Agesilaus

Xenophon

Nov 2019 · Good Press

About this ebook

Xenophon's 'Agesilaus' is a compelling historical account of the life of Agesilaus II, the legendary king of Sparta. Written in a straightforward and engaging style, the book provides a detailed and vivid portrait of the Spartan king's military campaigns, political maneuvers, and personal virtues. Xenophon's narrative is rich in detail and offers valuable insights into the political and social context of ancient Greece. His depiction of Agesilaus as a brilliant strategist and charismatic leader reflects the author's admiration for the Spartan culture and military prowess. The book serves as a valuable primary source for understanding the complexities of Spartan society and the challenges faced by its rulers. Xenophon's meticulous attention to historical accuracy and his skillful storytelling make 'Agesilaus' a must-read for anyone interested in ancient Greek history and military strategy.

About the author

Xenophon's life and personality is better known to us, perhaps, than that of any other Greek who lived before Alexander the Great. Much of his considerable output of historical writing and essays is frankly or implicitly autobiographical. He reveals himself as one of those many Athenians and other Greeks who turned to autocratic political models, including admiration of Persia, after the excesses of the Athenian democracy led to disaster in the Peloponnesian War. He also reveals himself as much more than a literary man and a critic of his times. A gentleman adventurer and something of a professional soldier, he followed in turn the philosopher Socrates, the Persian prince Cyrus the Younger, and the Spartan king Agesilaus, all of whom he wrote about with an air of close personal knowledge. His works include the autobiographical Anabasis, an account of his service with a mercenary Greek army that marched from Mesopotamia to the Black Sea after the defeat and death of the younger Cyrus. It provides the most detailed single perspective on the military practices and military mentality of Xenophon's age. His Hellenica, by contrast, is an impersonal continuation to the end of the Peloponnesian War of the work of Thucydides and a patchy memoir that concentrates on Sparta's fortunes until the definitive end of its power in 362 b.c. Xenophon's other major works are the Cyropaedia and the rambling Socratic dialogues known as the Memorabilia. The Cyropaedia is a fictional idealization of the career of Cyrus the Great, the only great conqueror known to the Greeks before Alexander. Often regarded merely as a novel, it is a species of a priori historical reconstruction. A retrojection of the military science and political values of the day into a largely unknown Persia of the past, it is intended to explain Cyrus's success on rational principles. The Memorabilia and the Socratic Apology that comes down with them contain nothing of philosophical value but are thought by some scholars to offer a possible corrective to Plato's altogether too Platonic Socrates. Xenophon had a conventional and second-rate mind, but he is a valuable resource because of his mediocrity. He enables us to make contact with an ordinary intellect from a world that often seems dominated by geniuses.