the sacred band

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It is unknown how they identified themselves or whether they were considered a distinct formation. Xenophon, another Athenian, is the only contemporary who grudgingly notes some Theban accomplishments, and even then, never in-depth and with numerous omissions. Diodorus writes that the Sacred Band fought valiantly, even after Hanno was killed and the rest of the army withdrew to Carthage.[9]. Xenophon's Socrates in his Symposium disapprovingly mentions the practice of placing lovers beside each other in battle in the city-states of Thebes and Elis, arguing that while the practice was acceptable to them, it was shameful for Athenians (both Plato and Xenophon were Athenians). The earliest known mention of this unit is in the first century AD by Diodorus Siculus, in his account of the Battle of the Crimissus in Sicily in 341 BC. He then ordered his cavalry to ride up from the rear and charge while he reformed the Sacred Band into an abnormally dense formation, hoping to at least cut through the numerically superior Spartan lines. [7][26] Gorgidas, on seeing this, also commanded the Sacred Band to follow suit, which they did with the same military drill precision and confidence. Section III Legendary Loves & Sometimes-Real Romances. 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). [52] Nonetheless the general spirit of the Theban army was one of brave despair. They eventually arrived at the Theban fortress of Creusis and captured it, also capturing twelve Theban warships in the process. Cleombrotus relayed a request for orders back to Sparta. 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. After rumours reached Thebes that the Spartan garrison at Orchomenus had fled, Pelopidas, the Sacred Band and a small number of cavalry were dispatched to capture the city. This page was last edited on 10 March 2021, at 00:34. They immediately reported their discovery when they returned to Athens. [48][note 5], The peace conference of 371 BC was attended by various delegates from different Greek city-states. Philip, after all, was known for his capability of inflicting unnecessary cruelty when it served a greater purpose. [40][note 3] They outnumbered the Thebans at least two to one. On seeing this, Pelopidas withdrew his forces, recognizing that the Phocians would fight to the death to protect their loved ones. [12][45][48], The historian Louis Crompton presumes that Gorgidas died in a skirmish in 378 BC. [52], When the news of the defeat reached Sparta, the relatives were forbidden to mourn as it was the last day of the Gymnopaedia, an annual athletic competition for youths. It was during this period that much of the accounts favorable to Thebans were at last written. They enlisted the help of some nearby farmers until they finally uncovered the massive head of a stone lion which they recognized as the same lion mentioned by Pausanias. [45][54] Either way, the Sacred Band is definitely known to be on the left wing, close to the main Theban forces and detached enough to be able to maneuver freely.[49][57]. Susan Yoshihara, Douglas A. Sylva, & Nicholas Eberstadt (2011). [17] It was composed of 150 pederastic male couples,[15] each pair consisting of an older erastês (ἐραστής, "lover") and a younger erômenos (ἐρώμενος, "beloved"). It occurred near the Boeotian city of Orchomenus, then still an ally of Sparta. Diodorus observes at this point that the Thebans thereafter faced the Spartans with confidence. [41] The Spartans were completely routed, with considerable loss of life. (Jones, 2000), Archidamus was the lover of the slain Cleonymus. The self-titled E.P. [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 Spartans also sent a large force led by King Cleombrotus I (Spartans have two kings simultaneously) to Phocis, ready to invade Boeotia if the Thebans refuse to attend the peace conference or accept its terms. SACRED is a progressively modern rock band from Milwaukee, WI consisting of artists who met by divine fortune, fueled by emotion & stories to share. By 310 BC, the Sacred Band appears to have been revived: in the Battle of White Tunis, which took place in North Africa against King Agathocles of Syracuse, one wing of Carthaginian forces was composed of the Sacred Band, under the command of Hanno. ]"[38] This is echoed by the historians John Buckler and Hans Beck who conclude that "In sum, Plutarch's description of the battle of Tegyra does justice both to the terrain of Polygyra and to the