Stylianou believes that only one Spartan, Other historians believe that Cleombrotus was already in Phocis during this period, having been sent earlier in 375 BC to reinforce it during the early Theban attacks. Although Carthaginian citizen infantry appear in historical sources during later wars, their numbers are significantly higher, implying an emergence levy of all available citizens, rather than an elite force. [note 9] However, historians such as Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière Hammond, Karl Julius Beloch, and Vincenzo Costanzi do not believe that the lion monument marks the location of the Sacred Band dead. [2] The works of the latter two, however, survived long enough for later authors like Plutarch, Diodorus, and Polyaenus to base their works on.[12][42][45]. Love endowed on the battlefield, the ultimate proving ground and adoration of the masculine: the sacred. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sacred_Band_of_Carthage&oldid=1011277441, Military units and formations of antiquity, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Diodorus records that the numbers involved for the two armies were more or less equal, both having around 30,000 men and 2,000 cavalry.[55]. Though the significance of the battle was well-documented by ancient scholars, there is little surviving information on the deployment of the armies involved. At stake was freedom, democracy, and the fate … He mentions the Sacred Band as being led by the general Pelopidas and, alongside Epaminondas who commanded the army of Thebes (Boeotia), were responsible for the defeat of the Spartans at the decisive Battle of Leuctra (371 BC). Hammond and George Cawkwell) credit Alexander as having led a cavalry wing. Swords and remarkably long spearheads measuring about 15 in (38 cm) were also discovered, which Soteriades identified as the Macedonian sarissas. Leuctra established Theban independence from Spartan rule and laid the groundwork for the expansion of Theban power, but possibly also for the eventual supremacy of Philip II of Macedon. At stake was freedom, democracy, and the fate … [6][19] Their regular training included wrestling and dance. It came during the Battle of Chaeronea, in which Thebes and Athens joined forces to fight against the forces of Philip II of Macedonand his son, Alexander. How successful were The Sacred Band? On June 3, they decided to go horseback riding to the nearby village of Chaeronea using Pausanias' Description of Greece as a guidebook. But the major source of … The harrying of the light infantry apparently proved too much for the Thebans and they started to retreat. It is said to have been organised by the Theban commander Gorgidas in 378 BC and to have played a crucial role in the Battle of Leuctra. [36] According to Plutarch, upon seeing the Spartans, one Theban allegedly told Pelopidas "We are fallen into our enemy's hands" to which Pelopidas replied, "And why not they into ours?" Head, Duncan "Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars 359 BC to 146 BC" (1982), pp. The story of the Sacred Band, an elite 300-man corps recruited from pairs of lovers, highlights a chaotic era of ancient Greek history, four decades marked by battles, ideological disputes, and the rise of vicious strongmen. The historian James G. DeVoto points out that Gorgidas previously served as a hipparch (cavalry officer), therefore equestrian training was also likely provided. Parts of the statue had broken off and a good deal of it still remained buried. However, comparing them with the Spartan elite unit Hippeis (ἱππεῖς)[note 1] and the Athenian epheboi (ἔφηβοι) recruits, DeVoto estimates that trainees were inducted as full members to the Sacred Band at the ages of 20 to 21,[18] whereupon they were given a full set of armor by their erastai. Disciplined Army Defense Bonus: If my drafted non-disci… [13][14][15], However, it is the speech of the character Phaedrus in Plato's Symposium referring to an "army of lovers" that is most famously connected with the Sacred Band;[1][15][16] even though it does not technically refer to the Sacred Band, since the army referred to is hypothetical. [43] The Plataean citizens were allowed to leave alive, but they were reduced to being refugees and sought sanctuary in Athens. Signed to Daptone Records and released under the Penrose Records imprint, Thee Sacred Souls formed in 2019 and debuted their first three singles in 2020. Given these often negative attitudes, it is intriguing to note that in ancient times, one Greek city state actually recruited a regiment of male lovers, the so-called Sacred Band of Thebes. This page was last edited on 10 March 2021, at 00:34. The military strength of The Sacred Band helped ensure the independence of Thebes and establish it as an equal of its powerful adversaries, Athens and Sparta. [46] Epaminondas had ordered his troops to advance diagonally, such that the left wing of the Theban army (with its concentration of forces) would impact with the right wing of the Spartan army well before the other weaker phalanxes. We are an community. [26] In unison, his mercenary hoplites immediately assumed the resting posture—with the spear remaining pointing upwards instead of towards the enemy, and the shield propped against the left knee instead of being hoisted at the shoulders. [2][3], Plutarch (46–120 AD), a native of the village of Chaeronea, is the source of the most substantial surviving account of the Sacred Band. He summarized his opinion of Callisthenes' account with "Sie ist panegyrisch gehalten, aber sachlich nicht unrichtig. In 338 BCE, during the Battle of Chaeronea that results in the massacre of the Sacred Band of Thebes, the legendary Tempus and his Stepson cavalry rescue twenty-three pairs of Theban Sacred Banders, paired lovers and friends, to fight on other days. The Sacred Band fight as heavy cavalry, armed with spears and swords and well armoured to boot. It was organized by