Self-Characterization and Political Thought in Xenophon’s Anabasis

Bibliographic Data

ID23403236
AuthorsTim Rood (0000-0002-8009-5729, corresponding author)
Year2015
Pages96-109
Publication date2015-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeCHAPTER
VenueFame and Infamy (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199662326.003.0007
OpenAlexW2479825041
ISBN9780199662326
LanguageEN
Citations received23

This chapter analyses Xenophon’s self-portrayal in Anabasis, particularly in the scene after the arrest of the generals where Xenophon rises to prominence in his own account and in the retreat to the sea. It reads Xenophon’s account of the recreation of a sense of community in the Greek army from its position of aporia at the start of Book 3 against sophistic accounts of human development. At the military level, the Greek army is shown gradually learning from experience and from physical necessities. This gradual process at a military level contrasts with the charismatic leadership of Xenophon. The chapter suggests that Xenophon’s rhetoric in his three speeches at the start of Book 3 mirrors Greek political thought about the construction of political communities while characterizing Xenophon himself as an adroit political agent.

Characterization (materials science) · Nanotechnology · Political science · Politics · Classical Antiquity Studies · History · Law · Materials Science · Philosophy

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