Anabasis, Part 1, no. 25, Part I summary
Part 1, no. 25, Part I of 56 · Book 1 · 5 min to read the part
In I, the Hellenes enter Carduchian territory, face repeated attacks, and reduce their baggage and captives to speed their march through narrow mountain roads. When an occupied exit blocks their advance, Xenophon produces prisoners, one reveals another route, and officers volunteer for an expedition to secure its difficult pass.
What happens
- Cheirisophus leads the army across the mountains into villages, where the Hellenes take food but leave household goods untouched.
- The Carduchians reject friendly contact, attack the rear, and keep watchfires burning around the mountains overnight.
- The officers order weak pack animals abandoned and recently captured slaves freed, though some soldiers secretly keep captives.
- During a storm, repeated attacks delay Xenophon’s rearguard, and Cleonymus the Laconian and Basias die.
- Cheirisophus explains that enemies block the exit; after one prisoner is killed, another offers a different route requiring advance occupation of a pass.
- Aristonymus, Agasias, Callimachus, and Aristeas volunteer for the expedition.
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Anabasis, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
In this part
What to notice
Xenophon identifies the rearguard’s impossible task when the advance moves too quickly. His complaint exposes the tension between protecting the rear and securing an exit.
Quick check
Why does the alternative route require an advance expedition?
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Anabasis, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months free
