Episode 6 War of the Two Brothers

The Persian Empire (2012)

Dr John W I Lee

Film Review

After allying himself with Sparta, Darius made his younger son Cyrus II super satrap of all Persia’s Greek possessions. Although Darius indicated a preference for Cyrus to succeed him, the latter was satrap of Sardis when his father died and his older brother Arsus seized the throne in Pasargardae under the name of Antaxerxes II.

In his effort to retake the throne Cyrus secretly built up a mercenary army of 10,000 Greek hoplites (fought with swords and shields) and 2,000 infantry (spear throwers). Socrates’ friend Xenophon served as a mercenary in this war.

When they started out from Sardis in 405 BC, Cyrus II deceived his troops regarding his true intentions by informing them their mission was too put down a rebellion of mountain tribes. Some deserted when they reached the Euphrates River and learned the true purpose of their campaign. However most continued after Cyrus doubled their pay.

Cyrus had a total of 30,000 men (including cavalry) by 401 BC, when they finally confronted Artaxerxes at Cunaxa (70 kilometers north of Babylon). Antaxerxes, who had 40,000 troops, killed Cyrus, invited Cyrus’s generals to a phony parley and beheaded them. At the point the remaining mercenaries fought a tactical withdrawal, with 5,000 of the 12,000 eventually reaching Byzantium on the Black Sea. 

Xenophaon memorializes this famous retreat in his book Anabasis.

https://www.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/15372393/15372442