6. anabasis or the going up of the ten thousand by xenophon, pp. 14-18

8/11/2019 6. Anabasis or the Going Up of the Ten Thousand by Xenophon, Pp. 14-18

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ing through him to receive Persian sup-

port; and, happily for Athens, he suc-

ceeded in restraining the fleetwhich was

still more than a match for all adversaries

from sailing back to Piraeus to subvert

the rule of the Four Hundred.

The more patriotic of the oligarchs saw,

in fact, that the best hopes for the state

lay in the establishment of a limited

democracy; with the result that the ex-

treme oligarchs, who would have joine

i

hands with the enemy, were overthrowr

and the rule of the Five Thousand re

placed that of the Four Hundred, provid

ing Athens with the best administratioi

it had ever known. A great naval vi ctor

was won by the Athenian fleet, under

the command of Thrasybulus, over

slightly larger Peloponnesian fleet a

Cynossema.

Anabasis or The Going Up of

the Ten Thousand

XENOPHON

S

OME documentation is needed in introducing Xenophon's history of the 'anabasis,'

or up-cou ntry march, of the Greek army . Cyrus the Younger of Persia had as-

sisted the Lacedaemonians against the Athenians in the Peloponnesian war, which ended

in the victory of the former at Aegos Potami, 404

B.C.

This year saw also the death

of Cyrus's father and the succession of his brothe r, Artaxerxes II . Cyrus determined

to make a bid for the Persian throne, and in 401 set out into Artaxerxes's territory

with an army of 10,000 Greek mercenaries. Most of the narra tive refers to the 'ca ta-

basis,' or retreat from Cunaxa to the Euxine.

ITHE GOING UP OF CYRUS AND HIS HOST

C

YRUS, the younger brother of Arta-

xerxes the king, began his prep-

arations for revolt by gradually

gathering and equipping an army on the

pretext of hostile relations between him-

self and another of the western satraps,

Tissaphernes. No tably, he secretly fur-

nished Clearchus, a Lacedaemonian, with

means to equip a Greek force in Thrace;

another like force was ready to move

from Thessaly under Aristippus; while a

B oeotian, Proxenus, and two other friends

were commissioned to collect more mer-

cenaries to aid in the war with Tissa-

phernes.

Next, an excuse for marching up-coun-

try, at the head of all these forces, was

found in the need of suppressing the

Pisidian s. He advanced from Sardis into

Phrygia, where his musters were com-

pleted at Celaenae. A review was held at

Tyriaeum, where the Cilician queen, who

had supplied funds, was badly frightened

by a mock charge of the Greek contin-

gent. W hen the advance had reached

Tarsus, there was almost a mutiny among

the Greeks, who were suspicious of the

intentions of Cyrus. B ut the diplomacy

of their chief general, Clearchus, the

Lacedaemonian, and promises of increased

pay, prevailed, though it had long been

obvious that Pisidia was not the objective

of the expedition.

Further reinforcements were received

at Issus, the eastern seaport of Cilicia;

Cyrus then marched through the Syrian

gate into Syria. At Myriandrus two

Greek commanders, probably through

jealousy of Clearchus, deserted. Th e

whole force now struck inland to Thapsa-

cus, on the Euphrates.

At Thapsacus, Cyrus announced his

purpose. Th e Greek soldiers were angry

with their generals for having, as they

supposed, wilfully misled them, but were

mollified by promise of large rewards.

One of the commanders, Menon, won the

approval of Cyrus by being the first to

lead his contingent across the Euphrates

on his own initiativ e. The advance was

now conducted through a painfully sterile

country. In the course of this, the troops

of Clearchus and Menon very nearly

came to blows; the intervention of

Proxenus only made matters worse; and

order was restored by the arrival of

Cyrus, who pointed out that the whole

expedition must be ruined if the Greeks

fell out among themselves.

B y this time, Artaxerxes had realised


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that the repeated warnings of Tissa-

phernes (who had in the first instance

betrayed the intentions of Cyrus to

Artaxerxes, his broth er) and others were

justified; and as the expedition neared

B abylonia, signs of the enemy became

apparent in the deliberate devastation of

the coun try. He re Oron tes, one of the

principal Persian officers of Cyrus, was

convicted of treason and put to death.

The army was again reviewed, the

whole force amounting to some 100,000

barbarians and nearly 14,000 Greeks; the

enemy were reputed to number over

1,000,000, though not so many took part

in the engagement.

