Cyropedia and the "Life of Basil" - A Possible Connection

Abstract

The "Life of Basil", the fifth and certainly most famous among the six books of the so-called Theophanes Continuatus, is widely regarded as a landmark in Byzantine historiography. Despite previous contributions by Alexander, Jenkins, Shevchenko, Agapitos and other scholars, no considerable progress has been made concerning the sources and motives for' the "Life". This paper focuses on Xenophon's Cyropaedia, a very well known work in the Byzantine world.