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

energizing!

I absolutely loved this book! Xenophon is an excellent writer and the narrator is outstanding.

An intelligent leader

I felt a sense of exhileration after I finished this book from the sense of having learned something about how to speak and act as a leader of men, plus I got a great sense of the history of that time.

Although it is his own account of military matters he was involved in, he sounds like one of the great leaders of all time, as well as one of the most decent. I think every soldier should read this book to understand a little bit about what a leader needs to tell his people to motivate them when their morale is waning, or to prepare them for battle.

Also, I think a great many politicians could stand to listen to this book to grasp how to talk simply and directly to people about very important matters. Xenophon leads by example and moral force rather than as a brute, and is an example of a worthy leader for our own time.

As an aside, while Xenophon was retreating from problems with the Persians who were invading the Middle East, Xenophon was attacked by the Kurds (even back then!).

This book was exceedingly well read by Charlton Griffin, by the way.

I strongly recommend this book for its own sake and for its accessibility and value to modern readers.

Ben

Ancient Warfare Comes Alive

I'd known the basic story for years, but hearing Xenophon's personal account really brought it to life in a special way. I listened to this in my car on my long drive to & from work, so I often found myself rushing to my computer when I got home to look up what is known about the various peoples encountered along the army's march. Xenophon seems to have been a careful chronicler even if he did write about these events several years after their conclusion.

If I had a complaint it would be that, in listening to this story, I found myself wanting a cheat sheet & a map for all of the places visited.

Charlton Griffin is a good, scholarly sounding performer. He made me feel like it really was Xenophon doing the speaking.

Listen to this if you are even remotely interested in Ancient Greek culture.

Overwhelming story

I liked how coherent and paced the story is with the constant crises that the author undertakes.

Leadership

Few people are prepared to lead. Xenophon was and did. He led from a sense of obligation and not priviledge. To read this book is to take a masters level course in leadership.

A thrilling epic

This is definitely the easiest ancient text to get into that I've read (er, listened to).

Never old!

Never old! Never old!Never old!! and you know if they are great so read it!

Great book!!

I really like this, some of these books from this “series” I guess u would say (similar covers, same narrator and all written thousands of years ago) are hard for an “uneducated” history buff to follow due to the way they spoke/wrote back then but I was able to listen to this straight through

Charlton Griffin brings the ancient world to life!

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

The death of Cyrus and the battlefield promotion of a whole new set of officers including the author Xenophon himself.

Have you listened to any of Charlton Griffin’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, Alexander the Great by Arrian and The Egyptian by Mika Waltari. Charlton Griffin reminds me a of Attenborough or maybe Charlton Heston; he has a deep resonant voice that sounds avuncular and wise. I pictured some old fellow in a toga reading to me or reciting these stories all by wrote. A good reader makes or breaks material this densely packed; Mr. Griffin is excellent.

Inspirational

This book and the many other tales of heroic retreat in the face of insuperable odds and hardships shows what men determined to live and brave enough to fight are capable of. Also examples of good leadership and how to keep your head on your shoulders as a leader.