Xenophon was from a wealthy Athenian family of conservatives and was the son of Gryllus. He was a student of Socrates and actually witnessed Socrates' trial along with Plato. Xenophon refuted the charges of Socrates but portrays him as a colorless moralist and fails to grasp the depth of his ideas. Xenophon went to Asia Minor as a mercenary in the service of the Persian prince Cyrus the Younger. He was also a pawn in the scheme to assassinate Artaxerxes II, king of Persia. 

Xenophon had pro-Spartan sympathies and was a champion of modern governments. It was interesting for him to go back and structure his history. Instead of showing the demise of democracy overtime he would have to show that it had been humbled, and then gained wisdom to become good government. He explained that Athens started as a tyrannical form of government and became more moderate whereas Sparta started as a modern government and became a more tyrannical empire. He also focused on Athens and the deterioration of democracy. Its affects during and after war. He wrote an account of the Battle of Cunaxa, which was published around 399 B.C.. It essentially demolished the idea that the king was all-powerful. It also describes the Persian Empire, which was filled with an infinite number of men, but there was a lot of open space. He posited that a well-supplied and well-led army could move fast, therefore his desire of revenge against the Persian Empire increased. He was never a profound thinker, but his writing was entertaining.

Xenophon provides us with most of our knowledge of the fourth century. His work, Anabasis, serves as a source for Greco-Persian interaction, as well as Persian rituals, customs and culture. Xenophon was one of the generals of the beleaguered Ten Thousand Greek mercenaries, recruited orginally by Cyrus, making their way through Persian territory to the Black Sea. Although they won against Artaxerxes in the battle of Cunaxa, Cyrus was killed, leaving the men without a competant leader. Xenophons' Anabasis records how they appointed new leaders, one of whom was Xenophon. Xenophons' Anabasis also describes the trials and tribulations they faced trying to return home confronted by enemy armies, dealing with adverse weather and a lack of food and supplies. Interestingly, Alexander the Great used the Anabasis as a field guide during the early phases of his expedition into Persia.

Xenophon was a historian, but a leader and warrior at heart. He proclaimes:

“The true test of a leader is whether his followers will adhere to his cause from their own volition, enduring the most arduous hardships without being forced to do so, and remaining steadfast in the moments of greatest peril.”

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