The Penguin Epics extract from Xenophon's The Persian Expedition is a fascinating tale of ancient military survival tactics and decision making. It is a tale of surviving against the odds in a trek across some incredibly inhospitable places. What is great about this story is the fairly open accounts of the decision making processes and the problems the Greek faced in getting home. Right from the start, the group must decide on their new leadership structure after their officers are killed off by the Persians and they choose logic as the competence to assess their leaders for in what seems to be an almost democratic approach.

Clearly there is a much greater focus on the exploits of Xenophon than on others who had equally prominent roles in the events described but it is a terrific account of the hardships the soldiers faced and the means by which they overcame those difficulties. Some of the difficulties are natural - the deserts of the middle east and the mountainous passes both pose a significant threat to a marching army with no supply chain. The troops must forage and to some extent pillage in order to survive.

Some of the threats though are posed by other people. Passing through territories of peoples still known today made them invaders and the troops must fight well to survive. This is a truism today - it is only by being able to defend oneself capably that survival against attack is possible. The peoples the pass through include two very interesting groups - the Kurds and the Armenians. These ancient peoples have been fighting for their identity for thousands of years and to some extent both still do today so it is not a surprise that they find the Greeks to be unwelcome guests when an army marches into their lands.

Xenophon was an Athenian soldier and historian. He used each of these attributes to aid his cause. Being an Athenian accords him a particular status and it is very interesting to read of how he shares power with a Spartan - they differ at times but Xenophon records only one example where the two disagree more forcefully. He also records times when he is wrong which is a rare attribute. In particular an occasion in which Xenophon urges the troops to keep on marching through the snow but they refuse and he backs down as they are in a relatively sheltered area. That he issues no punishment for the disobedience is a remarkable testimony to his reason.

As a soldier, Xenophon marshalls his troops effectively. They have two basic tactics - the hoplite wall and gaining higher ground. Charging up to secure higher positions before the enemy is a repeated feature of the journey home but it is the nuance of battle that is so fascinating. The ranged combat where he finds the Cretans to be a counter to the archery of the Persians is a nice example of learning for instance. The feint against the Armenians as he crosses a river is a clever use of the geography.

Xenophon's tale may not have a huge amount to tell modern strategists in terms of how to win a war but it does describe a story of leadership and survival very similar to that for instance of Shackleton. Without Xenophon or someone carrying out his role with such a balance of good sense and understanding of his soldier's needs, fewer of the ten thousand would have made it home. His account is also a great insight into the topography and the peoples within the Persian sphere of influence and is a seemingly factual and objective history that is well worth knowing. ( )