Rating: 
Summary: The Other story Alexander the Great read as a boy
Review: A fantastic tale that will be retold for generations to come. This is the other story that little Alexander the Great's mother told him repeatedly as a child (besides the Iliad). After reading this you will understand why. A mercenary army makes it's way into Persian lands (modern Turkey) only to find themselves cut off from home in the middle of the campaign with their generals betrayed and slaughtered under the pretenses of a peace offering. With their leadership gone, the mercenaries nominate a handful of lower ranking men to take charge and lead them home. This is Xenophon's story as one of those men chosen to save his brethren. The reader is taken on a journey with this band of starving ruffians as they alternatively fight and talk their way through hostile enemy territory the entire time with an army in pursuit. It would seem to be over-the-top Hollywood script if it weren't true. Xenophon tells us this amazing story in his own words.
On a seperate note, this is a Loeb Classical Library book. For those of you unfamiliar with this, it means that the left-hand page is written in Greek for those studying (ancient?) Greek. This is an incredible concept for those learning ancient languages. However, for the rest of us it just looks like nifty scribbly stuff that means nothing.
Another item this book could have used was a really good map. I had to search online to find a relevant map to follow along with the places Xenophon's army was passing through. Even then I was unable to find a decent one that clearly showed the route traveled and clearly identified the towns passed through. Without this one is truly clueless about where the army is at any given point in time.
Lastly, Xenophon was a decent writer, but not a fantastic, dramatic writer. Some of writing can come across rather dry given the circumstances he is describing - written more for posterity than for dramatic reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Incredible Classic
Review: Although not as well known by the general populace as other great classics, Xenophon's Anabasis is both an exciting read and classic work of literature. Anabasis tells the tale of 10,000 Greek hoplites in western Persia (modern day Turkey and Iraq), and is a real page- turner. It provides valuable insight into hoplite warfare and the state of Greece and Persia during the time period in which the book was written (circa 400 B.C.).
Some knowledge of Greek warfare is required to fully appreciate Anabasis. Also, numerous Greek units of measurement are used throughout the book, but their modern equivalents can be found in footnotes in the book.
The Loeb edition is excellent, and the actual book is of the highest quality. An ancient Greek translation is provided, and hundreds of footnotes provide valuable information to today's reader.
P.S.- A helpful map is included.
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Summary: An exellent book, full of historical insights.
Review: Anyone with an interest in history, especially political or military history will enjoy this facinating story of a band of Greek soldiers traveling hundreds of miles on their way home through lands inhabited by hostile peoples, and pursued by a relentless enemy. The courage of the soldiers and the character of the officers who led and held them together are inspirational. The political manuvering is every bit as engrossing as the battles that are fought. This is an incredible true story that you won't want to put down. Xenophons skill as a leader of men is equalled by his skill as an author.
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Summary: Victorious Retreat
Review: Between the fall of the Athenian Empire and the rise of Alexander, many Greeks sought adventure and fortune as mercenaries. Cyrus of Persia attempted to usurp the throne with an army stiffened by 10,000 Greek mercenaries. The author found himself among that number. Cyrus went down to defeat and death at the Battle of Cunaxa, but one contingent of his army emerged victorious--The Ten Thousand. Alone and unsponsored, surrounded by enemies, and deep in the heart of Persia, The Ten Thousand began their fighting retreat to the sea and freedom. Along the way they met with battle, treachery, hardship, and death. Xenophon became one of their leaders, and eventually lived to write this stirring account of their exploits. The successful retreat of the Ten Thousand served as proof to Phillip of Macedon that a Greek army could conquer Persia, and he made his preparations for the invasion. Phillip's death forestalled his plans, but Alexander took up his father's project and the rest, as they say, is history. If there had been no Westward march by the Ten Thousand, there may have been no Eastward march by Alexander.
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Summary: Miraculous escape.
Review: Cyrus engages a group of Greek as mercenaries, without saying that he will fight against his brother Artaxerxes to capture the throne of Persia. When Curys unveils his intentions, the Greek first don't want to fight, but have no other choice.
Cyrus' army is beaten and he dies in the battle of Cunaxa.
Artaxerxes asks the Greek to hand in their arms and to surrender, but they refuse. Their leaders are murdered, when they accept an invitation for a negotiation on an orderly retreat. The 10000 Greek begin a hellish and bloody journey of 6000 km back home. During this journey Xenophon becomes one of their leaders. Most of the Greek will survive the ordeal by stealing, pillaging, negotiating alliances, fighting, and by always staying together.Xenophon tells this brutal trek realistically and very lively indeed. He discusses his tactics, explains his choices, speaks to his troops to heighten their morale, encourages the brave and punishes the undisciplined as a ... modern manager. A still very readable account of a passage through hell.