information gleaned from his fourth-century sources. Shortly after this, the Athenians initiated the Common Peace of 375 BC (Κοινὴ Εἰρήνη, Koine Eirene) among Greek city-states. He further points out that questioning the honesty of Pausanias is unwarranted, as any well-informed Greek then would probably know the ascription of the monument even centuries after the battle. [24] Gorgidas disappears from history between 377 and 375, during which the command of the Sacred Band was apparently transferred to Pelopidas. [16][17], The Sacred Band first saw action in 378 BC, at the beginning of the Boeotian War. C.H. [45][note 10] They succeeded in fixing the Spartans in place until the rest of the Theban heavy infantry finally smashed into the Spartan right wing. [63], In the late 19th century, excavations in the area revealed that the monument stood at the edge of a quadrangular enclosure. [34][52][57], The battle opened with a cavalry charge on both armies. [6][19][20] It was occasionally referred to as the "City Band" (ἐκ πόλεως λόχος), due to their military training and housing being provided at the expense of the Boeotian polis. [56] The rest of the Theban lines were reduced to depths of only four to at most eight men because of this. Acting under his own initiative, Pelopidas quickly led the Sacred Band ahead of the Theban left wing to intercept the Spartan maneuver before it could be completed. At a meeting of the Spartan assembly to discuss the course of action, only one Spartan, named Prothous, was against war with Thebes. Athenians, in particular, held a special contempt for Thebes due to the latter's actions in the Peloponnesian War; as well as the Thebans' destruction of Plataea in 373 BC, and her invasion of the Athenian-allied Boeotian city of Oropus in 366 BC. "[10] Noted classical historians like John Kinloch Anderson and George Cawkwell also accept Plutarch's Life of Pelopidas, which contains the most detailed account of the Sacred Band, as a highly reliable account of the events, in contrast to Xenophon's patchy treatment of Theban history. Congratulations to the South Laurel Lady Cardinals - 13th Region Tournament Champions! [58][note 9] The Theban cavalry also helped by continuing to carry out intermittent attacks along the Spartan battle lines, holding their advance back. [54] The original position of the Sacred Band being led by Pelopidas is unknown. The Sacred Band was an elite military unit from Thebes comprising 150 gay couples. Xenophon and Diodorus both say that Phoebidas died during Gorgidas' abrupt turn-around. Her younger brother, Dariel, has been sent on a perilous mis­sion to the Other Lands, while her sister, Mena, travels to the far north to confront an invasion of the feared race of the Auldek. They easily annihilated the Theban detachment led by Chaereas guarding the area. Of the eleven surviving ancient accounts that mention the Sacred Band by name, he separates them into two groups: The five "non-erotic" accounts that do not mention that the Sacred Band was composed of lovers (e.g., Diodorus); and the six "erotic" accounts which do (of which Plutarch's is the most complete). The Thebans however were committed to a fight, and were beginning preparations for their resistance. The Sacred Band is usually recognised as being established by 379BC or 378BC and is discussed at length in the works of Plato, Plutarch and Xenophon. [52], The Theban army were outnumbered by the Spartans, being composed of only about 6,000 hoplites (including the Sacred Band), 1,500 light infantry, and 1,000 cavalry. [28] Diodorus notes, however, that this was merely to mollify his followers who were discouraged at their king's failure to engage a smaller force. Though instances of homosexual relations in such units are common, they are not systematic. Their main function was to cripple the enemy by engaging and killing their best men and leaders in battle. As The Sacred Band begins, one of them, Queen Corinn, bestrides the world as a result of her mastery of spells found in the ancient Book of Elenet. [note 13] Like the Athenians, Jason recognized the threat that Thebans posed if ever they gain supremacy. It was during the famous stand-off between the Athenian mercenary commander (and later strategos) Chabrias (d. 357 BC) and the Spartan King Agesilaus II (444 BC–360 BC). Herodotus describes them as the "best and bravest" (πρῶτοι καὶ ἄριστοι) among Thebans. 