Though he may be best remembered as a close friend and follower of Socrates who recorded many of the philosopher's views for posterity, Xenophon was a significant figure in his own right, especially as a soldier and civic leader. After Athens was defeated in the Peloponnesian War, the once-affluent city was drifting toward insolvency. Xenophon wrote On Revenues to circulate his proposals for generating more funds for the beleaguered community.