The Theban Elite Army of Lovers Who Defeated the Mighty Spartans

The Theban Elite Army of Lovers Who Defeated the Mighty Spartans

Active in the 4th century BCE, the Sacred Band was an elite military unit composed of 150 pairs of male lovers. The central idea was that by placing each soldier alongside his beloved, they would fight more fiercely, to both protect one another and to avoid dishonoring themselves in their partner’s eyes. Through their valiant efforts, they helped bring an end to Spartan hegemony and established Thebes as a dominant military power in ancient Gree…