| Revision as of 20:10, 24 July 2012 editMrGendel (talk | contribs)3 edits Removed totally inaccurate and misleading references from David Leitao concerning pederasty, sexual relationships in classical Greece and the Lion Monument..← Previous edit | Revision as of 22:23, 24 July 2012 edit undoSir Gawain McGarson (talk | contribs)399 edits Undid revision 504002020 by MrGendel (talk) Are you accusing me or Leitao of inaccuracy? Please explain, MrGendelNext edit → | ||
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| ] as it appeared circa 1914. It was erected by the Thebans in memory of their dead after the battle of Chaeronea. Excavation of the tomb brought to light 254 skeletons, laid out in seven rows.]] | ] as it appeared circa 1914. It was erected by the Thebans in memory of their dead after the battle of Chaeronea. Excavation of the tomb brought to light 254 skeletons, laid out in seven rows. However it is unlikely that they were members of The Sacred Band.]] | ||
| The '''Sacred Band of Thebes''' (]: {{lang|grc|] ] τῶν ]}}, ''Hieròs ] tôn Thebôn'') was a troop of picked soldiers, consisting of 150 |
The '''Sacred Band of Thebes''' (]: {{lang|grc|] ] τῶν ]}}, ''Hieròs ] tôn Thebôn'') was (according to some ancient sources) a ] of picked soldiers, consisting of 150 ]<ref>Ludwig, p. 60.</ref> male couples which formed the elite force of the ] army in the 4th century BC.<ref>Ludwig, p. 60.</ref> It is said to have been organised by the Theban commander ] in 378 BC and to have played a crucial role in the ]. It was annihilated by ] in the ] in 338 BC. However, the role of this band in Theban military history appears to have been exaggerated by ancient sources and, moreover, its pederastic or homosexual nature was a "minority tradition" maintained by commentators of questionable authority. The band's organization appears in this context to have been typical of the Greek military in general, where any sexual or amorous relationships between comrades were "sporadic" and co-incidental{{spaced ndash}}they were not systematic.<ref>David Leitao, 'The legend of the Theban Band', in M. Craven Nussbaum and J. Sihvola ''The Sleep of Reason'': Erotic Experience and Sexual Ethics in Ancient Greece and Rome'', Chicago University Press (2002), pages 140-50</ref> | ||
| == Composition == | == Composition == | ||
| ] |
] is our main source for the homosexual structure of the Sacred Band yet even he seems to distance himself from the account by employing frequent qualifiers like "as they say" and "some say" ({{lang|greek|ὤς φασι, ἔνιοι δέ φασι}}).<ref>David Leitao, 'The legend of the Theban Band', in M. Craven Nussbaum and J. Sihvola ''The Sleep of Reason'': Erotic Experience and Sexual Ethics in Ancient Greece and Rome'', Chicago University Press (2002), page 150</ref> According to his unnamed sources, the Sacred Band was made up of male couples, the rationale being that lovers could fight more fiercely and cohesively than strangers with no ardent bonds. In his ''Life of ]'', he observes that: "It was natural, then, that the band should also be called sacred, because even Plato calls the lover a friend "inspired of God."<ref>Plutarch, "Pelopidas" 18, Aubrey Stewart & ] translation. This refers to ]'s '']'' 179A, wherein the character ] remarks: "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. For what lover would not choose rather to be seen by all mankind than by his beloved, either when abandoning his post or throwing away his arms? He would be ready to die a thousand deaths rather than endure this. Or who would desert his beloved or fail him in the hour of danger? (Plato, "Symposium", trans. Jowett.</ref> | ||
| The Sacred Band originally was formed of 300 hand-picked men who were couples<ref name="Plutarch">Plutarch, "Life of Pelopidas" 18. </ref>, each lover and beloved selected from the ranks of the existing Theban citizen-army. The pairs consisted of the older "''heníochoi''", or charioteers, and the younger "''parabátai''", or companions, all housed and trained at the city's expense in order to fight as ]s.<ref name="Plutarch" /> During their early engagements, they were dispersed by Gorgidas throughout the front ranks of the Theban army in an attempt to bolster morale. | The Sacred Band originally was formed of 300 hand-picked men who were couples<ref name="Plutarch">Plutarch, "Life of Pelopidas" 18. </ref>, each lover and beloved selected from the ranks of the existing Theban citizen-army. The pairs consisted of the older "''heníochoi''", or charioteers, and the younger "''parabátai''", or companions, all housed and trained at the city's expense in order to fight as ]s.<ref name="Plutarch" /> During their early engagements, they were dispersed by Gorgidas throughout the front ranks of the Theban army in an attempt to bolster morale. | ||
