We believe this constitutes a "fair use" of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democratic, scientific, social justice, and religious issues, etc. This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which may not be specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The publication of any and all content eg, articles, reports, editorials, commentary, opinions, as well as graphics and or images on this website does not constitute sanction or acquiescence of said content unless specified it is solely for informational purposes. For those who want to understand the History, not just to read it. In 1890 the burial site was excavated and revealed 254 skeletons, neatly arranged in seven rows. It was restored by English travellers last century and can be visited today. In about 300 BC the Thebans erected a giant marble lion on a stone pedestal at the burial site of the Sacred Band, known as the Lion of Chaeronea. They held their ground and nearly all the 300 perished on the spot along with their last commander, Theagenes. Overwhelmed and surrounded by the Macedonians, and at the mercy of their superior weaponry, the Sacred Band refused to surrender. The Sacred Band was undefeated for the entire forty years of its history, until its final annihilation by Philip of Macedon and his son Alexander (another world famous gay soldier) at the battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC. “A band which is united with ties of love is truly indissoluble and unbreakable, since both lovers and beloved are ashamed to be disgraced in the presence of the other, and each stands his ground at a moment of danger to protect the other.” The end of the first known gay fighting unit They were seen as contributing significantly to the military and political eminence of Thebes throughout their existence.Īccording to Plutarch, the inspiration for the unit is thought to come from Plato’s Symposium, wherein the character Phaedrus remarks, They also fought at the famous battle of Leuctra in 371, whereby the Thebans gained their independence from Sparta. Under the command of the general Pelopidas, they routed a Spartan force three times their size at Tegyra in 375 BC. It consisted of 150 warriors and their younger warrior lovers, and was the elite force of the Theban army for over 40 years. The Sacred Band was formed by the Theban commander Gorgidas in 378 BC. Homosexual fighting units – the Sacred Band of Thebes It was in the Theban Sacred Band that this dynamic will to fight found its highest expression. The winning phalanx was usually that with the highest discipline and courage known in Greek as dynamis – the will or ability to fight. A breaking phalanx would then flee or be chased from the field by light cavalry.īattles were short and rarely lasted more than an hour. The enemy line would either hold or break. ![]() When the signal, or othismos was given out, the hoplite phalanx would advance the decreed number of steps forward. Hoplites would march in formation against lines of enemy hoplites and push up against them, jabbing with their spears. They fought in a phalanx formation with the shield on their left arm protecting the warrior to their left, and receiving the same protection from the warrior on their right. Each was armed with a short sword, a spear and a small round shield. Hoplites were the elite warriors of the Greek fighting world. Greek hoplites in Ancient Greek military history Nowhere was this theory taken to greater extremes than in the Sacred Band of Thebes. For the close hand-to-hand fighting of the Greek hoplites, which relied on each man defending his partner, intimate bonds guaranteed each warrior would fight to the death before abandoning his post. ![]() In other city states, such as Thebes and Athens, such arrangements were common on a more informal basis. In some ancient Greek city states, such as Sparta, each young warrior had to take a lover and mentor from among the seasoned fighters as part of his military training. Ancient Greek military history is inextricably bound up with homosexuality.
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