Expédition des dix mille

by Xenophon

"Expédition des dix mille" by Xenophon is an account written around 370 BC. It chronicles the harrowing journey of ten thousand Greek mercenaries hired by Cyrus the Younger to seize Persia's throne in 401 BC. After Cyrus dies in battle and their leaders are treacherously killed, the stranded soldiers must fight their way north through hostile territory toward the Black Sea. Xenophon emerges as one of their elected leaders, guiding this "marching republic" through deserts and mountains in one of history's greatest military adventures.