Exile or Envoy? Contradictions, Inaccuracies and Ambiguities about Clearchus

Clearchus is a central figure in the expedition of Greek mercenaries following Cyrus. He plays an important role in the first two books of Xenophon's Anabasis: he is the main commander of the Greek army until he is killed falling into Tissaphernes' trap. Xenophon is not the only author to deal with Clearchus: this figure is remembered in other sources such as Isocrates or Diodorus. However, his status remains ambiguous. For some, like Isocrates, his action took place under the aegis of Sparta; for others, like Xenophon, he was exiled from his homeland. The very causes of his exile are unclear. The paper analyses Xenophon's text in relation to the other sources, with the aim to explain not much what really happened as the different functions that Clearchus performs in different works.