Anabasis of Cyrus , livre ebook
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2011
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298
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English
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2011
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Publié par
Date de parution
23 juin 2011
Nombre de lectures
0
EAN13
9780801461996
Langue
English
Poids de l'ouvrage
1 Mo
One of the foundational works of military history and political philosophy, and an inspiration for Alexander the Great, the Anabasis of Cyrus recounts the epic story of the Ten Thousand, a band of Greek mercenaries hired by Cyrus the Younger to overthrow his brother, Artaxerxes, king of Persia and the most powerful man on earth. It shows how Cyrus' army was assembled covertly and led from the coast of Asia Minor all the way to Babylon; how the Greeks held the field against a superior Persian force; how Cyrus was killed, leaving the Greeks stranded deep within enemy territory; and how many of them overcame countless dangers and found their way back to Greece.Their remarkable success was due especially to the wily and decisive leadership of Xenophon himself, a student of Socrates who had joined the Ten Thousand and, after most of the Greek generals had been murdered, rallied the despondent Greeks, won a position of leadership, and guided them wisely through myriad obstacles.In this new translation of the Anabasis, Wayne Ambler achieves a masterful combination of liveliness and a fidelity to the original uncommon in other versions. Accompanying Ambler's translation is a penetrating interpretive essay by Eric Buzzetti, one that shows Xenophon to be an author who wove a philosophic narrative into his dramatic tale. The translation and interpretive essay encourage renewed study of the Anabasis as a work of political philosophy. They also celebrate its high adventure and its hero's adroit decision-making under the most pressing circumstances.
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Publié par
Date de parution
23 juin 2011
Nombre de lectures
0
EAN13
9780801461996
Langue
English
Poids de l'ouvrage
1 Mo
Xenophon The Anabasis of Cyrus
A volume in the series Agora
Edited by Thomas L. Pangle
For a list of titles in the series, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu
Xenophon The Anabasis of Cyrus
Translated and annotated by WAYNE AMBLER
With an Introduction by Eric BuzzeTi
cornelluniversitypress ithacaandlondon
Copyright ©2008by Cornell University
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512East State Street, Ithaca, New York14850.
First published2008by Cornell University Press First printing, Cornell Paperbacks,2008 Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Xenophon. [Anabasis. English] The anabasis of Cyrus / Xenophon ; translated and annotated by Wayne Ambler ; introduction by Eric BuzzeTi. p. cm.―(Agora) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN978–0–8014–4398–5(cloth : alk. paper)―ISBN978–0–8014–8999–0(pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Greece―History―Expedition of Cyrus,401b.c.2. Iran―History―To640. 3the Younger, d.. Cyrus, 401b.cIII. Series:II. Title. Ambler, Wayne. . I. Agora editions (Cornell university Press) DF231.32.X4132007 938―dc22 2007033005 Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetable-based, low-VOC inks and acid-free papers that are recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly composed of nonwoodfibers. For further information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu.
13579printing Cloth 108642 13579 Paperback printing108642
Contents
Translator’s Preface Introduction:The Political Life and the Socratic Education by Eric BuzzeTi
BookI BookII BookIII BookIV BookV BookVI BookVII
The Anabasis of Cyrus Xenophon
Chapters1–10Chapters1–6Chapters1–5Chapters1–8Chapters1–8Chapters1–6Chapters1–8
Geographical Note Historical Note Glossary Notes Index
vii 1
41 73 97 121 151 179 203
241 243 245 253 275
Translator’s Preface
Xenophon’sAnabasis of Cyrustells the story of ten thousand Greek soldiers who join the effort of Cyrus the Younger to overthrow his brother, Artaxerxes, the legitimate king of the Persian Empire. Ater a long but rapid march from the western periphery of this empire to its heartland, the daring Cyrus is killed in baTle, and his Greek allies are let surrounded and vastly outnumbered, far from home and safety. Making an almost hopeless situation seem even worse, the Persians deceive and decapitate the top Greek leaders. Against all odds, however, the Greeks manage tofight their way back from Babylon to Byzantium. That many of them survive has several causes but none more important than the emergence of a new and superior leader who takes the place of those so treacherously killed. Through an array of speeches, decisive advice on urgent questions, and exem-plary conduct both on and off the baTlefield, Xenophon rouses the despairing Greeks into action and leads them on their long march home; and the narrative of his successes has won him noteworthy if uneven admiration for over two millennia. The main reason theAnabasis of Cyrusis still being read is that it tells such a gripping story; it is also being read by students of ancient Greek and Persian history. This edition is guided especially by two further purposes and thus has a broader readership in mind. Ourfirst such goal is to help introduce the book to students of politics. What speeches are successful, and what elements of their rhetoric bring them their success? What policies fail, and why do they fail? When, in particular, does trust prove prudent or necessary, and when does it
