The Sacred Band of Thebes was an elite Theban military unit of 300 hoplites, organized as 150 pairs of male lovers on the theory that soldiers would fight hardest to protect and impress their partners. Traditionally raised around 378 BC, the Band spearheaded the Theban victories at Leuctra (371 BC) and Mantinea (362 BC) that broke Spartan military dominance in Greece. It was annihilated to the last man by Philip II and Alexander's Macedonian forces at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC, an end later commemorated by the Lion of Chaeronea monument. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Force TypeElite infantry corps of 150 paired lovers organized as an all-volunteer strike force, fighting as heavy hoplite infantry at the core of the Theban army 1 Founded Year Force Type
Force Type (category) Connections
Associated With
Dory, Weapons Systems The Sacred Band of Thebes fought as heavy infantry armed with the dory, the standard hoplite thrusting spear
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Sacred Band of Thebes
WikipediaLead sectionQuote, Lead section
The Sacred Band of Thebes (Ancient Greek: Ἱερὸς Λόχος τῶν Θηβῶν, Hieròs Lóchos tôn Thēbôn) was an elite heavy infantry of select soldiers consisting of 150 pairs of male couples, 300 men total, organised by age that formed the elite force of the Theban army in the 4th century BC. It was first organised under commander Gorgidas in 378 BC and later Pelopidas, and played a crucial role in the Battle of Leuctra.
Wikidata: Sacred Band of Thebes
Wikidata Q655132, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
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