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The March of the Ten Thousand

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The March of the Ten Thousand

By: Xenophon
Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
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About this listen

 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 Ancient World King Royalty Solider Greece
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Profile Image for Richard Fox

Great read

Some really enjoyable discourse between these Xenophon, his allies and adversary’s in this book. Definitely worth a listen.

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Profile Image for Jaspal

Great story. Let down by the narration

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

The impact of the weather on the troops, particularly the cold.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Bizarre pronunciation and pacing. At one point I honestly wondered if this was some kind of computer generated voice. It sounds like an American trying to do a posh British accent and his pacing sometimes made it harder for me to follow the story. When I contrast this with (say) the narration of Herodotus (also on audible) it is like chalk and cheese.

Any additional comments?

Really interesting to get a first person account of ancient events.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for R

Boys Own Adventure

It's a shame that more people don't know about Xenophon and his 10,000 Greek mercenaries. The story of their march into the heart of the Persian empire, there to see first the death of their ambitious employer and then the betrayal and murder of their leaders, followed by their retreats on foot through Persia and Armenia, Asia Minor and Thrace is one of the great adventure stories of all time.

Charlton Griffin is an odd narrator. I've found his 'plummy' accent and occasional very odd pronunciations to be a bit of a distraction on some audiobooks but it seems to work well on this one. The book has a first person narrative and the occasional oddnesses of Mr Griffin's speech lends the tale a strange remoteness which seems appropriate for a story that has come down to us from antiquity.

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Profile Image for Mr Simon W D Borland

A worthwhile classic, and thoroughly enjoyable.

i liked it very much. Finally i have heard the full story if Xenophon and his brave, careless, curious, wild, greedy, mean but forgiving 10,000 men and their epic journey if survival.

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Profile Image for Christakis Themistocli

Greatest adventure story!

One of the greatest adventures written. Why do filmmakers waste time on fictional stories when there are such true stories available .

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Profile Image for beard

great classic

a truly epic tale of classical Greek history. recommended to anyone interested in the period

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Profile Image for Herlon Jacobsen

Good performance, questionable translation

Compared to another translation into English that I have heard, this one had some peculiar differences that seemed illogical at times.

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