Anabasis as monument: Arrian, Xenophontic space, and literary authority

Estelle Strazdins*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This chapter concentrates on Arrian's apparent refurbishment of a monument to Hadrian at Trapezus on the Black Sea that opens his Periplus (1.1-4) and Alexander's interaction with Achilles' grave at Troy in his Anabasis in the context of both Arrian's 'Second Preface' (1.12.1-5) and the Ten Thousand's thanks-giving cairn on Mt. Theches that marks their first sight of the sea in Xenophon's Anabasis (4.7.24). I demonstrate that a) there is a relationship between these Arrian passages that hinges on Xenophon's Anabasis, and b) Arrian exploits the materiality, spatiality, and temporality of monuments, combined with their semantic fluidity, to assert his literary authority over Xenophon, spatial authority over Trapezus, personal authority over Hadrian's image and Alexander's memory, and to muse on the fickleness of reception by posterity.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationXenophon's Anabasis and its Reception
Publisherde Gruyter
Pages311-328
Number of pages18
ISBN (Electronic)9783110793437
ISBN (Print)9783110793482
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 24 Oct 2022
Externally publishedYes

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