Speeches and military leadership in Xenophon’s Anabasis and Cyropaedia

Abstract

The importance of speech deliveries in Xenophon’s military leadership has generally been overlooked by scholarship. The greater part of the research, which focuses on the author’s attributes necessary for an ideal commander, has not made a reference to rhetorical ability not even to the degree of successful speech delivery or has at least taken it for granted without further exploration. Moreover, the scholarship which examines Xenophon’s speeches focuses more on the speeches as a literary device without emphasizing their practical aspect for effective military leadership.