These essays, attributed to a student of Socrates, explain the political systems of Athens and Sparta in the 400s and 300s BC. He first describes Athenian democracy, arguing that democracy does not produce the best laws. He goes on to describe the laws of Athens, and explains how they preserve democracy. In the second essay, he describes the authoritarian government of Sparta and how it also differs from the surrounding city-states. These essays provide a first hand account of the political innovations of Greek culture, and a discussion of what is needed to preserve these types of government.

Xenophon son of Gryllus, of the deme Erchia of Athens, also known as Xenophon of Athens, was a Greek historian, soldier, mercenary,and student of Socrates. While not referred to as a philosopher by his contemporaries, his status as such is now a topic of debate. He is known for writing about the history of his own times, the late 5th and early 4th centuries BC, especially for his account of the final years of the Peloponnesian War. His Hellenica, which recounts these times, is considered to be the continuation of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War. His youthful participation in the failed campaign of Cyrus the Younger to claim the Persian throne inspired him to write his most famous work, Anabasis.