Hellenica

Xenophon, 431 BCE-350？ BCEProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.2

Word count: 723K words
Chapters: 73

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Hellenica by XenophonAuthor: Xenophon, 431 BCE-350? BCE,Language: English, Class: PA: Language and Literatures: Classical Languages and Literature, Release Date: Jan 1, 1998

Editor's review

Hellenica is Xenophon's continuation of Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, covering the conflicts among Greek city-states from 411 BCE to 362 BCE and ending with the decline of Spartan hegemony after the Battle of Mantinea. The work is primarily a political and military narrative, interspersed with character assessments and moral judgments, and is an important primary source for understanding the shifting fortunes of Sparta, Thebes, and Athens. Xenophon witnessed some events personally, and his account reflects personal stance and bias; readers should note his sympathy for Sparta and his reservations about democracy. The Project Gutenberg English electronic edition is convenient for searching names and battles but lacks detailed notes, so reading alongside maps and chronological tables is recommended. Suitable for classics and ancient history courses, and for readers interested in the history following the Peloponnesian War.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Ancient Greek history students who need to study sources from the later Peloponnesian War to the early 4th century BCE.
Classics readers who wish to understand the narrative characteristics of the Thucydidean continuation tradition.
Military history enthusiasts interested in accounts of Greek city-state warfare and tactics.
History readers with strong English reading ability who can study independently with maps and chronological tables.

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a Chinese translation who are not accustomed to reading English classical histories.
Readers who want objective and balanced modern historical analysis and prefer not to discern the author's stance.
Beginner readers lacking patience for dense names, places, and battle narratives.

Reading tips

Prepare a map of ancient Greece and a chronology of the 5th to 4th centuries BCE, and locate events as you read.
Mark Xenophon's assessments of Sparta, Thebes, and Athens while reading, and note his biases.
Read in conjunction with the ending of Thucydides' work and compare the two historians' narrative methods.
After each stage, summarize the shifts in city-state power in a few sentences to avoid getting lost in battle details.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is the relationship between Hellenica and Thucydides' work?

Hellenica is generally regarded as a continuation of Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, picking up its unfinished narrative and covering Greek history after 411 BCE up to the Battle of Mantinea in 362 BCE. The two differ in narrative style and handling of sources; reading them together reveals both continuity and change in classical historical writing.

Is Xenophon's narrative objective?

Not entirely. Xenophon had personal experience and political preferences, and his narrative often reveals sympathy for Sparta and criticism of certain democratic leaders. Readers should cross-check with modern historical research and other sources rather than treating the book's judgments as definitive.

Do I need to read Thucydides first?

Not strictly, but a basic understanding of the Peloponnesian War is recommended. The book begins in the war's later years; without knowledge of the background, readers may find the relationships among figures and city-states confusing. Reading a concise war history or a summary of Thucydides' work first can help.

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About the author

Xenophon, 431 BCE-350？ BCE Author

Xenophon (c. 431–c. 350 BCE) was an ancient Greek historian, military commander and prose writer. Public information about the details of his life is limited, and his works are the main basis for understanding him and his thought. The collection holds 20 of his works, including Anabasis, Hellenica, Cyropaedia and The Memorabilia. These writings combine historical narrative, military memoir and philosophical dialogue; their style is clear and plain, their narration concrete and vivid, and they are especially notable for firsthand accounts of campaigns he experienced. His works have long circulated as important sources for the study of ancient Greek politics, warfare and thought, and have influenced later historical writing and educational ideas.