Xenophon's book, The Rabbah Campaign allows a rare glimpse into the organizational culture, even if it is partial, into a military system belonging to that period
Xenophon's book "The Great Campaign" describes the return of a Greek force of 11,700 soldiers back home from Persia far away to Greece, after the overthrow and murder of Cyrus who wanted to take control of Babylon. The journey home lasted a year and a half from 401 BC to 399 BC when he delivered The commander of the army, Xenophon, handed over the command to the Spartan commander Tiberon (p. 10). The uniqueness of this book is its narrative nature. There is an almost daily description of the journey of a military unit. A unique literary phenomenon in the entirety of the Greek work that has come down to us. For this reason, this book allows a rare glimpse into the organizational culture, even if it is partial, into a military system belonging to that period. This work allows us to stand on the character to the point of an intimate acquaintance with some of the working souls, real historical figures of that period. To know the daily existence of this military force, to stand on the character of Xenophon not only as a person, but also on his military characteristics and the mutual relations between him and the force under his command.
The army after the fall of Cyrus
Two reasons were connected to the desire of the Greek forces to return to Greece. One reason is the overthrow and murder of Cyrus, King of Persia, the Greeks fought alongside him, and the second reason is the murder of their commanders (p. 64). This murder was a severe blow for them." There was great confusion in the Greek camp. They knew that they were at the gates of the king's capital city and that they were being surrounded by many hostile nations and cities. From now on, no one would stand at their disposal... Not a single horseman was left in their army and therefore It will even be possible for them to gain victory and they will not be able to eliminate their enemies, while if they are defeated in battle there will be no remnant of them and a refugee. A deep depression came over them when they gave their minds to all these things. Only a few ate that evening and only a few lit fires. Many of them did not return that night to their place in the camp, because if they rested wherever they were and could not close an eye due to grief and longing for their homeland, their parents, their wives and children. It seemed that they would never see them again" (p. 81). This is a vivid description that evokes a feeling of empathy in the reader, even though it is an event that took place 2400 years ago. Loss, embarrassment and helplessness. An army that was stripped of all its mental assets as a fighting force and reached a state of mental chaos and demoralization. A state of emotional pain almost irreversible in its results.
This is where Xenophon, a man without any military experience, came into action, and with the strength of his personality he was able to do the impossible. To put a physically and mentally broken army back on its feet, turn it into a proud force and a fearless warrior and lead it back home even though the journey involved wars with hostile forces, while losing many warriors The move that Xenophon initiated is to testify to the character of this man. It turns out that he was a strong man whose character could not be bent, with unusual charisma and the ability to sway crowds after him. He was a born leader.
The restoration of the army
You can learn about these qualities of Xenophon from the speech he gave to the soldiers of the force. He was the only one who decided to stand up and take action. What he did was a motivational talk with the soldiers (one of many that appear in the book). He described to the soldiers the situation as it is in a direct and blunt manner without any attempt to beautify it. He did not allow the soldiers to sink into gloom and with a lot of pathos he ended his words with the following words: "Let us not wait for others to come to us and spur us on to do glorious deeds. others to follow the path of heroism and glory. Prove that you are the bravest commanders and the most worthy of leadership among our current leaders" (pp. 84-83). Xenophon knew how to restore the soldiers' self-confidence, a very basic step without which nothing can be done. Xenophon called on the soldiers to choose him as their leader and they We did respond to this call.
As a necessary first step, a new command staff was established. "Wherever he was still a commander alive, he was called and in units whose commander was absent they summoned his deputy and in places where there were only company commanders they called them" (pp. 84-85). Later in the discussions, Xenophon made a proposal regarding the desired structure of the army, but did not convey his words as an order. On the contrary, he turned to the officers and asked them for alternative proposals, and if they were found to be more appropriate, they would be adopted (p. 92). This appeal comes from two reasons. First of all, Xenophon had no military experience as mentioned and he needed the experience of the veterans. Second, this face indicates that Xenophon was attentive to the soldiers, which enhanced the soldiers' sense of togetherness towards him. He did not create any sense of alienation towards them from the beginning. This act also projected a sense of tolerance to hear an opinion different from his own. He also backed up this feeling at the end of the discussion with the following words: "I suggest that this be a temporary solution (the ideas he proposed). After we have tried this setup on this journey, we can decide on what seems best to us. If anyone has a better proposal From this I will ask to hear it" (p. 92).
After the force was attacked by Mithridates, a Persian commander in Cyrus' army, a unit of archers and horsemen was formed and a commander was appointed for them. Xenophon did not force joining this unit, but asked for volunteers with the promise that they would be rewarded financially. The response was immediate. On the same day that Xenophon made a request This is for the soldiers "about two hundred slingshots were collected that evening. The next day about fifty horses and horsemen were trained for service" (pp. 94-95).
