Hiero the Tyrant and Other Treatises — Xenophon

The essays featured here acquaint us with a man of penetrating practical intelligence and deep moral commitment. Xenophon wrote a gripping account of Cyrus the Younger's campaign to seize the Persian throne in 401 B.C., as well as many other works of history, politics, and philosophy. This volume includes the dialogue between the poet Simonides and his employer -- Hiero, tyrant of Syracuse -- a classic study of absolute power; Xenophon's pioneering biography of King Agesilaus II of Sparta; considerations of the essential qualities of the cavalry commander; an analysis of the horseman's and the hunter's skills; and a bold economic program for democratic Athens. Together these writings present informed, learned insights into the nature and purposes of leadership.