The earliest surviving record of the Sacred Band by name was in 324 BC; in the oration Against Demosthenes by the Athenian logographer Dinarchus.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 Sacred Band was formed by the Theban commander Gorgidas in 378 BC. The Spartans integrated this concept into their training program, where young recruits would be taken as lovers (or probably raped in some cases) by their trainers. Homosexual fighting units – the Sacred Band of Thebes. Sacred band of carthage and thebes. Other articles where Sacred Band is discussed: Alexander the Great: Life: …personal courage in breaking the Sacred Band of Thebes, an elite military corps composed of 150 pairs of lovers. March 2021. But a new power emerged that even the Sacred Band … Spartans versus Thebai Sacred band The Band's first major victories were against Spartan forces at the Battles of Tegyra and Luectra in 375 and 371 BCE. However, a few decades later in 338 BCE, the combined forces of Athens and Thebes fought the Battle of Chaeronea against the Macedonians led by Philip II of Macedon, Alexander the Great’s father. The Battle of Leuctra was one of the most important Greek-against-Greek battles. According to the ancient sources, the Sacred Band of Thebes was a key part of Thebes' rise to prominence in the 4th century BCE. Their finest hour came at the Battle of Leuktra, under the Theban general Epaminondas. Through bold tactics and unwavering courage, the Sacred Band emerged the victors - making it the first time a Spartan force had been defeated in a pitched battle. Four years later in 371BC, at the Battle of Leuctra, the Spartans would meet the Sacred Band once again. Historically, the 'Sacred Band of Thebes' was a picked force of 150 male couples (300 soldiers), forming the elite of the Theban army in the 4th century BCE. Adds a new unit, Theban Sacred Band, an elite hoplite unit for the Boiotian League. Artist’s rendering of Pelopidas leading the Sacred band at the Battle of Leuctra. Many Greeks attributed greater cohesion between hoplites that were lovers, which is probably where the idea for the Sacred Band … Up to then the Spartans were considered to be unbeatable. 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. A year later Philip divorced Olympias, and, after a quarrel at a feast held to celebrate his father’s new marriage, Alexander and his mother fled to Epirus, and Alexander later went… It consisted of 150 warriors and their younger warrior lovers, and was the elite force of the Theban army for over 40 years. In the battle of Luectra fought on 6 July, 371 BCE, the Sacred Band of Thebes, led by Pelopidas, accomplished another heroic victory over the Spartans. It is thought that the Spartan army outnumbered the Sacred Band of Thebes by up to five times the amount of soldiers. The Sacred Band and their commander played a decisive part in the success of this battle by working as a separate entity and being able to respond quicker to events in the battle. 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