{"product_id":"band-on-the-run-xenophon-and-the-first-great-mercenary-armys-epic-escape-from-persia","title":"Band on the Run: Xenophon and the First Great Mercenary Army's Epic Escape from Persia","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBiographical Note\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRobert L. O'Connell has worked as a senior analyst at the National Ground Intelligence Center, as a contributing editor to \n\u003ci\u003eMilitary History Quarterly\u003c\/i\u003e and as a visiting professor at the Naval Postgraduate School. He is the author of numerous books, two of which, \n\u003ci\u003eThe Ghosts of Cannae\u003c\/i\u003e and \n\u003ci\u003eFierce Patriot, \u003c\/i\u003ewere national bestsellers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA riveting retelling of one of the great adventure stories of antiquity\u003c\/b\u003e-- \n\u003cb\u003ewhen Greek philosopher-warrior Xenophon led a stranded band of the \"Ten Thousand\" mercenary soldiers on a treacherous escape from the Persians.\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e400 BC. The Persian prince Cyrus the Younger hires an army of Greek soldiers to oust his brother from the Persian throne. But when Cyrus dies in battle during the army's trek through the middle east, the army is stranded deep in enemy territory. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Led by Xenophon, a young Athenian philosopher turned solider, the Ten Thousand fought their way home through deserts and mountains, snowstorms, starvation, and relentless attacks, evolving into one of the most fearsome forces of the ancient world. Their journey, chronicled in Xenophon's \n\u003ci\u003eAnabasis\u003c\/i\u003e, is one of history's greatest military stories. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \n\u003ci\u003eBand on the Run\u003c\/i\u003e, Robert O'Connell not only gives us an exciting and witty retelling of this story, but he has done so with a wise contemporary spin. For in his estimation, this was the battle that established the use of powerful mercenary forces. The attempted conquest of the Ten Thousand begins a historical line through Western history of the use of mercenary armies that has lasted up to our present day. And, as O'Connell shows, much misery and tragedy in human history has been due to this trajectory. This is a brilliant revisionist history with important lessons for our time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContributor Bio:\u003c\/strong\u003eO'Connell, Robert L\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRobert L. O'Connell has worked as a senior analyst at the National Ground Intelligence Center, as a contributing editor to \n\u003ci\u003eMilitary History Quarterly\u003c\/i\u003e and as a visiting professor at the Naval Postgraduate School. He is the author of numerous books, two of which, \n\u003ci\u003eThe Ghosts of Cannae\u003c\/i\u003e and \n\u003ci\u003eFierce Patriot, \u003c\/i\u003ewere national bestsellers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496105214230,"sku":"9781668064818","price":34.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9781668064818.jpg?v=1783053252","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/band-on-the-run-xenophon-and-the-first-great-mercenary-armys-epic-escape-from-persia","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}