While Xenophon’s interest is clearly on the individual man Cyrus, he is interested not so
much in Cyrus per se as he is in Cyrus as one who “so excelled in ruling human beings.”
For Xenophon, the consideration of an individual exemplar can point toward the true
character or nature of that which the individual exemplar exemplifies. In Cyrus
Xenophon thought that he had somehow glimpsed the nature of rule (archē) over human
beings. Prior to Cyrus, Xenophon states that he believed that ruling human beings or at
least very difficult (1.1.3). But after considering Cyrus, Xenophon decided that ruling
human beings need not be impossible or even difficult provided that one rules with
knowledge (epistamenōs) (1.1.3). What Xenophon learned from Cyrus ―i.e. what made
him an object of wonder for Xenophon― was the fact that Cyrus showed the nature of
rule by showing that one can in fact rule over human beings provided that one does so
knowledgably. But what does it mean to rule knowledgably? This question leads to the
heart of the Cyropaedia, a book whose title translates into English as The Education of
Cyrus.
The manner in which Xenophon reveals Cyrus’ knowledge is somewhat curious.
He does not disclose Cyrus’ knowledge by writing it in the form of a treatise. Instead, he
gradually reveals Cyrus’ knowledge by starting with Cyrus’ boyhood and chronicling the
course of his life. Apparently Xenophon thought that Cyrus’ knowledge could not or
perhaps should not be stated in the form of a treatise. If Cyrus’ knowledge of how to rule
human beings turned out not to be good for human beings, then one could understand
Xenophon’s reluctance to be too forthcoming about the specific contents of Cyrus’
knowledge in his own name. One should read Xenophon’s Cyropaedia fully expecting to
discover ―as the title of the book would seem to promise― the secret of Cyrus’ wisdom.
2
Convention