Cyrus now advanced, expecting battle

immediately, at an entrenched pass (near

Cunaxa) ; but, finding this unoccupied, he

did not maintain battle order; which was

hurriedly taken up on news of the ap-

proach of the royal forces. The Greeks,

under Clearchus, occupied the right wing,

Cyrus being in the centre, and Ariaeus on

the left. Th e king's army was so large

that even its centre extended far beyond

the left of Cyrus.

The Greeks advanced on the royalist

left, which broke and fled almost without

a biow. Thinkin g tha t the Greeks might

be intercepted and cut off, Cyrus charged

the centre in person with his bodyguard

and routed the opposing troops; but

dashing forward in the hope of capturing

Artaxerxes, was himself pierced by a jave-

lin and fell dead on the field. So end ed

the career of the most brilliant Persian

since Cyrus the Great had established the

Persian Empire; brave, accomplished, the

mirror of honour, just himself and the

rewarder of justice in others, generous and

most loyal to his friends.

The magnanimity of his character may

be illustrated by his natural graciousness.

Often when he had wine served which

was of an unusually fine flavour, his habit

was to send the half-emptied flasks to

some of his acquaintances with a message

in these or similar words: 'Cyrus has not

in many years encountered a more pleas-

ing wine than this; accordingly he sends

some in this flask to you. He hopes th at

you will drink of it to-day with those

friends whose acquaintance you cherish.'

The tragic event of his death served as

proof not only of his personal merit, but

also of his ability in distinguishing such

followers as were faithful, friendly and

loyal. For when he died all his followers,

and those who ate from his table, fell

with their swords drawn in his defence,

with the exception of one Ariaeus, who

commanded the cavalry squadron on the

left wing. B ut upon hearing of the fall

of his leader, Ariaeus, with all the forces

under his command, took flight from the

field. And Artaxerxes and his troop s fell

upon him and pursued him in his retreat.

IITHE GREAT RETREAT TO THE EUXINE

W

HEN

Cyrus fell, the left wing,

under Ariaeus, broke and fled.

The Greeks had meantime poured on in

pursuit of the royalist left, while the

main body of the royalists were in pos-

session of the rebel camp, though a Greek

guard, which had been left there, held

the Greek qua rter. Artaxerxes, however,

had no mind to give battle to the return-

ing Greek column.

It was not till next day that Clearchus

learned that Cyrus was slain, and that

Ariaeus had fallen back to the last halt-

ing place, where he proposed to wait

twenty-four hours, and no more, before

starting to retreat westward. Clearchus

sent word that the Greeks, for their part,

had been victorious, and that if Ariaeus

would rejoin them they would win the

Persian crown for him, since Cyrus was

dead.

The next message was from Artaxerxes,

inviting the Greeks to give up their arms;

to which they replied that he might come

and take them if he could, but, if he

meant to treat them as friends, they

would be no use to him without arms;

if as enemies they would keep them for

defence.

Though no formal choice was made,

the Greeks recognized Clearchus as their

leader. Th ey fell back to join Ariaeus,

who declined the proposal to win him

the Persian throne; and it was agreed to

follow a new route in retreat to Ionia,

the way of the advance being now im-

practicable.

Now, however, Artaxerxes began to

negotiate through Tissaphernes, the

Greeks maintaining a bold and even con-

temptuous front, warranted by the king's

obvious fear of risking an engagement.

Finally, an offer came to conduct the

Greeks back to Grecian territory, provid-


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ing them, at their own cost, with neces-

saries. Prolonged delays, however,

aroused suspicions of treachery among

the Greeks, who distrusted Tissaphernes

and Ariaeus alike; but Clearchus held it

better not to break openly with the Per-

sians.

Th e march at last began along a

northerly route towards the B lack Sea,

the Greeks keeping rigidly apart from the

Persian forces which accompanied them,

in readiness for an attack.

A

T the crossing of the Tigris suspicion

. was particu larly active, the conduct

of Ariaeus being especially dubious; but

still no overt hostilities were attempted

until the river Zabatus was reached, after

three weeks of marching.

Here Clearchus endeavoured to end the

extremely strained relations between the

Greeks and the barbarian commanders by

an interview with Tissaphernes. B oth

men carefully repudiated any idea of

hostile intentions, and the Persian invited

Clearchus and the Greek officers generally

to atten d a conference. N ot all, bu t a

considerable numberfive generals, in-

cluding Clearchus, Proxenus and Menon,

with twenty more officers and nearly two

hundred othersattended. At a given

signal all were treacherously massacred;

but a fugitive reached the Greek camp,

where the men sprang to arms. Ariaeus,

approaching with an escort, declared that

Clearchus had been proved guilty of trea-

son, but was received with fierce indigna-

tion, and withdrew.

