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The Persian Expedition Audiobook
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(4.00) - 1,896 listener ratings
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Xenophon, after being exiled from Athens, spent the last years of his life hunting, writing, and recalling in his books the great days of the Persian expedition. This record of one of the most famous marches in history contains an account of the day-to-day life of ordinary men and soldiers. It demonstrates how Greek theories of government and morality worked out in practice—for with his admiration for the great, Xenophon had a rare ability to understand and describe the outlook of lesser men. His own fortunes, too, are intensely moving. Cool, calculating, brilliant, and intensely pious, he is one of the most fascinating characters of history, and his account of his own doings is so far from being self-conscious that he seems to be one of the very few Greeks whose ways and manners have been accurately documented.
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"In 401 BC a Greek mercenary force was recruited by Cyrus to overthow his brother Artaxerxes, the Great King of Persia. The Greeks were successful in battle but Cyrus was killed and the Persians turned on the Greeks. After luring their officers into a trap and killing them, the Greeks chose new leaders, including Xenophon, to fight their way back over 1000 miles to Greece. This is Xenophon's recounting and it is fascinating. He describes their plans, execution, suffering, and the tribes they meet along the way. This unabridged audio book is read wonderfully and I really enjoyed it from start to finish."
— Jrobertus (4 out of 5 stars)
The Persian Expedition Listener Reviews
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" Amazing is the only word for this story about a band of Greek mercenaries stranded in modern-day Iraq who must walk and fight their way back home through all sorts of hostiles. I wish I could find this in hardcover as I would pay any price for it. Great book. "
— Dergrossest, 2/1/2014 -
" I read an incredibly old edition published as "Anabasis," translated by Rev. J.S. Watson. This is a pretty interesting account that I read due to its influence on Sol Yurick for his novel "The Warriors." "
— Alex, 1/30/2014 -
" As Will Durant said, this has got to be one of the greatest adventure stories ever told. Which must be why it's been adapted into upwards of thirty literary, thriller, sci-fi and fantasy novels, not to mention a handful of movies. What a character in Xenophon, all of mercenary, statesmen, and philosopher, student of Socrates, rival of Plato. Having been written some 2400 years ago, his Anabasis reads a crisp and well paced as any modern thriller. "
— Dan, 1/30/2014 -
" Read it in Greek. Found it interesting. "
— Patiki, 1/27/2014 -
" The basis for the movie The Warriors. No rollerskating Persian baseball players in this though, which is a shame. "
— Aaron, 1/24/2014 -
" 30 years since I read this, but I remember enjoying it very much "
— John, 1/16/2014 -
" wanted to read the source material for Alexander "
— Jossalyn, 12/25/2013 -
" This book is all about Xenophon!! Oh yeah, and the Persian Expedition...It was pretty good, I have a lot of comments/ideas about this book--too many to list here:^) If you are really interested...give me a buzz! "
— Stephanie, 12/13/2013 -
" A really entertaining adventure story with some food/travel/anthropology writing thrown in. Worth a quick read! "
— Diane, 12/11/2013 -
" I was prepared to be bored, but I found it to be engaging "
— Monkey, 11/21/2013 -
" This was certainly a good read... I'm just not a fan of abridgment. If for no other reason than my minimal knowledge of Greek. I like to read from as original a text as possible. "
— Jerrod, 11/8/2013 -
" The original "On the Road"...this book explains why you never get involved in a land war in Asia. "
— JoeM, 10/28/2013 -
" Gripping story, would make an epic film. Hard to believe no one has adapted it. "
— Brent, 8/8/2013 -
" Eh . . . for it's time I'm sure it was awesome. I do love Xenophon on principle just because of the whole debacle in Asia Minor when he saved everyone but I'm not much a fan of his writing. He's better to read ABOUT than read. "
— Fred, 7/28/2013 -
" Great insight into war and politics during ancient times. "
— Sergio, 7/15/2012 -
" Thousands of years later and this story still stands the test of time. "
— Peter, 2/9/2012 -
" A great story of a foreign fighting force trying against overwhelming odds to get back in hostile territory. "
— Larry, 1/20/2012 -
" A good book, but rather dry and basic. I definitely preferred his horse book more, but this wasn't bad. A simple, detailed account of his trip from when Cyros tried to be king to getting back home. "
— Kendra, 12/10/2011 -
" I'm afraid I wasn't gripped and didn't finish. Didn't live up to its rep with me. Perhaps I hoped for more on the locals. "
— Bryn, 10/6/2011 -
" Awesome account of a military expedition gone terribly wrong from the world's first grumpy tourist. Xenophon cared so little for Persia and Persians that we take "Xenophobia" from his name. "
— Justin, 9/7/2011 -
" I was prepared to be bored, but I found it to be engaging "
— Monkey, 4/11/2011 -
" A great story of a foreign fighting force trying against overwhelming odds to get back in hostile territory. "
— Larry, 1/9/2011 -
" 30 years since I read this, but I remember enjoying it very much "
— John, 10/16/2010 -
" Read it in Greek. Found it interesting. "
— Patiki, 4/29/2010 -
" Great insight into war and politics during ancient times. "
— Sergio, 1/8/2010 -
" A bit tough to get through because of the language in which the book is written, but it is interesting to learn about the methods of battle (like rolling rocks down hills at the enemy) used thousands of years ago. "
— Craig, 1/3/2010 -
" Tedious but important narrative on the march of the 10,000 Greek mercenaries who found themselves traveling, living, and fighting in hostile lands on their way back to Greece. "The Sea, The Sea!". "
— Takipsilim, 12/14/2009
About Xenophon
Xenophon (c. 431–355 BC) served for some years as a mercenary in the Middle East and Asia Minor and later wrote pioneering works on history, politics, and philosophy, as well as a number of technical treatises.