North Anatolian Rivers and the Chronology of Xenophon’s Anabasis: A Note on An. 5.6

Year 2022, Volume: 8, 16 - 22, 31.12.2022

Tønnes Bekker-nielsen

Abstract

The dating of the expedition of the Ten Thousand to Persia and their long march home to Greece described in the Anabasis of Xenophon has been debated for over a century. Some researchers now favour a late departure from Sardis over the early date preferred by earlier commentators. One further argument for a late chronology which has failed to attract scholarly attention can be found in the description of four north Anatolian rivers offered by the Sinopean ambassador Hecatonymus in book five of the Anabasis. Had this speech been given in May or June, as according to the early chronology, the rivers would have been at their lowest level by the time the Greek army reached them. If, on the other hand, the speech was held in August or September with the autumn rains approaching, the rivers were likely to swell and present an obstacle to further progress overland through Paphlagonia.

Keywords

Xenophon, Anabasis, Black Sea, rivers, climate

Kuzey Anadolu Nehirleri ve Ksenophon’un Anabasis’inin Kronolojisi: An. 5.6’ya Bir Not

Abstract

On Binlerin Persia seferinin ve Hellas’a Ksenophon’un Anabasis’inde anlatılan uzun yürüyüşünün tarihi bir yüzyıldan uzun bir süredir tartışılmaktadır. Bazı araştırmacılar, Sardeis’ten ayrılış için daha önceki yorumcuların tercih ettiğinden daha geç bir tarihi yeğlemektedir. Daha geç bir kronoloji yönünde bilim dünyasının dikkatinden kaçan bir başka delil, Kuzey Anadolu’daki dört nehrin Sinope elçisi Hekatonymos tarafından Anabasis’in beşinci kitabında verilen tarifinde bulunabilir. Erken kronolojinin önerdiği gibi Hekatonymos’un konuşması Mayıs veya Haziran aylarında yapılmış olsaydı, Yunan ordusu onlara ulaştığında bu nehirler en düşük su seviyesinde olacaklardı. Öte yandan, konuşma daha geç kronolojiye uygun olarak sonbahar yağmurlarının yaklaştığı Ağustos veya Eylül aylarında yapılmış olursa, nehirlerdeki su seviyesinin artması ve Paphlagonia üzerinden karayoluyla ilerlemeye engel olmaları beklenebilir.

Keywords

Ksenophon, Anabasis, Karadeniz, Nehirler, İklim

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