Of the murdered generals, Clearchus

was a man of high military capacity, but

a harsh disciplinarian, feared and re-

spected but very unpopular; Proxenus, a

particular friend of Xenophon, was an

amiable but not a strong man; Menon,

the Thessalian commander, was a crafty

and hypocritical time-server, of whom no

good can be spoken.

The ten thousand Greeks were now in

an ugly predicament; they were a thou-

sand miles from home, while between

them and the B lack Sea lay the moun-

tains of Armenia. They were surrounded

by hostile hordes, and were without

cavalry. The y had no recognized chief

and their most trusted leaders were gone.

The whole company seemed paralysed

unde r a universal despondency. i

It was at this juncture that Xenophon,

an Athenian gentleman-volunteer, was

stirred to action by a dream. He rose and

roused the officers of the contingent of

Proxenus, to which he was attached.

Heartened by an address, in which h^

pointed out that, on the one hand they

had to depend on their own courage, skill,

and resourcefulness, and, on the other,

were released from all obligation to the

Persians, they unanimously chose him

their leader, and at his instigation roused

the senior officers of all the other contin-

gents to assemble for deliberation.

The council thus summoned, inspired

again by the words of Xenophon, vigor-

ously backed up by other leaders, ap-

pointed new generals, among them Xeno-

phon

himself

and set about actively to

organize a retre at to the sea. Th e con-

tagion of resolute determination spread

through the ranks of the whole force.

Chrisophus the Lacedaemonian was given,

the chief command, the two youngest gen-

erals,

Xenophon and Timerion, were

placed in charge of the rearguard. A

troop of slingers was organized; all horses

with the army were sequestrated to form

a cavalry squadron. The army started

on its march through the unknown,

formed in a hollow square, which was

so organized that the columns could be

broadened or narrowed according to the

ground without creating confusion.

T

HEY soon found themselves able to

repulse without difficulty even at-

tacks in force by the troops of Tissa-

phernes, the enemy being entirely out-

match ed in hand-to -hand fighting. The

slingers and archers, however, proved

troublesome, and hostile forces, though

keeping out of reach, were never far off.

At last Tissaphernes and Ariaeus drew

off altogether, and the Greek generals

having as alternative courses the march

eastwards upon Susa, northwards upon

B abylon, and westwards towards Ionia,

decided to revert to the course north-

wards to the B lack Sea.

Ill TH E SEA THE SEA

T

HIS route led at first through the gated. H ere there was a good deal of

country of the C arduchi, a very hard fighting, the Carduch i being adep ts

warlike folk who had never been subju- in hill warfare and partic ularly expert


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arch ers. Such was the length and weight

of their arrows that the Greeks collected

them and used them as javelins. Seven

days of this brought the retreating force

to the river Centrites, which parts the

Carduchian mountains from the province

of Armenia.

With a barely fordable river, troops in

vidence on the other side, and the Car-

duchi hanging on their rear, the passage

offered great difficulties, solved by the

discov ery of a mu ch shallower ford. A

feint at one point by the rearguard drew

off the enemy on the opposite bank, while

the main body crossed at the shallows,

which the rearguard also managed to pass

by a successful ruse which misled the

Carduchi on the south bank.

The Persian governor of Western Ar-

menia, Tiribazus, offered safe passage

through his province, but scouts brought

information that large forces were collect-

ing and would dispute the passage of a

defile through which the army must pass.

This point, however, was reached by

a forced march, and the enemy were

routed.

For some days after this, the marching

was very severe; the men had to struggle

forward on very nearly empty stomachs,

through blizzards, suffering terribly from

frost-bite and the blinding effect of the

snow on their eyes, so that at times noth-

ing short of actual threats from the offi-

cers could induce the exhausted men to

oil forward; and all the time the enemy's

skirmishers were harassing the troops and

cutting off stragglers. The se, however,

were finally dispersed by a sudden on-

slaught of the rearguard, and after this a

more populous district was reached, where

food and wine abounded, and the Greeks

made some days' halt to recuperate.

Here a guide was obtained for the next

stages; but on the third night he de-

serted, because Chirisophus had lost his

temper and struck him. This incident

was the only occasion of a serious differ-

ence between Xenophon and the elder

commander.

