Xenophon of Athens, a Greek military captain, philosopher, and historian, was born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected leader of the Achaemenid Empire's largest Greek mercenary forces, the Ten Thousand, which marched on and came close to taking Babylon in 401 BC. According to military historian Theodore Ayrault Dodge, "the centuries since have devised nothing to surpass the genius of this warrior". Xenophon set the standard for many logistical operations and was among the first to describe strategic flanking movements and feints in warfare. Xenophon is regarded as one of the best writers in antiquity. Xenophon's works span numerous genres and are written in plain Attic Greek, therefore they are frequently used in translation exercises for modern students of the Ancient Greek language. Diogenes Laertius wrote in his Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers that Xenophon was renowned as the "Attic Muse" due to the delicacy of his diction. Several centuries later, Roman philosopher and statesman Cicero praised Xenophon's mastery of Greek composition in Orator as follows: "the muses were said to speak with the voice of Xenophon".