Friday Fives: X-Men

This is the last Friday Fives/A-to-Z Blogging Challenge collaboration of the year. And since the letter is “X” I’m going to list five X-Men–not the X-Men, but X-Men. In particular, and in celebration of my Book of the Month (see Wednesday’s article), five ancient Greeks (or Persians whose Greek names have become well-known) who had the privilege of having names beginning with the letter X. And here they are:

Xenophanes (c. 570 – c. 475 BC): Xenophanes was a Greek poet, philosopher, theologian, and even a bit of a geologist. He originally lived in Ionia, but after the successful Persian invasion, he left and traveled the world. While scholars can only guesstimate his dates, it is fairly certain he was very old when he died. One of his lasting contributions to Greek philosophy and theology was his promotion of reason over superstition, at least partly fueled by the apparent failure of the Greek gods to save Ionia from the Persians. He was very critical of the idea of gods made in the image of people (he said that if cattle, horses, and lions had hands, they would make gods in the shape of cattle, horses, and lions). He preferred to think that there was a supreme god who was immaterial–like a “first principle”–and might have lesser gods beneath him. He also criticized aspects of Greek culture, such as the the veneration of the athlete. His jabs at the traditional theology had traction with later Christian apologists who would quote him particularly on the subject of making images of gods.

Xerxes (c. 519 – c. 465): Son of King Darius of Persia who suffered defeat against the Greeks at the famous Battle of Marathon. Before his death, Darius planned a second attack against Greece to avenge the Persians that died at Marathon. However, it was his son, Xerxes, who undertook the mission. The Greek forces at Thermopylae were unable to hold the Persians back, and they successfully invaded, pushing on to take Athens and driving the Greeks back. It was a short-lived victory, however, thanks to rioting at home that needed to be dealt with, and successful Greek attacks against them at Salamis, Plataea, and Mycle that sent the Persians forces packing. Xerxes was later assassinated by a Persian court official.

Xenophon (c. 430 – c. 354 BC): Xenophon was a Greek historian, soldier, and philosopher. As a soldier, he participated in the “March of the Ten Thousand”–a campaign put together by the Persian satrap Cyrus against his older brother King Artaxerxes II. Xenophon told the story of this march through parts of Asia Minor and the Persian Empire in his book ANABASIS (“GOING UP”) which gives us a valuable insight into the region at that time, as well as the military strategy employed. He was also a student and companion of Socrates, and preserved his sayings for posterity.

Xanthippus (early 5th century BC): Xanthippus was a Greek politician and military general, famous for leading the Greeks in their victorious battle against the Persians at Mycle. Although he had been ostracized in 484 BC, he went on to become chief archon of Athens in 479 BC. Most notably, Xanthippus was the father of Pericles, who led the Athenians through a “golden age,” wherein Athens’ reputation as a cultural and educational hot spot grew.

Xenarchus of Seleucia (1st century BC): Xenarchus was a Greek philosopher and grammarian who taught in Alexandria, Athens, and Rome. His views differed from Aristotle on a number of points, though since he and Aristotle lived a few centuries apart, they never had the chance to debate.