The March of the Ten Thousand

By: Xenophon

Narrated by: Charlton Griffin

Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Translated by W. E. D. Rouse, The March of the Ten Thousand is one of the most admired and widely read pieces of ancient literature to come down to us. Xenophon employs a very simple, straightforward style to describe what is probably the most exciting military adventure ever undertaken. When Cyrus, brother to the Great King of Persia, attempts to overthrow his feckless sibling in 401 B.C., he employs a Greek mercenary army of 10,000 hoplites as the core of his rebellious force. Xenophon, who seeks the advice of Socrates before joining, is among the common soldiers. Inexorably, Cyrus and his huge army march southward 1,500 miles from the coast of Ionia all the way to Babylon, and there give battle to Artaxerxes, the Great King. Although the battle is soon decided in favor of Cyrus, the would-be usurper is killed while in pursuit of the king. Meanwhile, the Greeks are victorious on their part of the battlefield and await the return of Cyrus and his instructions.

By the next morning, they realize that Cyrus is dead and that his allies have melted away in the night, leaving them alone trapped behind enemy lines within a few miles of the Persian capital. And only a few miles distant lies an enormous Persian army with vengeance in mind. Despair deepens when the Greek officer corps is treacherously murdered during peace talks. Alone, leaderless and hopelessly outnumbered, the Greeks nevertheless elect new officers.

Xenophon steps into the pages of history with his magnificent rallying speeches and selfless acts of courage. Follow one of history's most spirited bands of soldiers as they fight and maneuver their way through 1,500 miles of hostile territory seething with adversaries. It is an epic of courage, faith and democratic principle.

Copyright © Audio Connoisseur 2003

First three chapters are great!

The first three chapters of this are great! It then gets repetitive. The narration was great.

War is not inhuman; war is essentially human

There is no substitute for hearing the actual story of a person who lived 2400 years ago. If you take this into account, you will excuse the fact that sometimes the story is hard to follow. We all know that war has been a dominate feature of human history, but this story really brings home the fact that war is an integral part of being human ? so far at least. Not a pleasant revelation.
It is hard to imagine that Xenophon was as far-sighted, intelligent, modest and selfless as he portrays himself, although perhaps he was. If so, then he might well have been an even greater person then he reports, because he would probably have omitted many of his selfless acts.
If you like ancient history, then you will like this recording.

A nonfiction epic I shall always treasure

aka: Anabasis, The Persian expedition, The Expedition of Cyrus

The Reading: Excellently done. Charlton Griffin is is prime form throughout this reading and conveys the tale flawlessly with a voice that confines perfectly to the dimensions of the setting; be they awesome or subdued in nature.

The Tale: A glorious epic of genuine human feats. Xenophon projects the march of this small city of 10,000 men across Asia minor into your mind and in front of your eyes. You are also made privy to the custom and psyche of an Athenian man of his time. Democracy and didactic reasoning is shown in practice throughout this tale and the mental images I envisioned while listening to this tale were vivid, easily conjured, and immensely entertaining.

Much more accessible than I thought

I bought this in a fit of enthusiasm after hearing the recommendation on The History of Rome podcast. It languished in my library for over a year before I finally decided to listen. I genuinely enjoyed the story, learned more than I expected about ancient Greece and much to my surprise, found it more engaging and accessible than I'd expected. Definitely worth checking out for anyone at all interested in ancient Greece or ancient warfare.

Great story - excellent narration

the classic story of heroism and Leadership as useful today as it was 2500 years ago.

wish there was an introduction explaining the context of the story

An exciting epic tale

Absolutely loved this. I'm familiar with the story but have never heard it in such detail.

One of the great adventures in human history

Herodotus might have been the Father of History, but Xenophon was the cool, older brother. This one-time pupil of Socrates is one of those soldier/scholars who makes both intellectuals and warriors feel inadequate. 'The Persian Expedition' or 'The March of the Ten Thousand' or 'Anabasis' (all depending on your version or translation) relates the story told by Xenophon of his experiences fighting with and leading the 10,000 Hellene mercenaries hired by Cyrus the Younger and the army's 3000+ mile march into Persian.

This experience, which Will Durrant once called "one of the great adventures in human history," can be read as history, adventure story, leadership manual, or a real-life application of Socratic philosophy.

Great book once you get going

This is a translation of the original work, and as such it takes a while to get used to the differences in literary style between ancient Athenian and modern texts. The first 30 minutes are the toughest with line after line of unknown places and names. After that however, the book really begins to pull you in. Xenophon, the writer is a classic example of inspiring leadership and character. The text gives you a great insight into the daily lives of the Greek mercenaries and the role of the Greek warriors in ancient times. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Interesting Historical Narrative

What made the experience of listening to The March of the Ten Thousand the most enjoyable?

I like history and Charlton Griffin's reading. It is also very interesting to hear an historical account written by someone who was actually there (Xenophon).

What was one of the most memorable moments of The March of the Ten Thousand?

When after winning their part of the battle, but finding out that the battle in general was lost, they did not panic or surrender but maintained their formations and marched solidly out.

Which character – as performed by Charlton Griffin – was your favorite?

Xenophon, who narrates the story as a firsthand witness and participant.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Ten thousand men, through two thousand miles of enemies.

Any additional comments?

The story was by no means dry, but neither was it very exciting. I would say that it was on the positive side of interesting.

Exciting!

This was such an amazing story! I could hardly wait to take another road trip so that I could hear it again. It's a shame that such an wondrous story is lost to the majority of the public....and it's true. I hear it referenced by other philospher's and realize it was quite a feat. This is a story that needs to be spread. Would make a great movie!