Agesilaus

Xenophon the Athenian was born 431 B.C. He was a pupil of Socrates. He marched with the Spartans, and was exiled from Athens. Sparta gave him land and property in Scillus, where he lived for many years before having to move once more, to settle in Corinth. He died in 354 B.C. The Agesilaus summarises the life of his Spartan friend and king, whom he met after the events of the Anabasis. The text summarizes the life of King Agesilaus II (c. 440 BC - c. 360 BC) of Sparta, whom Xenophon respected greatly, considering him as an unsurpassed example of all the civil and military virtues. The king’s life is narrated in chronological order, making Agesilaus one of the first examples of biographical writings. Certain parts of the work are borrowed from Hellenica, with only minor changes of the language.