Hellenica () simply means writings on Greek (Hellenic) subjects. Several histories of 4th-century Greece, written in the mould of Thucydides or straying from it, have borne the conventional Latin title Hellenica. The surviving Hellenica is an important work of the Ancient Greek writer Xenophon and one of the principal sources for the last seven years of the Peloponnesian War not covered by Thucydides, as well as the war's aftermath. Xenophon's Hellenica Many consider this a very personal work, written by Xenophon in retirement on his Spartan estate, intended primarily for circulation among his friends, for people who knew the main protagonists and events, often because they had participated in them. Xenophon's account starts in 411 BC, the year where Thucydides breaks off, and ends in 362 BC, the year of the Battle of Mantineia. There is virtually no transition between the two works, to the extent that the opening words of Hellenica, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα, are translated as After this, or sometimes Following these events. Summary Xenophon's Hellenica is a Classical Greek historical narrative divided into seven books that describe Greco-Persian history in the years 411–362 BC. The first two books narrate the final years of the Peloponnesian War from the moment at which Thucydides' history ends. The remaining books, three to seven, focus primarily on Sparta as the dominant city-state in Greece after the Peloponnesian War; continuing into the period known as the Theban hegemony following Sparta's defeat at the battle of Leuctra. Scholars believe the first two books were written at a much earlier time when Xenophon was still living in Athens; while books three to seven were written after Xenophon was banished from Athens and lived in Sparta. The work ends with a summation by Xenophon that his history has ended but another historian may continue it. The Hellenica is the only primary source for the period from the end of the Peloponnesian War until the time of Alexander. Xenophon was familiar with the leading political figures in Sparta and witnessed many battles and expeditions described in the Hellenica. The work is noteworthy as the only major primary historical source between the golden age of Athens and the rise of Macedon. The Hellenica narrative begins as a continuation of Thucydides' unfinished History of the Peloponnesian War. It is alleged Xenophon was the editor of Thucydides' works after his death. This allowed Xenophon directly to continue the narration.