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. He believes Plutarch's account ultimately derives from Plato's works, and not from local Boeotian historians. Modern historians, mainly concerned with the achievements of Athens and Sparta, have paid little attention to their story, but it is a remarkable one, told in some detail by Plutarch. [66], The historian William Kendrick Pritchett criticizes Hammond's rationale as "subjective" and counters it with a passage from Historiarum Philippicarum Libri XLIV of the 3rd-century AD Roman historian Justin. Thus the account of the Sacred Band being composed of lovers (or the account of the Sacred Band itself) were likely to be merely part of the panegyric traditions surrounding Pelopidas and were not based on reality.[11]. [54] Epaminondas had to find a way to gain tactical advantage despite the numerical superiority of the enemy. As the old King Agesilaus was still ill, his son, the Prince Archidamus III,[note 11] was immediately put in the command of two morai. The Sacred Band of Thebes lives on, a world away, in this mythic novel of love in war in ancient times. Theban outposts were sent to guard the western narrow passes that Cleombrotus' army was expected to take. [17] The exact ages of the unit's members are not recorded in ancient testimonies. [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. The Sacred Band is an epic story, based on Plato's Sacred Squadron, which consisted of pairs of male lovers that formed the elite force of the Theban army in the 4th century BC. He acknowledges, however, that Plato may have simply put the hypothesis in the mouth of Phaedrus according to the supposed earlier dramatic date of the work (c. 401 BC). Plutarch (trans. The Sacred Band: They were called “an army of lovers” Hardly anyone ever mentions Thebes, thirty-three miles northwest of Athens in the region of Boeotia, once a powerful urban center that dominated the rest of Greece. James G. DeVoto says in The Theban Sacred Band[17] 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 Sacred Band of Thebes lives on, a world away, in this mythic novel of love and war in ancient times. Except for Dinarchus, almost all of them have been lost to history or survive only in fragments. recognized its power to forge bonds between promising youths and conservative mentors. He did, however, ravage several of their cities on the return trip. He argues that it's highly improbable that the Thebans would be able to commemorate their dead within Philip's lifetime with such a massive and obviously expensive monument. [7][12] Nonetheless, at the death of Phoebidas, the Spartans sent a new mora (μόρα, the largest tactical unit in ancient Spartan armies) under a polemarchos (πολέμαρχος, the commander of a mora) by sea to replace the losses in the Thespian garrison. It is believed to be mostly based on the works of the Sacred Band contemporaries Callisthenes and Ephorus. Have send us a message. Brachyllidas sided with Epaminondas and the army was mobilized to fight. However, the Spartan mercenary peltasts misguidedly attacked and drove the departing groups back into the Theban lines, inadvertently strengthening it by forcing them to fight. Leaderless and encountering forces equal in discipline and training for the first time in the Sacred Band, the Spartans faltered and opened their ranks, expecting the Thebans to pass through and escape. [6][18], An account of the battle was mentioned both by Diodorus and Plutarch, both based heavily on the report by Ephorus. [6] The number and description of this force are roughly analogous to the account of Diodorus, and most likely describe the Sacred Band. 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. He also tangentially mentions Plato's characterization of the lover as a "friend inspired of God". [6][11] The historian John Kinloch Anderson believes that the Sacred Band was indeed present in Delium, and that Gorgidas did not found it, but merely reformed it. 33–34. Agesilaus then commanded the entire Spartan army to advance. Cleombrotus himself was mortally wounded and was carried away from the battlefield by his royal guard, though he died shortly thereafter. [24][47] Of the pro-Spartan Boeotian poleis, only Orchomenus remained. Agesilaus explicitly forced them to join the new expedition under Archidamus. But the major source of … 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). The six boeotarchs [ note 13 ] Like the Athenians Demosthenes ( 384–322 BC and... Slaughtered 200 men that Agesilaus left near Thespiae as an outpost ( προφυλακή ) the Theban. 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