Alongside all these, Xenophon did not give up discipline (p. 91). He did not advocate discipline as such, but due to its importance to the functioning of the army and in a speech he gave later, he explained this: "Soldiers, I admit that I hit people when discipline was lax. These are people who were ready to march and fight as long as they were protected by their brothers in arms arrayed in phalanxes. But they are eager to withdraw from the ranks and run forward to increase their share of the loot and plunder. If we had all done so, the enemy would have eliminated us all. Likewise, there were cases where a man broke down and refused to stand and defend his life and was ready to surrender to the enemy. And in such cases I beat people and forced them To move forward...I sent my fists into some of the people so that the enemy would not send his bayonets at them" (p. 165).
Xenophon the man
Who is the same Xenophon who was behind the miraculous restoration of the army and what else can be learned about him? Xenophon came from a wealthy family, a man with a broad education and probably with many social connections (p. 10). Perkosinus, the commander of the fighting force whose journey back home is described in the book, was invited to be his guest with a promise to "make him a friend of Cyrus" (p. 81). Xenophon consulted with his friend, teacher and philosopher Socrates and with the oracle at Delphi and ultimately accepted the invitation (pp. 81-82). He did not accept the offer immediately, but after he considered it seriously and the reason is probably the understanding that he was staying in a foreign land, in a hostile environment and participate even if passively in wars away from the pleasures of life he was used to. Xenophon was not a man of adventures. He was a careful and calculated person who considered his steps seriously. Features that contributed a lot during the journey back home. .
Xenophon was not the classic character of the tough officer, who wanted to fight and kept his distance from his soldiers. He was ready to accept criticism and consult with anyone. He was fundamentally an attentive person who knew how to feel a sense of empathy with everyone, he was a talented orator who knew how to encourage his soldiers in every situation and we see this in the many motivational speeches he gave to his soldiers throughout the journey home. His attitude towards his soldiers was that of the open door.
Despite the high social status from which he came, he was not a spoiled person. He knew and demonstrated a willingness to serve as an example to his soldiers even in situations of scarcity. In one of the cases, when a blizzard raged, "the soldiers refused to get up from their place, because the snow that fell on them warmed them, but when Xenophon fell, he was strong and stood on his feet Without covering his skin and he started asking for wood for the fire, one of the soldiers stood up and took his hatchet from his hands, then others stood up and lit fires and covered their bodies with oil" (p. 119). A few days later, when severe hunger hit the soldiers, he dismantled the load of the cargo convoy to provide the required food and those who were strong enough he sent to bring food from the nearby settlements" (pp. 121-122).
It seems that until he joined the force of Proxinus, Xenophon was an introverted person and his talents were hidden. When he was given the opportunity, all his talents burst forth and in full force. Xenophon knew how to take a military force that, due to the difficult circumstances he experienced and probably suffered from a collective trauma, put a smile on the faces of the soldiers and showed that after all there was hope , which raises the question of whether Xenophon was also a psychologist and therapist in grace.
social bonding
The soldiers of the fighting force certainly owed their cohesion as a collective and their willingness to make their long march home to Xenophon, but they also contributed to this in the common being they developed during that period and in the various discussions they conducted regarding the various actions they had to take to realize this goal. In times of food shortages they knew to divide among themselves what is available (p. 121) and on the other hand, when the food was plentiful, they also knew how to loosen the strip, but even that to an extent. For example, in one case, "when there were soldiers staying in the camp to rest, each of them was allowed to go on an independent looting foray, but they They decided that if one of them goes out alone and gets booty while the whole army goes on a plundering expedition, his booty will belong to all of them" (p. 187). The willingness to share booty was the result of agreement and understanding without being forced by their commanders. They understood that restraint should not be allowed in a sweeping manner, otherwise the army would disintegrate. This was a discipline with a reasonable margin of independent activity in calm situations.
The contemporary concept of warriors discourse also existed among them and had an important role. An example of this is the day when "we camped in the villages above the plain of the Kantritus river, the border between Armenia and the land of the Kardikhs. Here the Greeks exchanged strength and rejoiced at the sight of the plain...they had abundant food supplies , and they often brought up memories of the hardships they had gone through, since they did not stop fighting during the seven days they spent in the land of the Kardis and suffered more there than in all their battles against the king's army and Tissaphernes" (p. 114). When they had the opportunity to rest, they also took advantage of it for mental relaxation. In conversations These are the ones who released all the pressures that had accumulated in them, a cathartic process that allowed them to regain mental and physical strength. In these conversations, they strengthened their unity and shared destiny. They knew how to strengthen their sense of togetherness and collective self.
