History
… Thalatta-Thalatta
In the summer of 401 BC , Kyros , the Satrap (master) of Lydia made a movement to overthrow his
brother and big King , Artaxerxes .
He had the support of his mother, Parysatis , and a secret military body of about 13500 soldiers
known as “Myrioi “.
In the battle of Kounaxa, Kyros was killed.
During the battle, Spartians under the leadership of Klearchos managed to beat the left side of
Artaxerxes’ army but taken into account the death of Kyros this was of no importance .
Kyros’ army was found in a very difficult situation, with their leader dead, in a totally hostile
environment, with no food and about 800 km from whatever could be characterized safe and
friendly
18 months later the soldiers managed to reach
Trapezounta , then Byzantio of the Black Sea and
finally South Greece . All the above are described in
an excellent way by Xenophon. If there is something
that goes beyond the historical description, is a real
lesson of crisis management. The three elements
which saved the lives of about 8500 men were:
First, the hope of returning back home, with the
totally clear goal to find sea which would lead them
safely back to Greece
The cry ‘Thalatta-Thalatta’ meant the success of the
operation. Persistence in the hope of returning home
was the element which permitted the men to
withstand the battles , weather conditions , trends of
disappointment and pressure exerted on them from
their own comrades.
Kyrou Anavasis
“ The return of Myrioi ”
Second, we mustn’t forget that the organization and discipline of the soldiers stem from Sparta .
This fact was the main reason why they all together acted and behaved as one and only person .
They remained united even in the most difficult moments when their leaders , Klearhos included,
were arrested and killed by Tisafernis .
They didn’t give up, elected Hirisofos as their new leader and went on.
Third, the strategy to change directions so as to meet the least possible resistance.
The way to the North was full of obstacles such as hostile tribes , rivers and the endless mountains
of Taurus . So the soldiers had to move either to the east or to the west but always aiming at the
North .
Xenophon describes all this route and keeps history alive through the ages
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thalatta.gr
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