¿We know that Tissaphernes has seized from us everything he could. He thinks we are down, and he plans to destroy us and rid the country of us. But he is a barbarian! We must turn the tables on him, do everything we can not to fall into his hands. We have the more powerful weapon ¿ ten thousand strong, skilled, cohesive fighting men. And you know that it is not numbers or strength that bring victory in war, but rather fortitude and willingness of soul. Whichever army is more determined, that is the one that will prevail. Learn this lesson and apply it. Be men! And you can be sure others will follow.¿
It is the beginning of winter, 410 BC. With these stirring words Xenophon inspires the few remaining officers of the Greek army to rally their troops. Leadership is forced upon him after the treacherous slaughter of his senior comrades in arms. Trapped far from home in hostile Persian territory, they are only ten thousand men against a Persian enemy ten times larger. Many months later, ten thousand battered, half-starved Greek soldiers stagger out of the frozen mountains of Armenia into a small Hellenic trading post on the eastern Black Sea. Their tale of survival has been the stuff of legend ever since. Here the story is told in the form of a memoir from the viewpoint of Theo, Xenophon¿s battle squire, who had been his servant since Xenophon¿s birth. Theo¿s position affords him a unique view of the brutality and heroism of 5th century BC Greek warfare. He approaches his role as ¿storyteller¿ with relish and seriousness, to the point at times of a most endearing pomposity. THE TEN THOUSAND is a truly heroic tale told with marvellous detail, style and panache.