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| In Plutarch's account, the Theban general Pelopidas assumed command of the Sacred Band after recapturing the acropolis of Thebes in 379 BC. Pelopidas fought alongside his good friend ]. It was Pelopidas who formed these couples into a distinct unit: he "never separated or scattered them, but would stand in the brunt of battle, using them as one body."<ref name="Plutarch" /> They became, in effect, the "special forces" of Greek soldiery,<ref>Plutarch, "Pelopidas" 18: "Up to the battle of Chæronea it is said to have continued invincible".</ref> and the forty years of their known existence (378–338 BC) marked the pre-eminence of Thebes as a military and political power in late-classical Greece. | In Plutarch's account, the Theban general Pelopidas assumed command of the Sacred Band after recapturing the acropolis of Thebes in 379 BC. Pelopidas fought alongside his good friend ]. It was Pelopidas who formed these couples into a distinct unit: he "never separated or scattered them, but would stand in the brunt of battle, using them as one body."<ref name="Plutarch" /> They became, in effect, the "special forces" of Greek soldiery,<ref>Plutarch, "Pelopidas" 18: "Up to the battle of Chæronea it is said to have continued invincible".</ref> and the forty years of their known existence (378–338 BC) marked the pre-eminence of Thebes as a military and political power in late-classical Greece. | ||
| The Sacred Band under Pelopidas fought the Spartans at ] in 375 BC, routing an army that was at least three times its size, |
The Sacred Band under Pelopidas fought the Spartans at ] in 375 BC, routing an army that was at least three times its size,{{fact|date=July 2012}} though they retreated before the Spartans reformed. It was also responsible for the victory at ] in 371 BC, {{fact|date=July 2012}}called by ] the most decisive battle ever fought by Greeks against Greeks. Leuctra established Theban independence from Spartan rule and laid the groundwork for the expansion of Theban power, but possibly also for Philip II's eventual victory. | ||
| == Destruction == | == Destruction == | ||
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| == Legacy == | == Legacy == | ||
| In about 300 BC, the town of Thebes erected a giant stone lion on a pedestal at the burial site of the Sacred Band. This was restored in the 20th Century and still stands today. Although Plutarch claims that all three hundred of the Band's warriors died that day, ] of the burial site at the Lion Monument in 1890 turned up 254 skeletons, arranged in seven rows.<ref>Official notice at Lion Monument at ].</ref> | In about 300 BC, the town of Thebes erected a giant stone lion on a pedestal at the burial site of the Sacred Band. This was restored in the 20th Century and still stands today. Although Plutarch claims that all three hundred of the Band's warriors died that day, ] of the burial site at the Lion Monument in 1890 turned up 254 skeletons, arranged in seven rows.<ref>Official notice at Lion Monument at ].</ref> However, the monument makes no mention of the Sacred Band, and neither do Plutarch or Pausanias in the context of this monument, so that it is unlikely that these skeletons were in fact the remains of band members.<ref>David Leitao, 'The legend of the Theban Band', in M. Craven Nussbaum and J. Sihvola ''The Sleep of Reason'': Erotic Experience and Sexual Ethics in Ancient Greece and Rome'', Chicago University Press (2002), pages 149</ref> | ||
| == See also == | == See also == | ||
Revision as of 22:23, 24 July 2012
The Sacred Band of Thebes (ancient Greek: Ἱερὸς Λόχος τῶν Θηβῶν, Hieròs Lókhos tôn Thebôn) was (according to some ancient sources) a troop of picked soldiers, consisting of 150 pederastic male couples which formed the elite force of the Theban army in the 4th century BC. 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. It was annihilated by Philip II of Macedon in the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC. However, the role of this band in Theban military history appears to have been exaggerated by ancient sources and, moreover, its pederastic or homosexual nature was a "minority tradition" maintained by commentators of questionable authority. The band's organization appears in this context to have been typical of the Greek military in general, where any sexual or amorous relationships between comrades were "sporadic" and co-incidental – they were not systematic.
Composition
Plutarch is our main source for the homosexual structure of the Sacred Band yet even he seems to distance himself from the account by employing frequent qualifiers like "as they say" and "some say" ( Error: {{Lang}}: unrecognized language tag: greek (help)). According to his unnamed sources, the Sacred Band was made up of male couples, the rationale being that lovers could fight more fiercely and cohesively than strangers with no ardent bonds. In his Life of Pelopidas, he observes that: "It was natural, then, that the band should also be called sacred, because even Plato calls the lover a friend "inspired of God."
The Sacred Band originally was formed of 300 hand-picked men who were couples, each lover and beloved selected from the ranks of the existing Theban citizen-army. The pairs consisted of the older "heníochoi", or charioteers, and the younger "parabátai", or companions, all housed and trained at the city's expense in order to fight as hoplites. During their early engagements, they were dispersed by Gorgidas throughout the front ranks of the Theban army in an attempt to bolster morale.
