Xenophon: Continuator Of Thucydides
Is it to underestimate Xenophon to see him essentially as a continuator of Thucydides?
Born in approximately 460 BC and 430 BC, Thucydides and Xenophon lived during The Peloponnesian War – a hugely significant and tragic event in Greek history. It is not surprising, therefore, the influence that it had on their works. The majority of ancient historians would claim that Xenophon’s Hellenica is a undoubtedly a continuation of Thucydides’ The History of The Pelopponesian Wars -“The Hellenica is divided into seven books, and covers the forty-eight years from the time when the History of Thucydides ends to the battle of Mantinea.”1 Duff claims “…Xenophon clearly intended his work to be seen as a continuation of Thucydides.”2 However, this title of “continuator” is not to be viewed as a simple or easy role, as I will …show more content…
A great deal of what we do know about Thucydides is learnt through his own work The History of the Peloponnesian Wars; although relatively young during the initial events he describes, when the major war began he was well into manhood and can therefore be trusted as giving a roughly accurate account. Thucydides therefore has credibility – an aspect of Xenophon’s works that is, like many others, widely debated. In Plato’s Defense of Socrates, we are told that “Xenophon tell[s] the truth,”5 and Beck speaks of “Xenophon 's credibility as a careful historian and biographer.”6 However, this is then undermined – Beck highlights the fact that Xenophon’s inconsistency is very possible; “his fictional treatment of Cyrus ' education makes us aware that he could express his own ideas through a historical personage.”7 In this way, then, he cannot be considered as a truly reliable source and the role of “continuator” overrides any notions that he could be considered as
Born in approximately 460 BC and 430 BC, Thucydides and Xenophon lived during The Peloponnesian War – a hugely significant and tragic event in Greek history. It is not surprising, therefore, the influence that it had on their works. The majority of ancient historians would claim that Xenophon’s Hellenica is a undoubtedly a continuation of Thucydides’ The History of The Pelopponesian Wars -“The Hellenica is divided into seven books, and covers the forty-eight years from the time when the History of Thucydides ends to the battle of Mantinea.”1 Duff claims “…Xenophon clearly intended his work to be seen as a continuation of Thucydides.”2 However, this title of “continuator” is not to be viewed as a simple or easy role, as I will …show more content…
A great deal of what we do know about Thucydides is learnt through his own work The History of the Peloponnesian Wars; although relatively young during the initial events he describes, when the major war began he was well into manhood and can therefore be trusted as giving a roughly accurate account. Thucydides therefore has credibility – an aspect of Xenophon’s works that is, like many others, widely debated. In Plato’s Defense of Socrates, we are told that “Xenophon tell[s] the truth,”5 and Beck speaks of “Xenophon 's credibility as a careful historian and biographer.”6 However, this is then undermined – Beck highlights the fact that Xenophon’s inconsistency is very possible; “his fictional treatment of Cyrus ' education makes us aware that he could express his own ideas through a historical personage.”7 In this way, then, he cannot be considered as a truly reliable source and the role of “continuator” overrides any notions that he could be considered as