10 h 37 minAudiobook16 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 261 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 261 pagesAbout this book
What holds an army together when its leaders are dead and home lies beyond hostile mountains?
In Anabasis, Xenophon tells the true story of about ten thousand Greek soldiers who march into the Persian Empire with Cyrus the Younger. The prince wants his brother’s throne. When he dies in battle, the Greeks face a different struggle: finding a way home without guides, supplies, or friends.
After the murder of the Greek generals, Xenophon steps forward to help lead the retreat. Rivers, enemy attacks, mountain paths, and bitter snow stand in the army’s way. Yet danger also comes from within. These soldiers vote and argue, and their leaders must earn trust rather than simply demand obedience.
What you’ll discover
- Survival far from home Follow stranded soldiers as hunger, cold, and hostile ground turn each day into a test.
- Leadership that earns trust Watch Xenophon share hardship and speak plainly when despair threatens to break the army.
- An empire on foot Travel through Persia’s rivers, deserts, and mountains with a soldier attentive to the route.
- Soldiers with a say Meet men who vote, argue, sing, and march while struggling to hold together.
- Decisions under pressure Consider what makes people follow a leader when no one can force them to obey.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who like true adventure, military history, or practical lessons in leadership under pressure. It also rewards anyone curious about Persia and Greece. If you want deep psychology or a tidy plot, you may find its plain reporting less suited.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A prince gathers a Greek army
- The march inland hides its true aim
- Cunaxa is decided in one afternoon
- Treachery strips the army of leaders
- Xenophon steps forward and takes command
- Fighting north through the Kurdish mountains
- Snow, hunger and the hard winter
- The sea at last and the trouble of home
- What Xenophon argues and how it has lasted
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 9
A prince gathers a Greek army
The book opens in the Persian empire around 401 BC. King Darius the Second has died, and his eldest son, Artaxerxes, has taken the throne. His younger brother, Cyrus, governs a large area of western Asia Minor, and he believes he should have been king instead. Xenophon tells us that Cyrus had already been accused of plotting against Artaxerxes and was nearly executed before his mother pleaded for him.
Cyrus begins to prepare quietly. He keeps a Persian force of his own, but he knows that the best infantry in the world are Greek. So he sends agents to the Greek cities to hire soldiers and gives each commander a different reason. Some are told that the target is a rebellious people in the mountains of Pisidia, and most of them are not told that the real aim is the king himself.
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The author
Xenophon
430 BC–353 BC · Ancient Greek historian and philosopher
Greek philosopher, historian, and soldier.
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What is Anabasis about?
Anabasis tells how about ten thousand Greek mercenaries marched into the Persian empire with Cyrus the Younger in 401 BC, lost their employer in battle, and fought their way back to the Black Sea under new leaders, including Xenophon.
Is Anabasis a true story?
Yes, it is a historical account by a man who took part. Xenophon wrote it some years after the events, probably to defend his own conduct, so historians treat details with care but accept the main outline.
What does the word anabasis mean?
It is Greek for a going up, a march from the coast into the interior. The title fits the first part of the book, though most of the work describes the long retreat that followed.
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