In his work, "Anabasis of Cyrus," Xenophon narrated the first eyewitness account of a military operation. In 401 BC, a group of Greek mercenaries traveled east to fight under the command of the Persian prince Cyrus the Younger, in his attempt to seize the throne from his brother, Artaxerxes II.

In this captivating work of Greek military history, Waterfield speaks about what was never mentioned in Xenophon's narrative: the violence of ancient battles, the lives of Greek and Persian soldiers, as well as political, historical, and personal matters. The result is a complete and comprehensive version of Cyrus' campaign and the retreat of the Greeks, offering an intriguing perspective on a critical moment in history that can reveal much about the current situation in the Middle East.