The Sacred Band of Thebes (ancient Greek: ἱερὸς λόχος hieròs lókhos) was an elite Greek troop of 150 pairs of homosexual lovers, according to Plutarch (in the Life of Pelopidas) formed by the Theban commander Gorgidas. The idea was that every man would be motivated to fight to his maximum ability both to protect his lover and to avoid shaming himself in front of his lover.

The motivation for the use of such an "Army of Lovers" in battle is also stated by Plutarch:

"For men of the same tribe or family little value one another when dangers press; but a band cemented by friendship grounded upon love is never to be broken, and invincible; since the lovers, ashamed to be base in sight of their beloved, and the beloved before their lovers, willingly rush into danger for the relief of one another."Plutarch, Lives, "Life of Pelopidas," tr. John Dryden

According to Plutarch, Gorgidas initially distributed the Sacred Band of Thebes throughout his battle lines as an elite to strengthen the others' resolve, but later Pelopidas, after the Band had fought successfully at Tegyra, used it as a sort of personal guard. For about 33 years, the Sacred Band of Thebes stood undefeated and remained an important part of the Greek infantry.

Its defeat came at the Battle of Chaeronea, the decisive battle in which Philip II of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great ended the hegemony of the city-states. Philip had been held as a hostage in Thebes, and had learned his military tactics there. The remainder of the Theban army fled when faced with the overwhelming forces of Philip and Alexander, but the Sacred Band, surrounded and refusing to surrender, held their ground and fell where they stood. Plutarch recounts that upon encountering their corpses heaped together and understanding who they were Philip exclaimed:

"Perish any man who suspects that these men either did or suffered anything unseemly."Plutarch, Lives, "Life of Pelopidas," tr. John Dryden

Though Plutarch claims that all three hundred died that day, other writers claim that two hundred and fifty four died and all the rest were wounded. That claim was substantiated upon the excavation of their communal grave at Chaeronea, in which two hundred and fifty four skeletons were found, arranged in seven rows.

Notes

See also

• Pederasty in ancient Greece
• Sacred Band of Carthage
• Homosexuality in the militaries of ancient Greece

Ancient military units | Ancient Greece | LGBT history | Pederasty

Heilige Schar (Theben) | Batallón Sagrado de Tebas | Bataillon sacré | Battaglione sacro | החבורה המקודשת של תבאי | Heilige Schare van Thebe | Theban pyhä joukko