Xenophon [sc. uses this word] to mean 'in a contest'.[1]

Son of Grylos,[1] Athenian, Socratic philosopher; [it was he] who was the first to write lives of philosophers and commentaries. By Philesia he had his sons Grylos and Diodoros, who were also called the Dioskouroi;[2] he himself was dubbed the Attic honeybee. He became a schoolmate of Plato and flourished during the 95th Olympiad.[3] He wrote more than 40 books, among them these: Cyropaedia [in] 8 books, Anabasis of Cyrus [in] 7 books, Hellenica [Greek History] [in] 7 books, Symposium; and many others.

A pupil of Socrates,[1] he campaigned against the Persians when he went up with Cyrus against his brother Artaxerxes. Cyrus had been set up by his father Darius as viceroy of Asia after Tissaphernes. After Darius' death, Artaxerxes was reluctant to kill Cyrus, who had been slandered by Tissaphernes, and released him when his mother Parysatis interceded for him and preserved his army for him.[2] To make war on Tissaphernes, he assembled a force and determined to campaign against his brother. 400 left Cyrus,[3] and out of the members of the expedition 3500 hoplites and dependents fled. Xenophon went up with them. So he assembled 100,000 barbarians and journeyed against the Pisidians. When he passed through the tribes against which he was pretending to campaign, the Greeks understood that the army was [sc. being sent] against the king, and they shrank from the march up-country. But when Clearchus said that retreat was impossible if Cyrus did not take part, they went together.[4] Cyrus died battling bare-headed against Tissaphernes even though Clearchus had advised him not to fight. The Greeks under Clearchus' command chose Ariaeus as king,[5] but he declined. King [Artaxerxes] then cut off Cyrus' head and hand, and sent to the Greeks, requesting their weapons as if they had been vanquished, but they did not hand them over.[6] Deceitfully Tissaphernes violates his oaths and betrays to the king the Greeks, including Clearchus and Meno, whom he kills.[7] And Xenophon takes command of them and defeats everyone. Ten thousand who survived went to Thrace and hired themselves out to king Seuthes.[8]

Of Antioch, historian. [He wrote] Babyloniaca [Babylonian Histories]; it is a love story.

Of Ephesus, historian. [He wrote] Ephesiaca [Ephesian Histories]; it is a love story in 10 books about [H]abrocomes and Anthia;[1] also On the city of the Ephesians; and other things.

Of Cyprus, historian. [He wrote] Cypriaca ["Cypriot Histories"]. It too[1] is a narrative of erotic subjects concerning Kinyras and Myrrha and Adonis.