On the seventh day after this the river

Phasis was crossed; but two days later,

on approaching a mountain pass, it was

seen to be occupied in force. A council

of war was held, at which some jesting

passed, Xenophon remarking on the repu-

tation of the Lacedaemonians as adepts

in thieving, a jibe which Chirisophus re-

torted on the Athenians; as the business

in hand was to 'steal a march' on the

enemy, each encouraged the other to act

up to the national reputation . In the

night, a detachment of volunteers cap-

tured the ridge above the pass; the enemy

beat a hasty retreat when they found

their position turned.

Another five days brought the army

into the country of the Taochi, where the

Greeks had to rush a somewhat danger-

ous position in order to capture supplies.

A space of some twenty yards was open

to such a storm of missiles from above

that it could only be passed by drawing

the enemy's fire and making a dash before

fresh missiles were accum ulated. W hen

this was accomplished, however, the foe

offered no practical resistance, but flung

themselves over the cliffs.

Eighteen days later the Greeks reached

a town called Gymniae, where they ob-

tained a guide. Th eir course lay through

tribes towards whom the governor was

hostile, and the Greeks had no objection

to gratifying him by devastating on

their way. On the fifth day after leaving

Gymniae, a mountain pass was reached.

When the van reached the top of the

mountain (Teches), a great shout arose.

And when Xenophone heard it, and they

of the rearguard, they supposed that other

enemies were ranged against them, for

the men of the land which had been

ravaged were following behind; but when

the clamour grew louder and nearer, and

the new arrivals doubled forward to

where the shouting was, so that it became

greater and greater with the added num-

bers, Xenophon thought this must be

something of mom ent. Therefore, taking

Lycias and the horsemen, he rode forward

at speed to give aid; and then suddenly

they were aware of the soldiers' shout,

the word that rang through the lines

'The sea the sea '

T

HE N every man raced, rearguard

and all, urging horses and the very

baggage-mules to the top of their speed,

and when they came to the top, they fell

on each other's necks, and the generals,

and officers, too, with tears of delight.

And in a moment, whoever it was that

passed the word, the men were gathering

stones, and there they reared a mighty

column.

And as for the lucky guide, he betook

himself home laden with presents.

Of what befell between this point and


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the actual arrival of the army on the

coast of the B lack Sea at the Grecian

colony of Trapezus (Trebizond) the most

curious incident was that of the soldiers

lighting upon great quantities of honey,

which not only made them violently ill,

but had an intoxicating effect, attributed

to the herbs frequented by the bees in

tha t district. This necessitated a halt of

some days. Th e second day's ma rch

thence brought them to Trapezus, where

they made sacrificial thank-offerings to

the gods, and further celebrated the occa-

sion by holding athletic games.

IVTHE WARRIORS RETURN

TO

THRACE

B

UT

Trapezus was not Greece, and the

problem of transport was serious.

The men, sick of marching, were eager to

accomplish the rest of their journey by

sea. Chirisophus, the general as being a

personal friend of the Lacedaemonian ad-

miral stationed at B yzantium, was com-

missioned to obtain ships from him to

take the Greeks home.

Chirisophus departed. The army,

which still numbered over ten thousand

persons, was willing enough to maintain

its military organization for foraging and

for self-defence; also to make such ar-

rangements as were practicable for col-

lecting ships in case Chirisophus should

fail them; but the men flatly refused to

consider any further movement except

by water.

So they stayed where they were, main-

taining their supplies by raids on the

natives; but time passed, and there were

no tidings of Chirisophus. At last, they

saw nothing for it but to put the sick

and other non-combatants aboard of the

vessels which had been secured, send them

on by sea, and themselves march by the

coast to Cerasus, another Greek colony.

Thence they continued their westward

progress, in which they met with consid-

erable resistance from the natives, who

were barbarians of a primitive type, until

they came to Cotyora.

This was another settlement from

Sinope; but it received the Greeks very

inhospitably, so that the latter continued

their practice of ravaging the neighbour-

ing territorie s. It was now eight mo nths

since the expedition had started on its

homeward march. Here a deputation ar-

rived from Sinope to protest against their

proceedings; but Xenophon pointed out

that while they were perfectly willing to

buy what they needed and behave as

friends, if they were not allowed to buy,

self-preservation compelled them to take

by force. Ultima tely, the deputation

promised to send ships to convey them

to Sinope.

D

URING the time of waiting there wa

some risk of the force breaking

itself up, and some inclination to mak

6. anabasis or the going up of the ten thousand by xenophon, pp. 14-18

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