Battle of Cunaxa

The Battle of Cunaxa was fought near Babylon in 401 BCE when Cyrus the Younger challenged his brother Artaxerxes II for the Achaemenid throne. Cyrus’s Greek mercenaries performed effectively on the field, but Cyrus was killed, leaving the Greeks stranded deep inside Persian territory.

The battle matters because the military result did not settle the political problem faced by the Greek contingent. Their commanders were later killed or neutralised, and the survivors had to organise their own escape through hostile country.

Xenophon’s Persian Expedition, also known as the Anabasis, is the key ancient narrative for Cunaxa and the retreat that followed. It is particularly revealing for readers interested in command, morale, mercenary warfare, Persian geography and the practical experience of an army trying to get home.