Hellenica

Xenophon's Hellenica is a historical account of the events in Greece and the Greek world from 411 BC to 362 BC. It begins with the fall of Athens in the Peloponnesian War and covers the rise of Sparta the war with Persia and the power struggles among the Greek city-states. The first four books of the Hellenica cover the period of the Peloponnesian War and the subsequent peace negotiations. The remaining books cover the rise of Spartan power and the decline of Athens as well as the battles fought between various Greek city-states. Throughout the work Xenophon presents a pro-Spartan viewpoint portraying them as the defenders of Greek culture and civilization. He also emphasizes the importance of piety obedience to the law and the virtues of the Greek city-state system. Overall Hellenica provides a valuable historical account of the turbulent period of Greek history in the fourth century BC with insights into the political social and cultural factors that shaped the ancient Greek world.