A must, not only for historians.
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Summary: A fantastic novel!
Review: I have read Greek classics before, by several publishers, but I really like Loeb Classic version of this book. As a story it is very exciting to see how Xenophon and his army fought their way out of Persia, only be to broken up by internal dissent. I also enjoyed the format of this book because the original greek was printed on the left side of each page, so for Classics experts, you can see what Xenophon is really writing and come up with your own interpretation. However, I feel that the interpretation is a good one though (evidenced by the many footnotes explaining why the translater did what he did). All in all, this is a great book for Classics experts and those who aren't, but just want to know what happened.
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Summary: A Movie Waiting to be Made
Review: If a Hollywood producer unfamiliar with Xenophon was given a screenplay version of the Anabasis, I suspect he would have two reactions. Dollar signs would dance before his eyes as he envisioned a blockbuster epic film. At the same time, he would find it difficult to believe that the fantastic adventure story he had just read actually occurred in early 4th century BCE Greece. Fantastic but historical, the Anabasis is a wonderful window on the character, strategy and tactics of the Greeks as well as the tenuous nature of life, freedom and personal property in classical times, all of which is wrapped within a memoir of one of history's most amazing military journeys.
Xenophon was an Athenian soldier, philosopher and historian who lived during the eventful period that produced the genius of Socrates, Plato, Thucydides, Aristophanes, Pericles, Herodotus, Sophocles and Euripides. He wrote broadly on topics such as the pleasures of hunting, his experiences with Socrates, the characteristics of government and the Spartan legal system. However, his most well-known work is his military memoir, the Anabasis. The book tells the story of 10,000 Greek mercenaries ("the Ten Thousand") that marched deep into Persian territory with the forces of the Persian prince Cyrus in an attempt to usurp the throne from his brother Artaxerxes. After the defeat and death of Cyrus outside of Babylon, the Greek generals are treacherously murdered during a truce, leaving the rank-and-file Hellenic soldiers leaderless, deep in enemy territory surrounded by vastly greater numbers, without food, adequate ammunition and cavalry and with no guides to help them navigate the two thousand mile return journey through enemy territory. Despite his civilian status, Xenophon rallies the spirits of the Ten Thousand, is elected as one of the replacement generals and plays a key role in the harrowing return trip as the group battles enemy forces, hunger and bitter cold.
While the raw material for the book is fantastic, Xenophon's writing style, as translated by Brownson and Dillery, is very utilitarian and, with the exception of a glowing tribute to the leadership of Cyrus, the reader learns very little about the individuals found in the book. My biggest complaint with this Loeb Classical Library edition is the lack of additional maps to more easily follow the myriad of towns and peoples encountered. That said, the Introduction and notes are invaluable aids to better understanding the geography, various tribes and historical allusions found in the text. Finally, the Anabasis is best read after tackling both the Histories of Herodotus and the History of the Peloponnesian War of Thucydides, as these classics provide extremely helpful background on the predecessor wars between the allied Greek city-states and Persia and the intra-Hellenic conflict between Athens and Sparta.
The Greek scholar Edith Hamilton said that, "The Anabasis is the story of the Greeks in miniature" and that "no other piece of writing gives so clear a picture of Greek individualism, that instinct that was supremely characteristic of ancient Greece and decided the course of Greek achievement." This is a must read for anyone with either an interest in classical Greece or a passion for military history and I give it four stars.
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Summary: An enjoyable Greek text
Review: It is really my "deliciae" that I can read this astonishing, amusing history of 2400 years ago in the original as well as in English translation. Xenophon vividly describes various events and characters with relatively plain Greek. The 1998 revision achieved crisp typography in both Greek and Roman fonts, in contrast to other common LCL green volumes.
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Summary: This book is already a movie
Review: It's called The Warriors.
I prefer the book.
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Summary: This book would not make a good movie. Really it wouldn't!!
Review: Now that I have hopefully prevented various pretenders from ruining the Anabasis like the Iliad and other works have been ruined by the mass media let me say that this book has had a profound influence on my life. I don't understand why but Xenophon in particular reaches out across time to speak to me in a way that most other ancient authors do not. I can say nothing better about a book. His analyses are not always correct but they are always insightful. One of my favorite stories of all time.
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