraulas and the Case of the Tunics ............................................................................. 132 The Conversion of the Persian Army.............................................................................. 135 Cyrus’ Speech to the Peers ............................................................................................. 139 Cyrus, Chrysantas, and Pheraulas: Speeches to the Persians .......................................... 145 Pheraulas and the Sacian ................................................................................................. 161 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 167 CHAPTER 7. CONCLUSION.................................................................................................... 169 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................... 175 v CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Xenophon’s Cyropaedia can, and indeed, has been read and understood from several different perspectives. To some, it reads as a treatise on leadership and military tactics, to others as a cautionary tale regarding the dangers of tyranny, to others still, a somewhat inaccurate historical accounting of the figure of Cyrus the Great. While the literature that addresses the Cyropaedia offers insight into these and many other considerations, it remains the case that a unifying theme that connects all of the elements of the Cyropaedia eludes us. In order to grasp Xenophon’s teachings from the Cyropaedia, a student is forced to confront and disentangle two seemingly contradictory presentations of the good of political life that emerge in the work. Xenophon presents both the rule of law, and the rule of Cyrus as answers to the question: what is the good that should come from political life? The tendency in the scholarship on Xenophon is to focus on only one aspect of this dual consideration. The majority of the scholarship is concentrated on exploring the character of Cyrus. This should come as no surprise when we consider that the majority of the work itself is directed towards a
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