The Sacred Band of Thebes: Elite Fighters… and Lovers!

The Sacred Band of Thebes was an elite fighting unit consisting of 300 Theban soldiers who were not only warriors but coupled lovers as well. According to the scholar Plutarch, the creation of the unit took place sometime between 379 and 378 BC, the brainchild of Gorgidas, a military leader who believed that those who were lovers would fight more ferociously to keep each other alive than those who were not. It was General Pelopidas that then structured this elite unit of coupled lover soldiers into a formidable fighting force which went on to gain the respect of all of late-classical Greece. Their existence spanned forty years, from 378 to 338 BC, and their legacy lives on even today.

Long-Lasting Legacy of the Sacred Band of Thebes

The most famous battle fought by the Sacred Band of Thebes took place in 371 BC against the Spartans in the Battle of Leuctra, from which they emerged victorious, leaving the Spartan’s hold over the Greek Peninsula in shambles. Their final tragic demise occurred in 338 BC during the Battle of Chaeronea, during which they were defeated by the famous Philip II of Macedon in open combat. Even when given the option to surrender, the Sacred Band of Thebes refused and fought to the bitter end.