viii]
Wayne Ambler
prove costly? When are ostensibly reasonable concessions really ap-peasement, and why are they not recognized as such? What are the qualities of the different leaders presented in the book, and which of these qualities deserve emulation? In short, Xenophon’sAnabasisof-fers readers a rich collection of successes and failures, and investigat-ing them patiently is a useful way to learn not merely about ancient Greeks and Persians but also about politics, warfare, and human be-ings in general. Beyond the politics of Xenophon’s return to Greece, readers should consider whether and how far theAnabasisa work of political is philosophy. Xenophon’s many speeches appeal to such principles as justice, nobility, utility, chance, necessity, gratitude, and the gods’ intervention in human affairs: could it be that his remarkable suc-cesses had something to do with his understanding of these some-times discordant principles and their competing claims upon us? Does he have thoughtful views on justice and nobility, for example, views that are superior to those of his fellow soldiers or even, per-haps, to ours? And, still more important, do the words and deeds of theAnabasistest disagreements on these and other important issues? Plato’s relatively limited involvement in the politics of Syracuse has naturally occasioned much speculation about the relationship between political philosophy and the practice of politics. Might Xen-ophon’s career, with its longer list of successes and disappointments, and more complete record of the causes of both, have something to contribute to this conversation? In this connection it is important to keep in mind that Xenophon was a student of Socrates. Readers will judge for themselves whether Xenophon was a worthy student, but only―I hope―ater a patient consideration or reconsideration of the 1 evidence. I have noticed, of course, that Xenophon does not thrust politi-cal philosophy onto the stage of theAnabasis (but see3.1.14), and Socrates is mentioned in theAnabasisonly once (3.1.5–7). Even in this one short passage Xenophon shows himself exercising a degree of in-dependence from his teacher (not that independence of mind would 2 disqualify him from being a good student of Socrates). And nowhere, when leading the Greeks, does Xenophon rise and cite either Socrates or philosophy as an authority (not that doing so would have served his purpose). On the other hand, Xenophon’sMemorabiliafrequently
Translator’s Preface
[ix
has Socrates conversing on themes of political importance, and Xen-ophon shows himself to be such a devoted a student of his teacher that he apparently spent much of his life trying to capture his thought in writing. Could it be that Xenophon’s own political career was in no way indebted to him or to the activity that characterized his life? It would be folly to try to trace Xenophon’s every deed back to his teacher’s words, even if we had a full and open record of these words. Indeed, it is partly because our knowledge of Socrates and his philosophizing is incomplete, and because it is so difficult to in-terpret what we do know about Socrates, that it is worth wondering whether Xenophon’s words and deeds might shed at least indirect light on a man held to have been enigmatic even by those who knew him well. Socrates was a potent force in Xenophon’s life, and Xeno-phon was a potent leader of ten thousand Greeks. Might Xenophon’s example offer a way of geTing a glimpse of Socrates as he was under-stood by one who knew him? Ater all, since Plato scarcely mentions either himself or other close students of Socrates (surely Critias and Alcibiades do not qualify), in no text by any author do we see and hear so much from a devoted student of Socrates as in theAnabasis. But of course I must acknowledge the following objection: if it is true that Xenophon is generally not studied either as a serious stu-dent of politics or as a political philosopher, is this not because he does not deserve to be so studied? Why look for help on complicated and urgent questions from someone who may not have been up to the task? The record shows that Xenophon is taken with the utmost seri-ousness by some scholars and treated dismissively by others. If the laTer are obviously correct, the case for this edition is weak. But if Xenophon’s thought is worth taking seriously, even if only provi-sionally, it must be investigated with the help of introductions, trans-lations,and notes that enable or even encourage readers to read him with care and respect. Xenophon’s reputation has indeed hit highs and lows, and it has varied with different audiences even in the same era; the goal of this volume is to ensure, to the extent possible, that English readers have at their disposal the evidence necessary for a thorough consideration of the alternatives. I mean only to open this maTer here, not resolve it. Rather, such scholars as Christopher Nadon, Christopher Bruell, William Higgins,
