Battle of Cunaxa

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For the fictional princedom named Cunaxa, see Places of Dragon Prince.

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, consisting of 10,400 hoplites and 2,500 peltasts, under the Spartan general Clearchus, and met Artaxerxes at Cunaxa on the left bank of the Euphrates River, 70 kilometres North of Babylon. Artaxerxes had about 150 scythed chariots compared to about 20 available to Cyrus. Something like this same ratio probably applies to the ratio of non-Greek troops available to each side. Artaxerxes certainly enjoyed a superiority in cavalry. The tactical outcome of the battle is disputed but as Cyrus died in the battle it was a political and strategic victory for Arsaces.

On Cyrus’s death Clearchus assumed the chief command and conducted the retreat, until, being treacherously seized with his fellow-generals by Tissaphernes, he was handed over to Artaxerxes and executed. Stranded deep in enemy territory, with most of their generals dead, Xenophon played an instrumental role in encouraging the "Ten Thousand" Greek army to march north to the Black Sea in an epic fighting retreat. This story is recorded in Anabasis by Xenophon who accompanied the "expedition up country".

see also History of Iran (Persia)