[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]. They approached the city through the northeastern route since the waters of Lake Copais were at their fullest during that season. At the center of the mound, about 22 ft (6.7 m) deep, was a layer of ashes, charred logs, and bones about 0.75 m (2.5 ft) thick. Prior to the creation of the Sacred Band under Gorgidas, the Athenians had helped the Theban exiles retake control of Thebes and the citadel of Cadmea from Sparta. The number of spartiates have been falling catastrophically for over a century, numbering at perhaps not more than 1,500 by the time of the Battle of Leuctra. By the time they arrived at the gates of the city, however, Pelopidas found out that Sparta had sent reinforcements. recognized its power to forge bonds between promising youths and conservative mentors. Their defeat at the battle was a significant victory for Philip, since until then, the Sacred Band was regarded as invincible throughout all of Ancient Greece. They stripped the dead and set up a tropaion (τρόπαιον, a commemorative trophy left at the site of a battle victory) before continuing on to Thebes. [52][53], The battle opened with a cavalry charge by both armies. It consisted of 150 warriors and their younger warrior lovers, and was the elite force of the Theban army for over 40 years. 300 Spartans vs. Sacred Band of Thebes Discussion in 'Outskirts Battledome Archive' started by Baroxio, Jan 26, 2011. [12][24] The audacity of the maneuver and the discipline of the execution was such that Agesilaus halted the advance. With Brett Jones, Sami Karim. [68][71] Indeed, Pausanias' Description of Greece has proved to be an accurate and important guide to modern archeologists in rediscovering the locations of other ancient Greek monuments and buildings. [7] The origin of the "sacred" appellation of the Sacred Band is unexplained by Dinarchus and other historians. The exact number of the belligerents on each side varies by account. At stake was freedom, democracy, and the fate of Thebes, at this time the leading power of the Greek world. [7][18], By 371 BC, there was another attempt to revive the King's Peace to curb the rise of Thebes. Philip, after all, was known for his ability to inflict unnecessary cruelty when it served a greater purpose. The harrying of the light infantry apparently proved too much for the Thebans and they started to retreat. At the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC, these 300 gay warriors led the Theban army against the Spartan army. In addition to Pausanias and Strabo, Justin also clearly says that Philip forced the Thebans to pay for the privilege of burying (not cremating) their dead. [42][49] Either way, the Sacred Band is definitely known to have been on the left wing, close to the main Theban forces and detached enough to be able to maneuver freely. [47], The Theban army was outnumbered by the Spartans, being composed of only about 6,000 hoplites (including the Sacred Band), 1,500 light infantry, and 1,000 cavalry. The Thebans of the Sacred Band held their ground and Plutarch records that all 300 fell where they stood beside their last commander, Theagenes. The Theban pike was twelve feet while the Spartan … 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. [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. Learn about the Theban army made of male lovers, the Sacred Band of Thebes, and how they defeated the Spartans. They chose the latter and arrayed their forces along the crest of a low sloping hill, opposite the Spartan forces. Another group to kick the Spartans around was the famous Sacred Band of Thebes. (Ashley, 2004), Homosexuality in the militaries of ancient Greece, "Same-Sex Desire and Love in Greco-Roman Antiquity", "Intra-Socratic Polemics: The Symposia of Plato and Xenophon", "The King's Peace and the Second Athenian Confederacy", "The Battle of Leuktra: Organizational Revolution in Military Affairs in the Classical World", "Monument (Trophy) of The Battle of Leuktra", "On the discovery of the Lion at Chæronea, by a party of English travellers in 1818", "Pausanias as a source for the classical Greek, "Special issue: Receptions of Pausanias: From Winckelmann to Frazer", "Between Athens, Sparta, and Persia: the Historical Significance of the Liberation of Thebes in 379 BC", The Queer Insurrection and Liberation Army, Transgender American Veterans Association, Sexual orientation and gender identity in military service, Sexual orientation and gender identity in the military, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sacred_Band_of_Thebes&oldid=996611365, Military units and formations of ancient Greece, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 27 December 2020, at 17:17. It was annihilated by Philip II of Macedon in the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC. The same tactic had worked for Agesilaus against Argive forces in the Battle of Coronea (394 BC). Welcome to the forums! [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. [18], Not long afterwards, Agesilaus mounted a second expedition against Thebes. A Spartan army marches on Thebes as part of a punitive expedition. Though none of these mention the Sacred Band by name, these may have referred to the Sacred Band or at least its precursors. The historian James G. DeVoto points out that Gorgidas previously served as a hipparch (cavalry officer), therefore equestrian training was also likely provided. [24] Instead, Chabrias ordered his men to stand at ease. It was initiated by either the Athenians or the Persians (perhaps at the prompting of the Spartans). The Thebans also came to battle with their famous sacred band of 300 warriors. The Sacred Band of Thebes was a nearly invincible fighting force consisting of 150 same-sex couples. You must log in or register to reply here. The earliest surviving record of the Sacred Band by name was in 324 BC; in the oration Against Demosthenes by the Athenian logographer Dinarchus. The five pieces (head, neck, chest, and forelegs) into which the statue was divided for most of the 19th century, before its reconstruction in 1902, bore no evidence of an explosion, but were cleanly cut, likely being the original pieces that formed the statue. [18] While Athens and Sparta were busy fighting each other, Thebes resumed her campaigns against the autonomous pro-Spartan Boeotian poleis. [52] Some