What was the Sacred Band of Thebes?
Q: What was the Sacred Band of Thebes?
A: The Sacred Band of Thebes was a special unit within the ancient Theban army in the 4th century BC.
Q: How many men were in the Sacred Band?
A: It consisted of 150 male lovers.
Q: Why was it believed that men in the Sacred Band would make better warriors?
A: It was believed that the strong bond of love between the men would make them more courageous in battle.
Q: Who wrote the most substantial surviving account of the Sacred Band?
A: Plutarch (46–120 AD) is the source of the most substantial surviving account of the Sacred Band.
Q: What did Plutarch write about the Sacred Band?
A: Plutarch wrote in his Life of Pelopidas that the lovers in the Sacred Band were willing to rush into danger for the relief of one another, being ashamed to be base in sight of their beloved.
Q: Who organized the Sacred Band in 378 BC?
A: The Theban commander Gorgidas reportedly organized the Sacred Band in 378 BC.
Q: When and how was the Sacred Band destroyed?
A: The Sacred Band was completely destroyed by Philip II of Macedon at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC.
