Abstract

In Xenophon's semi-historical portrayal of the Cyrus the Great, the Persian leader's first address to his troops curiously addresses not military matters foremost, but the very meaning of life.  He claims that Persian education has mistakenly instructed them to pursue virtue, or human excellence, for its own sake.  After many conquests, Cyrus delivers another speech in which he claims the opposite, that in order to maintain their empire the Persians must return to their original practice and pursue virtue for its own sake.  An investigation of what characterizes virtue in Xenophon, and for what benefits it is cultivated in a regime and culture, helps to shed light on Xenophon as a political thinker.  A close examination of Cyrus' rhetoric throughout the work reveals the essential connection that Xenophon develops between education and success in establishing and maintaining political power.