Diary of a defeat: Xenophon

The ancient Greek writer Xenophon(b.Ch.430-355) was a polygraph writer and also a soldier and pupil of Socrates whose he written a portrait with title the Memorable, major historical work of Xenophon is the Anabasis, that we can call as Diary of a defeated, because in this work he told a expedition of king Cir(b.Ch 5^th century-401), the young against Artaxerxes 2th(b.Ch. 452-358), king of Per and brother of Cir, this attempt was failure because Cir died in battle of Cunassa(b.Ch. 401), in the army of Cir was also the Xenophon, that has descripted precisely this attack or penetration in Persian lands, and the name of book is Anabasis because in ancient Greek is expedition, but in this book we find the notes about the lands, animals, geography, a description that in original was historic but after it become descriptive, a documentary of 4^th century b.Ch., I want be very boring whereby I am going to give alone some notes, sufficient to give a summary description of characteristic that Xenophon transcribes; some notation about this book, Xenophon describes the animals: “We can find animals of every kind, very much the onagers, ostriches, there was also bustards and gazelles. The onagers if somebody followed them they escape very swift…they run more swift of horses…Nobody caught an ostriches. Who tried desisted” and geographical description, summary and irrelevant, but necessary to diary: “While they travelling this region they come to a river, Masca, and there was a city quit, great, called Corsote, around was surrounded from the river Masca…”, some note is very laughing because the illogic narration is evident, because if this city was quit from habitants, how the army has refurnished? The tale didn’t tell that the citizens are escaped, thereupon where the army has found the supplying? Xenophon said that they were for three days; what they has found in this city it is mystery, because a city that is quit the citizens bring the food necessary to change of city and dwell, may they have found some McDonald long the travel, but during 4^th century b.Ch. is very improbable, since the McDonald has born in 1940 after Christ, in California, and the American continent was not in geographical maps; hence we can think that it is alone a notation that Xenophon written in conformity with military habit of his time. The rightness of this notation is in following step: “To army lacked the supplying…”, but if they has took the supplying in Corsote, why the food lacks? But we find also lessons of military sacrifice and discipline because an episode tells that the wagons could not travel and the high dignitaries of court rob them and also they pushed. Some notation of cruel disposition but certainly opportune during a war is the death of Oronta, a noble Persian that has plotted against Cir, and he was killed with capital execution, it is frequent in ancient historical literature, because the buying of treasonous was daily; and the relevant question is in the notation that Clearco a Spartan soldier, shown his competence in military strategy, because he said: “I think that is better kill him as before as possible, so we are going not to stay attentive from him…”; it is meaning that everybody has betrayed a time could betray again for money or other motive, therefore the capital execution is better strategy; it is a short note that underlines the capacity and competence of Spartan is strategy, differently from Cir that asked to a council of militaries what is strategy that is better use; thereupon Cir, has had scant intelligence to military strategy. Cir may mindful of Marathon and Salami, in years 490 and 480 b.Ch, that the Persian empire defeated against the Greek praised the valor of Greek soldiers, major part Spartan, evidently mindful of courage shown of Leonidas king of Sparta in Thermopile during the 480, where a epigraph, transcript from Herodotus, says: “Strange that are passing here, run to Sparta and there say that we are died here to obey to its laws”; he in Thermopile has had alone 300 soldiers, starting with 5000, but 4700 he come to Athens and Thebes to prepare the defense, he picked 300 Spartan soldiers and waited the Persian    that after three attacks didn’t manage overcome the Spartan, but a treasonous, Ephialtes from Trackis, a shepherd, that wanted a gain, indicated a direction to get around the Spartan, and the Persian winded and come directly to Athens where were defeated. Cir evidently remembered these episodes wanted solicited the courage of Spartan so: “Greek, I am to your chief, no certainly because I need of barbarian soldiers, but because I think that you are more valorous of other…”, and proof of this think Cir’s is the words that he has said: “You be worthy of freedom that you have conquered…”, he didn’t say where and when, because he could praise the Spartan but could offence the Persian that defeated in battles above mentioned, therefore praise to Greek is necessary but likewise necessary don’t offense the Persian soldiers, hence nothing reference to where and when. A notation about the number of soldiers is necessary, because to exalt the courage of soldiers and justify the defeat Xenophon as Herodotus in his History, that calculated 5 millions of Persian in Marathon battle, also Xenophon used same technical expedient, in fact he said around the soldiers of Artaxerxes : “…The soldiers that fought were nine hundred thousand…”; it is impossible because this huge number Artaxerxes have to keep and trained and for this he needed of much time and money. These news given to Cir the deserters of Artaxerxes, but we can think that these informs were invented so that scare Cir, and avoid the fight; Caesar used this strategy during the war in Gallia, and he given the informs around the power of Rome so that the enemies deterred, now for this strategy are some soldiers treasonous, but it is alone a strategy, because as the shepherd Ephialtes, above mentioned, they could have informs around the weak point of army of Artaxerxes, and no around his power. The Anabasis is a document both military, human, zoological, geographical and also very boring, but we must consider the information that we can take from this document, it is importance of Anabasis, it is a journal of 4^th century before Christ, and the journalist is Xenophon. A note that to Xenophon was a message of gods, but that we can, today, interpret as a military strategy, is an episode that has protagonist the same Xenophon: “While he was speaking, on soldier sneezed, and every soldier knelt and worshipped the god. Xenophon added: “Men while we are speaking about the salvation, to us is showed a sign of god Jupiter…”; really it is alone a sneeze, but in that occasion was necessary that the soldiers were encouraged, therefore every sign was opportune; it is military strategy, certainly unconscious, because Xenophon believed before than other that it was a sign of Jupiter; it represent that the search of a sign of psychological comfort, above all if it is divine, can guaranties the success of defeat.    

Alessandro Lusana