Xenophon

Xenophon of Athens (c. 430–354 BCE) was an ancient Greek historian, soldier, and a student of Socrates. Athenian by birth, he participated in the expedition of Cyrus the Younger as a mercenary in 401 BCE and subsequently pursued a long career as commander and advisor in various Greek states. His surviving works combine history, philosophy, and practical instruction.

Xenophon’s historical writings include Anabasis, the firsthand account of the Ten Thousand’s retreat from Persia, and Hellenica, a continuation of Thucydides’ narrative from 411 to 362 BCE. His philosophical and ethical writings for a broader audience include Memorabilia and the Apology, which preserve Socratic method and ideas, as well as Oeconomicus, a dialogue on household management and pastoral virtue. Cyropaedia, a partly fictionalized life of Cyrus the Great, presents models of leadership, virtue, and education as a guide to statecraft and pedagogy. He also wrote On Horsemanship (Cynegetikos), reflecting his expertise as a cavalry commander.

Xenophon is valued as a reliable, though sometimes idealized, source for late 5th- and early 4th-century BCE Greek history and for Socratic thought outside Plato. He died in Corinth around 354 BCE.