Armed Forces and Units
Sacred Band of Thebes
Ancient
Citation Formats
General Reference
APA Style
BibTeX
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.
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 Sources
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.