The sense of togetherness was also accompanied by actions that strengthened social cohesion such as offering sacrifices, athletic competitions, folk-style parades and feasts (pp. 116,135,152,169).
The officers' discussions regarding the way forward and different courses of action in relation to potential enemies and the conduct of battles were conducted in a calm, balanced, and matter-of-fact manner. Xenophon has no morals about political organizations between different groups of officers and power struggles. It seems that the good of the matter prevailed over everything and let's not forget that the mission in the end was to return home. This was also the case in a state of emergency when they arrived in the land of the Tauchims and their supply of food ran out and in order to replenish it they had to capture one of the fortifications. Conquering the place was not easy. The fighting forces were at a loss. When Xenophon arrived there they discussed different courses of action and accepted his proposal. Adoption of the offer The fortified target was conquered (pp. 128-129). There is no report from Xenophon about a charged and tense atmosphere on the part of the various commanders as to why they failed where he succeeded.
Along with these discussions between the officers themselves there was a case where the soldiers were also involved in the discussions. It was when Chrysophus asked for their permission to turn to his friend Anaquisibius (Spartan commander in Byzantium) in order to obtain ships in order to return home and on that occasion Xenophon presented various methods of action including acts of plunder to obtain Food (pp. 139-140) and the soldiers alike approved these proposals. There was indeed a case in which unrest broke out among the soldiers when it was suspected that Xenophon was plotting to harm them, but he managed to calm them down and even expressed a willingness to resign and be tried (p. 160). The soldiers were convinced by his words and agreed that "those who started the acts of incitement should be punished and that in the future no one should be allowed to loosen the yoke and break the law. Anyone who does this will be executed... On the recommendation of Xenophon, who was supported by the contracts, it was decided to purify the entire army - in a ritual ceremony - and the purification ceremony was held as a religion And rightfully so" (p. 163).
Xenophon's motivational speeches
Xenophon also knew how to instill confidence in his soldiers, to encourage them even in difficult situations and to bring out the best in them. The way he took was many motivational talks. Xenophon wrote this book when he was at home and from a distance of time. Since the descriptions are alive and you can feel the events themselves before your eyes, it can be that during the journey Xenophon made short lists for himself which he kept and used when he wrote down the story of the journey.
Xenophon took different ways to encourage his soldiers. When a number of soldiers "asked that you put them in his place (due to exhaustion), since they no longer had the strength to stand on their feet, Xenophon had no choice but to sow fear in the hearts of the enemy following them, lest he shoot at the exhausted soldiers...or then The men of the rear guard who were ready jumped and charged at the enemy, while the exhausted ones roared at the top of their throats and tapped their spears on the defenders" (p. 122). When the force passed through the land of the Kolkhim, Xenophon turned to his soldiers and said to them: "My friends, these people you see in front of you are the last obstacle standing Between us and the place we seek to reach for such a long time, we must eat them alive, but if we can" (p.
134).
Following a battle on the Musinoike border in which the Greeks tried for their lives, Xenophon turned and said to them: "Soldiers, do not be discouraged by the recent events. Believe me, these events have advantages as much as disadvantages" (p. 149). He knew how to get out of a situation that looked bad In another situation when the force had to pass through a difficult valley for a crossing, Xenophon turned and said to his soldiers: "Therefore it is better for us to fight now when we are full than to fight tomorrow on an empty stomach. The soldiers who sacrificed us gave us good signals. The flight of the birds bodes well for us Come, then, and fight the enemy. Because after he has seen us - we should not let him eat at ease or camp wherever he wants" (p. 185). Xenophon knew how to take advantage of any geographical, social, military or political situation on which he used his motivational speeches. In this way he was able to encourage his soldiers to give of themselves you are the best
Summary
Despite the long period of time that has passed since the writing of the book until the present day, the description of the journey of the military force led by Xenophon allows us readers to sense and even participate in a covert way in the existence and daily life of these soldiers to the point of feeling empathy with them. The relationship between the soldiers and their commanders was formal Semi. The general feeling was of relative ease despite the many hardships they experienced on their way home and the death of friends. But thanks to the leadership of Xenophon, who was not a military man at all, they also knew how to maintain a human image, create a daily routine for themselves and even found the time and strength, during the various camps, to create centers of non-military social activity such as making sacrifices, sports competitions and eating together. What also contributed to this was the fact that some of the soldiers were joined by their wives (p. 116), which created a sense of family. As for Xenophon himself, he was fundamentally an officer and a gentleman, and all that is left for us readers is to salute him.
Xenophon's source - The Rabbah Mission Ministry of Defense 1984 212 p.
