Who were the Sacred Band?

The history of Ancient Greece is full of incredible stories, whether historically true or turned into the myths of the age. One such tale that is only infrequently discussed, but is getting more and more attention, is a group called the Sacred Band. Like Sparta’s royal guard who became known as the 300, the Sacred Band was an elite fighting force created by the city of Thebes made of 300 men around 379 BCE. What was unique about this group, not only in Greece but in all of history, is that the 300 soldiers were all selected as pairs of gay lovers.

The theory behind this arrangement, as best we can tell from the records available, is that these 150 couples would fight harder and more passionately when the man they loved stood at their side. The records of their formation, management, training and inspiration are sketchy, but their involvement in some of the most pivotal battles of Ancient Greece is well documented, ending with the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BCE. To learn more about the Sacred Band we spoke with Professor Paul Cartledge, who has a new book on the history of Thebes coming out later this year.

What was the Sacred Band and how was it formed?

Its title, the ‘Sacred’ bit, is not attested until 324 BCE by an Athenian orator, a man named Dinarchus. We had known that there was a Band formed or reformed (scholars differ on whether there had been an elite 300 before or not), a new elite 300 certainly from 378 BCE, and Plutarch tells us that the founder of it was not Pelopidas, who is