The Ten Thousand were a group of mercenary units, mainly Greek, drawn up by Cyrus the Younger to attempt to wrest the throne of the Persian Empire from his brother, Artaxerxes II. Their march to the Battle of Cunaxa and back to Greece (401 BC-399 BC) was recorded by Xenophon (one of its leaders) in his work, The Anabasis. A mercenary is a soldier who fights, or engages in warfare primarily for private gain, usually with little regard for ideological, national or political considerations. ... Cyrus the Younger, son of Darius II and Parysatis, was a Persian prince and general. ... The Persian Empire is the name used to refer to a number of historic dynasties that have ruled the country of Persia (Iran). ... Artaxerxes II (c. ... The Battle of Cunaxa was fought in 401 BC between Cyrus the Younger and his elder brother Arsaces, who had seized the Persian throne as Artaxerxes II in 404 BC. Cyrus gathered an army of Greek mercenaries under the Spartan general Clearchus, and met Artaxerxes at Cunaxa on the left... Centuries: 6th century BC - 5th century BC - 4th century BC Decades: 450s BC 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC - 400s BC - 390s BC 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC Years: 406 BC 405 BC 404 BC 403 BC 402 BC - 401 BC - 400 BC 399 BC... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC 400s BC - 390s BC - 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC Years: 404 BC 403 BC 402 BC 401 BC 400 BC - 399 BC - 398 BC 397 BC... Xenophon (In Greek , c. ... Anabasis is the most famous work of the Greek writer Xenophon. ...

According to Xenophon, the Ten Thousand were composed of:

• 4000 hoplites under Xenias the Arcadian
• 1500 hoplites and 500 light infantry under Proxenus the Boeotian
• 1000 hoplites under Sophaenetus the Stymphalian
• 500 hoplites under Socrates the Achaean
• 300 hoplites and 300 peltasts under Pasion the Megaran
• 1000 hoplites, 800 Thracian peltasts, and 200 Cretan archers under Clearchus the Spartan
• 3000 hoplites under Sosis the Syracusan
• 1000 hoplites under Sophaenetus the Arcadian
• 700 hoplites under Chirisophus the Spartan

In addition, they were backed up by a fleet of 35 triremes under Pythagoras the Spartan and 25 triremes under Tamos the Egyptian, as well as 100,000 Persian troops under Ariaeus the Persian (although Xenophon lists them as 100,000, most modern historians believe Ariaeus' troops were only around 20,000). Warfare in Hellenic Greece centered mainly around heavy infantrymen called hoplites. ... Arcadia or Arkadía (Greek Αρκαδία) is a region of Greece in the Peloponnesus. ... Boeotia (Greek Βοιωτια) was the central area of ancient Greece. ... Achaea (Greek: , Akhaïa) is a province on the northern coast of the Peloponnese, stretching from the mountain ranges of Erymanthus and Cyllene on the south to a narrow strip of fertile land on the north, bordering the Gulf of Corinth, into which the mountain Panachaicus (1,902 m, the... A peltast was a type of light infantry in Ancient Greece who often served as skirmishers. ... Megara (Greek: Μέγαρα) is an ancient city in Attica, Greece, on the Saronic Gulf opposite the island of Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, before being taken by Athens. ... Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe spread over southern Bulgaria, northeastern Greece, and European Turkey. ... Greece and Crete Crete, sometimes spelled Krete (Greek Κρήτη / Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea. ... Clearchus, the son of Rhamphias, was a Spartan general and mercenary. ... Sparta (Grk. ... Map of central Mediterranean Sea, showing location of Syracuse on the island of Sicily. ... Arcadia or Arkadía (Greek Αρκαδία) is a region of Greece in the Peloponnesus. ... A Greek trireme Triremes were ancient war galleys with three rows of oars on each side. ...

Until shortly after the Battle of Cunaxa, the Spartan general Clearchus was recognized as the commander of the army. When Tissaphernes arrested and executed Clearchus, Proxenus, Menon, Agias (possibly the same person as Sophaenetus), and Socrates, their places were taken by Xenophon, Timasion, Xanthicles, Cleanor, and Philesius, with the Spartan Chirisophus as the general commander. The name of a class of Super Soldiers in the video game series called Halo. ... Clearchus, the son of Rhamphias, was a Spartan general and mercenary. ... Tissaphernes (Pers. ...