Xenophon of Athens (Ξενοφῶν ὁ Ἀθηναῖος)

Life Xenophon (c. 430–354 BCE) was an Athenian historian, soldier, and student of Socrates [1]. His life was defined by the Peloponnesian War and its aftermath. In 401 BCE, he joined Cyrus the Younger’s expedition against Artaxerxes II; after Cyrus’s death, Xenophon helped lead the retreat of the Greek mercenaries, an experience central to his Anabasis [1][2]. Exiled from Athens for his pro-Spartan associations, he lived on a Spartan estate at Scillus before possibly moving to Corinth after 371 BCE [1][2].

Works Xenophon’s diverse extant works include historical, Socratic, and technical writings. His major historical works are the Anabasis, recounting the Persian expedition and retreat, and the Hellenica, which continues Thucydides’ history [1][2]. Key Socratic writings include the Memorabilia, Oeconomicus, Symposium, and Apology [1][4]. Other significant works are the Cyropaedia, a biographical romance of Cyrus the Great; treatises on leadership, horsemanship (Peri Hippikēs), and hunting (Cynegeticus); and the Constitution of the Spartans. The Constitution of the Athenians is sometimes attributed to him [1][3].

Significance Xenophon is a crucial historical source for late-5th and 4th-century Greece, Persia, and Sparta, with his Hellenica providing the only continuous contemporary narrative for 411–362 BCE [1][2]. His Socratic writings offer an important practical counterpoint to Plato’s philosophy [1][4]. His clear Attic prose style was later considered a model [2].

Sources 1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Xenophon (https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/xenophon/) 2. Encyclopædia Britannica: Xenophon (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Xenophon) 3. Perseus Digital Library: Xenophon, Constitution of the Athenians (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0157%3Atext%3DAth.%3Achapter%3D1%3Asection%3D1) 4. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Xenophon (https://iep.utm.edu/xenophon/)