Eve Browning, a professor at UT-San Antonio wrote an amazing essay on Xenophon, one of those ancient Greek guys you might brush up against at some point in a philosophy or history class, but maybe forget about.
Or, heck, maybe you’re always thinking about Xenophon.
Either way, you’ll really dig this essay, which opens telling the story of mercenaries and soon enough you’re seeing a Socrates you’re not used to and learning about horsemanship and home storage options.
For instance, what could be more enchanting than a Socrates who solo-dances for joy and exercise, so unlike the Socrates we know from Plato? In Xenophon’s Symposium, Socrates asks the Phoenician dance-master to show him some dance moves. Everyone laughs: what will you do with dance moves, Socrates? He replies: ‘I’ll dance, by God!’ A friend of Socrates then tells the group that he had stopped by his house early in the morning, and found him dancing alone. When questioned about it, Socrates happily confesses to solo-dancing often. It’s great exercise, it moves the body in symmetry, it can be done indoors or outdoors with no equipment, and it freshens the appetite.
Steve Weddle 