The Long March: Xenophon and the Ten Thousand

The March of the Ten Thousand is one of the most famous military adventures in the ancient world. Its fearless army of Greek mercenaries marched through western Asia (modern Turkey and Iraq) in 401 BC to 399 BC, their hopes and hardships recounted by Xenophon the Athenian, an admiring pupil of Socrates. Xenophon's history of the Long March, or 'Anabasis', became a classic of Greek literature. In this book, twelve leading scholars explore the 'Anabasis', a deceptively simple and profoundly rich source of social and cultural history and a unique guide to the mentality of the ancient Greek participants. The contributors explore a wide range of topics, from Xenophon's values, motives and manners as a writer, to the outlook of his companions as mercenary soldiers, from his descriptions of religion in soldiers' lives to their relations with women, boys and the many foreign peoples encountered during the march. Robin Lane Fox is Reader in Ancient History at Oxford University and a Fellow of New College. Among his books is 'Alexander the Great'.