jan 1, 580 BC - Xenófanes

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Xenophon of Athens (/ˈzɛnəfən, -ˌfɒn/; Greek: Ξενοφῶν, Ancient Greek: [ksenopʰɔ̂ːn], Xenophōn; c. 430 BC[2] – 354 BC) was an Athenian historian, philosopher, and soldier.[3] He became commander of the Ten Thousand at about 30, and as the military historian Theodore Ayrault Dodge wrote, “the centuries since have devised nothing to surpass the genius of this warrior”.[4] He established precedents for many logistical operations, and was among the first to use flanking maneuvers and feints. Briefly a student of Socrates, Xenophon is best known for his historical works. The Hellenica, which continues directly from the final sentence of Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, covers the final seven years and the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), and ends in 362 BC with the second Battle of Mantinea, which brought Sparta's dominance of the Hellenic world to an end. The Anabasis recounts his own role, as one of the "Ten Thousand" (Greek mercenaries), in Cyrus the Younger's failed campaign to claim the Persian throne from his brother Artaxerxes II of Persia, and in what happened to the mercenaries after Cyrus was killed. Xenophon also wrote the Memorabilia, in which he pays tribute to his mentor Socrates, and the Apology of Socrates to the Jury, which recounts the philosopher's trial in 399 BC.

Despite being born an Athenian citizen, Xenophon came to be associated with Sparta, the traditional enemy of Athens. His pro-oligarchic politics, his service under Spartan generals in the Persian campaign and elsewhere, and his friendship with King Agesilaus II endeared Xenophon to the Spartans. Some of his works have a pro–Spartan bias, especially the royal biography Agesilaus and the Constitution of the Spartans.

Xenophon's works span several genres and are written in plain Attic Greek, which is why they have often been used in translation exercises for contemporary students of the Ancient Greek language. In the Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, Diogenes Laërtius observed that Xenophon was known as the “Attic Muse” because of the sweetness of his diction (2.6[clarification needed]).

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