Perspective

The perspective of the author is 2350 years ago. They do have substantial technology when contrasted to the stone age. They have metal working, the wheel, chariots, pottery, possibly roads and sewers. They have agriculture and masonry. They probably do not feel even remotely 'backward' about this. They have high quality stone work and decent, well developed religion. There are laws and civic organizations.

They even have social and economic classes and the two are intertwined. This is actually the reason for the author's position in the beginning. Unlike the upward or downwardly mobile, Xenophon complied with the standards of his original social position. He was born into the class of Knights, which was cavalry officers.

His writing was clear and objective but with his own 'slant.' This limitation to his objectivity is written of as though he is self-aware about it. It is possible that this comes...