The battle of Leuctra and the humiliation of Sparta were not only turning points in the history of fourth-century Greece; they were also milestones in the life of Xenophon. Compelled to abandon his estate at Scillus, he found refuge at Corinth, where he observed at first hand many of the major events of the Theban Hegemony. As a friend of Agesilaus and a man of some standing, he enjoyed access to some of the leading political and military figures of the day. In view of Xenophon's singular position during these years, the Theban Hegemony offers an excellent and clearly defined period in which to explore the question of Xenophon's use of speeches in this portion of the Hellenica and to determine whether they possess any basis in fact or whether they are nothing more than free inventions.

Just as Xenophon does not say specifically that he is continuing Thucydides' history, so neither does he tell his readers how he will deal with the speeches in the Hellenica. One can assume that he is following Thucydides' famous pronouncement at 1, 22, but because of his silence on the topic that must clearly remain an assumption. Therefore, it is preferable to examine the situations in which Xenophon inserts speeches in his narrative to establish their function in this portion of the Hellenica, and secondly to determine whether the speeches correspond to those actually delivered at the time.