Ascent
In Plutarch's account, the Theban general Pelopidas assumed command of the Sacred Band after recapturing the acropolis of Thebes in 379 BC. Pelopidas fought alongside his good friend Epaminondas. It was Pelopidas who formed these couples into a distinct unit: he "never separated or scattered them, but would stand in the brunt of battle, using them as one body." They became, in effect, the "special forces" of Greek soldiery, and the forty years of their known existence (378–338 BC) marked the pre-eminence of Thebes as a military and political power in late-classical Greece.
The Sacred Band under Pelopidas fought the Spartans at Tegyra in 375 BC, routing an army that was at least three times its size, though they retreated before the Spartans reformed. It was also responsible for the victory at Leuctra in 371 BC, called by Pausanias the most decisive battle ever fought by Greeks against Greeks. Leuctra established Theban independence from Spartan rule and laid the groundwork for the expansion of Theban power, but possibly also for Philip II's eventual victory.
Destruction
Defeat came at the Battle of Chaeronea (338 BC), the decisive contest in which Philip II of Macedon, with his son Alexander, extinguished Theban hegemony. The traditional hoplite infantry was no match for the novel long-speared Macedonian phalanx: the Theban army and its allies broke and fled, but the Sacred Band, although surrounded and overwhelmed, refused to surrender. James G. DeVoto says in The Theban Sacred Band that Alexander had deployed his cavalry behind the Macedonian hoplites, apparently permitting "a Theban break-through in order to effect a cavalry assault while his hoplites regrouped." The Thebans of the Sacred Band held their ground and nearly all 300 fell where they stood beside their last commander, Theagenes. Plutarch records that Philip II, on encountering the corpses "heaped one upon another", understanding who they were, exclaimed,
Perish any man who suspects that these men either did or suffered anything unseemly.
—
Legacy
In about 300 BC, the town of Thebes erected a giant stone lion on a pedestal at the burial site of the Sacred Band. This was restored in the 20th Century and still stands today. Although Plutarch claims that all three hundred of the Band's warriors died that day, excavation of the burial site at the Lion Monument in 1890 turned up 254 skeletons, arranged in seven rows. However, the monument makes no mention of the Sacred Band, and neither do Plutarch or Pausanias in the context of this monument, so that it is unlikely that these skeletons were in fact the remains of band members.
See also
- Homosexuality in ancient Greece
- Sacred Band of Carthage
- Homosexuality in the militaries of ancient Greece
- Sacred Band (1821) - battalion of the Greek war of independence
- Sacred Band (World War II) - Greek special forces unit of the
- Caledonian Thebans RFC, an Edinburgh gay rugby club named after them.
- Army of lovers, a Swedish pop band named after them.
- The Sacred Band of Stepsons
- Epaminondas
- Battle of Tegyra
Notes
- Ludwig, p. 60.
- Ludwig, p. 60.
- David Leitao, 'The legend of the Theban Band', in M. Craven Nussbaum and J. Sihvola The Sleep of Reason: Erotic Experience and Sexual Ethics in Ancient Greece and Rome, Chicago University Press (2002), pages 140-50
- David Leitao, 'The legend of the Theban Band', in M. Craven Nussbaum and J. Sihvola The Sleep of Reason: Erotic Experience and Sexual Ethics in Ancient Greece and Rome, Chicago University Press (2002), page 150
- Plutarch, "Pelopidas" 18, Aubrey Stewart & George Long translation. This refers to Plato's Symposium 179A, wherein the character Phaedrus remarks: "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. For what lover would not choose rather to be seen by all mankind than by his beloved, either when abandoning his post or throwing away his arms? He would be ready to die a thousand deaths rather than endure this. Or who would desert his beloved or fail him in the hour of danger? (Plato, "Symposium", trans. Jowett.
- ^ Plutarch, "Life of Pelopidas" 18. Loeb Classical Library edition, translation by Bernadotte Perrin
- Plutarch, "Pelopidas" 18: "Up to the battle of Chæronea it is said to have continued invincible".
- James G. DeVoto, "The Theban Sacred Band," in The Ancient World, Vol. XXIII, No.2 (1992)
- Plutarch, "Pelopidas" 18, trans. Dryden.
- Official notice at Lion Monument at Chaeronea.
- David Leitao, 'The legend of the Theban Band', in M. Craven Nussbaum and J. Sihvola The Sleep of Reason: Erotic Experience and Sexual Ethics in Ancient Greece and Rome, Chicago University Press (2002), pages 149
References
- Paul Walter Ludwig, Eros and Polis: Desire and Community in Greek Political Theory. Cambridge, 2002.
- James G DeVoto, "The Theban Sacred Band," The Ancient World, XXIII.2, (1992), pp. 3–19
