Life Xenophon (c. 430 – c. 354 BCE) was an Athenian historian, philosopher, and soldier. A student of Socrates, his life was defined by his leadership of the retreat of the Ten Thousand Greek mercenaries after the Battle of Cunaxa in 401 BCE, an event he chronicled in his Anabasis. His subsequent service with Spartans led to his exile from Athens, and he spent years on an estate in Scillus before moving to Corinth [1][2][3].

Works Xenophon’s diverse corpus includes historical, philosophical, and technical works. Major titles are the historical Anabasis and Hellenica; the Socratic works Memorabilia, Oeconomicus, and Symposium; the political biography Cyropaedia; and practical treatises like On Horsemanship. The "Xenophon Letters" (Ξενοφῶντος Ἐπιστολαί) are not attested among his authentic works in major scholarly sources [4].

Significance Xenophon is a crucial historian for late-5th and early-4th century Greece. His Anabasis is both a vital historical source and a classic narrative, while his Socratic writings provide an important practical counterpoint to Plato’s portraits. His works on leadership, economics, and society offer valuable insights into Greek life [1][2][3].

Sources 1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Plato): https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/xenophon/ 2. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://iep.utm.edu/xenophon/ 3. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Xenophon 4. Perseus Digital Library (Catalog): http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/collection?collection=Perseus:collection:Greco-Roman