One of the most famous military campaigns of ancient Greece is that of Cyrus the Younger, the Persian prince who, in 401 BC, set out with some ten thousand Greek mercenaries to dethrone his brother Artaxerxes II and rule the Persian empire himself. The battle of Cunaxa left the Persian prince dead and the Greek army alone in hostile territory, in unfamiliar terrain, without a leader and without a clear goal to return to their homeland. From Cunaxa to Trapezuntum, the Greeks had to overcome many obstacles, such as hostile peoples, food shortages and adverse weather conditions. The harsh conditions made life extremely difficult for the soldiers during the march. Their arrival in Trapezunt marked the beginning of the end of an extremely difficult undertaking. Few returned to their homeland. When the army arrived in Thrace, many joined Thibron in the new war against Persia.
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