Xenophon’s Woes in Thrace: The Very Model of a Modern Mercenary Commander?
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David Thomas
Abstract
This paper uses both philological and historical evidence to argue that in the second half of Book 7 of Anabasis, Xenophon deliberately presents readers with material that underlines, in a way he could readily have avoided, how he failed in his role of mercenary commander through a breakdown of relations both with the men under his command and with his employer Seuthes, a Thracian princeling. Through his choice of vocabulary he quietly differentiates between the army’s progress in previous books and the futility of its movements in Book 7, even before overt problems occur. He goes further in bringing the much more successful mercenary commander Iphicrates to readers’ minds than his basic story required. For Xenophon, while good leaders are essential, any identification of the good man and the good leader is problematic.
Abstract
This paper uses both philological and historical evidence to argue that in the second half of Book 7 of Anabasis, Xenophon deliberately presents readers with material that underlines, in a way he could readily have avoided, how he failed in his role of mercenary commander through a breakdown of relations both with the men under his command and with his employer Seuthes, a Thracian princeling. Through his choice of vocabulary he quietly differentiates between the army’s progress in previous books and the futility of its movements in Book 7, even before overt problems occur. He goes further in bringing the much more successful mercenary commander Iphicrates to readers’ minds than his basic story required. For Xenophon, while good leaders are essential, any identification of the good man and the good leader is problematic.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgements VII
- Contents IX
- Abbreviations XIII
- List of Figures XV
- Introduction 1
-
Part I: New Readings of Xenophon’s Anabasis
- Starting and Restarting the Anabasis 13
- Killing the King: Cyrus’ Attack on his Brother in Anabasis, and its Reception in Cyropaedia 43
- Xenophon’s Moral Luck: Crisis and Leadership Opportunity in Anabasis 3 63
- The Reception and Interpretation of Xenophon’s Discussion with Socrates in the Anabasis (3.1.4–8) 85
- From the Tigris to the Sea: The Problematic Geography of Anabasis Book 4 105
- A Universalist Moral Compass: Depicting Greeks and Foreigners in Anabasis 5 and 6 131
- Xenophon’s Woes in Thrace: The Very Model of a Modern Mercenary Commander? 157
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Part II: Themes in Xenophon’s Anabasis
- Friendship (φιλία) in Xenophon’s Anabasis 183
- Beyond Xenophon: Other Speakers in Xenophon’s Anabasis 205
- Rumour and Misrepresentation in Xenophon’s Anabasis 233
- Emotions and Narrative in Xenophon’s Anabasis: Leaders Handling Negative Emotions 257
- The Human Body in Xenophon’s Anabasis 287
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Part III: The Reception of Xenophon’s Anabasis from Antiquity to Modern Times
- Anabasis as Monument: Arrian, Xenophontic Space, and Literary Authority 311
- Xenophon and Arrian: Aspects of Leadership in their Anabases 329
- The Anabases of Chariton’s Callirhoe and Heliodorus’ Charicleia 345
- The Siren’s Song: Xenophon’s Anabasis in Byzantium 367
- The Reception of Xenophon’s Anabasis in the 15th and 16th Centuries 395
- The Anabasis Illustrated 423
- Voltaire: Questions on the Anabasis 455
- Scillus and After: The Historian’s Retreat from Xenophon to Toynbee 477
- The Anabasis in Paramount’s Promotion of The Warriors (1979): From the Gang Streets to The New York Times 499
-
Envoi
- Teaching the Anabasis in the Twenty-First Century: Challenges and Prospects 523
- List of Contributors 531
- General Index 535
- Index of Key Passages 547
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgements VII
- Contents IX
- Abbreviations XIII
- List of Figures XV
- Introduction 1
-
Part I: New Readings of Xenophon’s Anabasis
- Starting and Restarting the Anabasis 13
- Killing the King: Cyrus’ Attack on his Brother in Anabasis, and its Reception in Cyropaedia 43
- Xenophon’s Moral Luck: Crisis and Leadership Opportunity in Anabasis 3 63
- The Reception and Interpretation of Xenophon’s Discussion with Socrates in the Anabasis (3.1.4–8) 85
- From the Tigris to the Sea: The Problematic Geography of Anabasis Book 4 105
- A Universalist Moral Compass: Depicting Greeks and Foreigners in Anabasis 5 and 6 131
- Xenophon’s Woes in Thrace: The Very Model of a Modern Mercenary Commander? 157
-
Part II: Themes in Xenophon’s Anabasis
- Friendship (φιλία) in Xenophon’s Anabasis 183
- Beyond Xenophon: Other Speakers in Xenophon’s Anabasis 205
- Rumour and Misrepresentation in Xenophon’s Anabasis 233
- Emotions and Narrative in Xenophon’s Anabasis: Leaders Handling Negative Emotions 257
- The Human Body in Xenophon’s Anabasis 287
-
Part III: The Reception of Xenophon’s Anabasis from Antiquity to Modern Times
- Anabasis as Monument: Arrian, Xenophontic Space, and Literary Authority 311
- Xenophon and Arrian: Aspects of Leadership in their Anabases 329
- The Anabases of Chariton’s Callirhoe and Heliodorus’ Charicleia 345
- The Siren’s Song: Xenophon’s Anabasis in Byzantium 367
- The Reception of Xenophon’s Anabasis in the 15th and 16th Centuries 395
- The Anabasis Illustrated 423
- Voltaire: Questions on the Anabasis 455
- Scillus and After: The Historian’s Retreat from Xenophon to Toynbee 477
- The Anabasis in Paramount’s Promotion of The Warriors (1979): From the Gang Streets to The New York Times 499
-
Envoi
- Teaching the Anabasis in the Twenty-First Century: Challenges and Prospects 523
- List of Contributors 531
- General Index 535
- Index of Key Passages 547
