The retreat of the ten thousand

by C. (Carl) Witt

"The Retreat of the Ten Thousand" by C. Witt and Xenophon is an ancient Greek account written around 370 BC. It tells the story of ten thousand Greek mercenaries stranded deep in Persia after their employer, Cyrus the Younger, dies in battle against his brother. With their leaders killed by treachery, the soldiers must fight their way north through hostile territory, treacherous mountains, and foodless deserts to reach the safety of the Black Sea. Their desperate journey becomes one of history's greatest survival adventures.