military historians believe Epaminondas placed Pelopidas and the Sacred Band behind the main hoplite phalanx,[51] others believe he put it in front of the main hoplite phalanx and behind the cavalry,[52] while others put it on the front left corner of the main hoplite phalanx (the most likely). The Sacred Band first saw action in 378 BC, at the beginning of the Boeotian War. He would be ready to die a thousand deaths rather than endure this. Two different bands of 300 men. Sacred Band Of Thebes Vs Spartans. This was a traditional tactic and, once the Thebans were in range, the stretched wing would then be brought back in an encircling movement. He notes that all the surviving contemporary accounts of Thebes during the period of Theban hegemony between 371 and 341 BC were often highly critical; with their failures ridiculed and their accomplishments usually being downplayed or omitted altogether. "[2][77], This sentiment changed in 339 BC, when Thebes abruptly severed its alliance with Philip II (after being convinced by a speech from Demosthenes) and joined the Athenian-led Pan-Hellenic alliance against Macedonia, with the result being the annihilation of the Sacred Band in Chaeronea and the destruction of the city of Thebes itself in 335 BC by the Macedonians. . [49] Anticipating the standard Spartan tactic of flanking enemy armies with their right wing, Epaminondas concentrated his forces on his own left wing, directly opposite the strongest Spartiate phalanx, led by Cleombrotus. The 300 men were chosen from the cream of the Theban fighting force […] 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. (Crompton, 2006), The historian P.J. Most modern scholars (including N.G.L. [18][24] Aside from Polyaenus, none of these accounts mention the Sacred Band by name, but given that they were under the command of Gorgidas, they are likely to have been part of Theban forces involved. [24], It was during this time that Chabrias gave his most famous command. Androutsos is held to have been the one to unearth the statue during his tenure as local military governor by Ali Pasha of Yanina in 1819, but the statue had likely fallen apart due to the poor quality of the pedestal's material. 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. Phoebidas, hoping for a rout, rashly pursued them closely. The Sacred Band of Thebes The Sacred Band of Thebes was an elite infantry unit formed after the liberation of Thebes from Spartan occupation in 378BC. [It is panegyrical, but it is not factually incorrect. Gorgidas and the Sacred Band occupied the front ranks of the Theban forces on the right, while Chabrias and an experienced force of mercenary hoplites occupied the front ranks of the Athenian forces on the left. [29][34] These forays became so destructive that by the end of the summer, the Thebans went out in force against Thespiae under the command of Gorgidas. [37], By the time the Spartans realized that something unusual was happening it was already too late. [17] Dover argues Plato wrote his Symposium first since Plato's Phaedrus uses language that implies that the organization does not yet exist. [49] The original position of the Sacred Band being led by Pelopidas is unknown. 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. The Thebans however were committed to a fight. THEBAN SACRED BAND Unit Description - 'The only full-time professional unit in the Theban army, even the Spartans respect them as equals' 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. [59], In 1818, a British architect named George Ledwell Taylor spent a summer in Greece with two friends at Livadeia. [22] They likely ended their service at age 30. Some of these numbers may have been exaggerated due to the overall significance of the battle. Perish any man who suspects that these men either did or suffered anything unseemly. According to Xenophon, the Boeotian camp followers were trying to leave the field, as they did not intend to fight; this Spartan action drove them back into the Theban army, inadvertently making the Theban force stronger. Then, when the Spartans backed a revolt on the island of Lesbos, which at the ti The Battle of Leuctra in 371 BCE gave Thebes a decisive victory over Sparta and established Thebes as the most powerful city-state in Greece.The victory was achieved through the daring and brilliant pre-meditated tactics of the … The Sacred Band of Thebes October 12, 2016 IncredPod73 0 Comments. Unwilling to engage the new garrison, Pelopidas decided to retreat back to Thebes, retracing their northeastern route along Lake Copais. The Theban Commander Gorgidas installed the group initially as a special guard for the Theban citadel. Spartans versus Thebai Sacred band. After a series of skirmishes which he won with some difficulty, he was forced again to withdraw when the Theban army came out full force as he approached the city. The Thebans also had at this time larger pikes than the Spartans used at Thermopylae. I shan’t go into to military strategy at this time, but in short, the Theban and Spartan armies advanced towards each other. [40] Xenophon conspicuously omits any mention of the Theban victory in his Hellenica,[34] though this has traditionally been ascribed to Xenophon's strong anti-Theban and pro-Spartan sentiments. But this battle first taught the other Greeks, that not only Eurotas, or the country between Babyce and Cnacion,[note 4] breeds men of courage and resolution; but that where the youth are ashamed of baseness, and ready to venture in a good cause, where they fly disgrace more than danger, there, wherever it be, are found the bravest and most formidable opponents. [4][5] He records that the Sacred Band was originally formed by the boeotarch Gorgidas, shortly after the expulsion of the Spartan garrison occupying the Theban citadel of Cadmea. In the summer of 378 BC, Agesilaus led a Spartan expedition against Thebes from the Boeotian city of Thespiae (then still allied to Sparta). [16][18], The Sacred Band first saw action in 378 BC, at the beginning of the Boeotian War. Plutarch puts the number of the Thebans at 300, and acknowledges three sources for the number of Spartans: 1000 by the account of Ephorus; 1,400 by Callisthenes (c. 360–328 BC); or 1,800 by Polybius (c. 200–118 BC). See more ideas about Sacred band of thebes, Thebes, Ancient greece.

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