the Theban commander Gorgidas in 378 BC and played a crucial role in the Battle of Leuctra. Excavation of the tumulus between 1902 and 1903 by the archeologist Georgios Soteriades confirmed this. Head, Duncan "Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars 359 BC to 146 BC" (1982), p140. The classical Greeks tolerated a wide range of sexual appetites. Xenophon, another Athenian, is the only contemporary who grudgingly notes some Theban accomplishments, and even then, never in-depth and with numerous omissions. Its predominance began with its crucial role in the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC. The Sacred Band recalls a fascinating part of history – the conflict-filled world of the ancient Greeks. Two hours away from the village, Taylor's horse momentarily stumbled on a piece of marble jutting from the ground. [72][73][74], The historicity of the Sacred Band is largely accepted by historians; it is detailed in the writings of numerous classical authors, especially Plutarch. The authors open it without wasting any time to hint that some of the characters, like Tempus (AKA the Riddler) have multiple names. He argues that it is highly improbable that the Thebans would be able to commemorate their dead within Philip's lifetime with such a massive and obviously expensive monument. [47] The two armies pitched their camps opposite each other on two low ridges respectively. [6][11] Historian John Kinloch Anderson believes that the Sacred Band was indeed present in Delium, and that Gorgidas did not establish it, but merely reformed it. It was during this period that much of the accounts favorable to Thebans were at last written. 's board "The Sacred Band of Thebes" on Pinterest. [18][note 2], As a single unit under Pelopidas, the first recorded victory of the Sacred Band was at the Battle of Tegyra (375 BC). [12], In the old debate surrounding Xenophon's and Plato's works, the Sacred Band has figured prominently as a possible way of dating which of the two wrote their version of Symposium first. About The Sacred Band Series and the Authors Janet Morris & Chris Morris Return to Thieves World in Beyond Sanctuary: The Revised and Expanded Author’s Cut by Janet Morris Tag Archives: The Sacred Band Home on Gilgamesh since February 2014. The Sacred Mushroom were one of Cincinnati's top bands in the late 1960s. [18][19], The Sacred Band was stationed in Cadmea as a standing force, likely as defense against future attempts by foreign forces to take the citadel. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Sacred Band (Sacred Band Series Book 8). [24], It was during this time that Chabrias gave his most famous command. [7][27] Gorgidas, on seeing this, also commanded the Sacred Band to follow suit, which they did with the same military drill precision and confidence. He would be ready to die a thousand deaths rather than endure this. The Sacred Band of Thebes lives on, a world away, in this mythic epic of love in war in ancient times. Its predominance began with its crucial role in the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC. [12][28] Seeing that his attempts to provoke the Theban and Athenian forces to fight on lower ground were unsuccessful, Agesilaus eventually thought it wiser to withdraw his forces back to Thespiae. Their disorderly retreat disrupted the battle lines of the Spartan heavy infantry and, because of the resulting chaos and the dust stirred up, the Spartans were unable to observe the highly unusual advance of the Theban army until the last moment. They chose the latter and arrayed their forces along the crest of a low sloping hill, opposite the Spartan forces. And if there were only some way of contriving that a state or an army should be made up of lovers and their beloved, they would be the very best governors of their own city, abstaining from all dishonour, and emulating one another in honour; and when fighting at each other's side, although a mere handful, they would overcome the world. Although some Spartans were in favor of resuming the battle in order to recover the bodies of their dead, the allied perioeci of the Spartan left wing were less than willing to continue fighting (indeed some of them were quite pleased at the turn of events). The remaining polemarchoi eventually decided to request a truce, which the Thebans readily granted. [36] In 373 BC, Thebans under the command of the boeotarch Neocles attacked and razed its traditional rival, the Boeotian city of Plataea. The Sacred Band of Thebes (Ancient Greek: Ἱερὸς Λόχος, Hieròs Lókhos) was a troop of select soldiers, consisting of 150 pairs of male lovers which formed the elite force of the Theban army in the 4th century BC, ending Spartan domination. They were unique in that they were drawn from the populace of the city itself, rather than being allies, levied subject peoples or mercenaries; these were the groups that normally made up Carthaginian armies. (Jones, 2000), Other historians who accept the figure of 300 as literal instead assume that 46 members of the Sacred Band survived. The self-titled E.P. Works by authors like Anaximenes of Lampsacus, Aristoxenus, Callisthenes, Daimachus, Dinarchus, and Ephorus are believed to have been written between 330 and 310 BC. According to Xenophon, they were alarmed at the growing power of Thebes and weary of fending off Spartan fleets alone as the Thebans were not contributing any money to maintaining the Athenian fleet. [7] However, Dio Chrysostom (c. 40–120 AD), Hieronymus of Rhodes (c. 290–230 BC), and Athenaeus of Naucratis (c. 200 AD) credit Epaminondas instead. The story of the Sacred Band, an elite 300-man corps recruited from pairs of lovers, highlights a chaotic era of ancient Greek history, four decades marked by battles, ideological disputes, and the rise of vicious strongmen. Their camps opposite each other, Thebes, ancient Greece Pelopidas kept the Sacred realized! 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