Units of History - The Sacred Band of Thebes DOCUMENTARY
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 มิ.ย. 2024
- History documentary on the Sacred Band of Thebes! Access history lectures with a free trial through our sponsor, The Great Courses Plus ow.ly/2QD730qWCMI
In this ancient history documentary we take a closer look at one of the most famous units of history, the Sacred Band of Thebes. The video begins with an over view of the the history of Thebes. We cover its mythology, founding in the bronze age, and rise to power over the course of the Greco Persian wars, the Peloponnesian war, and the ensuing wars in greek history.
The Sacred Band actually only exists for a brief period of 40 years around the height of Theban power. It was formed in response to Spartan aggression following the restoration of the Theban democracy. The unit was supposedly composed of paired male lovers according to Plutarch. They were garrisoned on the acropolis of Thebes and became a jack of all trades for their polis, capable of serving as not just front line troops but also fire fighters and strategic strike forces.
The history documentary then covers their military training, equipment, and service history. This includes a discussion of the battle of Tegyra where they defeated a superior Spartan force and the famous battle of Leuctra where the Sacred Band of Thebes helped defeat a spartan army. Finally we conclude with the battle of Chaeronea where the Sacred Band faces its match in the invading Macedonian Army of Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great.
Stay tuned for more episodes in our Units of History series!
Credits:
Research: Roel Konijnendijk
Writing: Roel Konijnendijk
Narration: Guy Michaels
Artwork: Penata Limited
Editing: Penta Limited
#History
#Documentary
#SacredBand
What unit should we cover next!?
Varangian guard or maybe teutonic knights?
Cohortes urbanae
Che guevara s guerillas.
Thracian and Dacian Falxmen or Germanic Berserkers. Make a bit of a contrast from well disciplined tightly packed possibly gay Thebans.
winged hussars
I’m living in Thebes and it’s a nice little city. In the past, it was a powerful city-state indeed, bringing fear to its enemies. Now the only thing bringing fear to the hearts of the people is the search for car parking space in the city center.
It is kind of sad isn't it. I wonder if there would be some way to properly rebirth local cultural diversity, pride and competition that didn't lead to the warfare, infighting and strife of the ancient world. Because even though undoubtedly our lives are more comfortable today, I can't help feeling some things have been lost.
@@dreamer2260 boredom my friend, this life is unfulfilling
@@thehypest6118 amen
You're name is Emilios? My good friend is called "Emilio" i didn't know this name existed in Greece and in the Greek language!
Ναι πανεμορφη η Θηβα...
Fun fact: The Battle of Leuctra was the first time Sparta lost a king in battle since Leonidas and his 300 Spartans at Thermopylae
Our general has fallen!
They werent actually 300
Correction: There weren't _only_ 300. There were exactly 300 Spartans there, but there were also other allied Greeks totaling a couple thousand. The Spartans (along with the usually-forgotten 700 Thespians) were the only ones who chose to stay and die after being outflanked.
Fun fact: the spartan battle cry was. Ah num num num numm. Jim Henson character cookie monster pays tribute to the old battle cry. Contrary to popular belief, Spartans did not like cookies.
The Spartan did lost a battle before 50 year after the battle og Thermopylae Sparta was at war with Athens and Sparta did lost one battle were 120 Spartan soldiers surrender
Historical fact:
None of the sources dealing with the battle of Chaeronea mentions the cavalry charge led by Alexander which have destroyed the sacred band of Thebes (the sources are: Diodorus Siculus, Plutarch, Justin, Polyaenus, Frontinus). This theory (about cavalry charge) was developed by historan N.G.L. Hammond in 1930s (since Diodorus Siculus attests that Philip had 2000 cavalry at his disposal, it seemed reasonable to assume he used them in the battle). This theory was later expanded by historian Minor M Markle. But in "The annihilation of the sacred band at Chaeronea" from 1981 historian Paul A Rhae objected this theory pointing out that the ancient sources actually suggests otherwise (that Alexander did not lead cavalry charge): that Diodorus Siculus describes the battle of Chaeronea as long, hard fought infantry clash; and that Plutarch reports that after the battle members of sacred band lied dead among sarissa (long pike used by phalanx) which they have faced in the battle.
And recently there has been a discovery of a strategem found in Sylloge Tacticorum describing a battle which was identified as one of two battles preceeding battle of Chaeronea. It describes how Philip lost significant amount of horsemen in the engagement with Thebans. This new evidence prompted historian Jacek Rzepka to imploy a new reconstruction of the the battle of Chaeronea in his paper "The First Battles of Chaeronea Campaign 339/8 BC" from 2018, where he supports Paul A Rhae reconstruction. Jacek Rzepka suggests that since Diodorus Siculus omits two early battles (winter/spring 338 BC) fought shortly before battle of Chaeronea in which Greeks were victorious (mentioned by Demosthenes: "On the Crown"), the numbers of troops (2000 cavalry) refers to Philip's army strength at the beginning of the campaing and not in the actual battle of Chaeronea. Taking under the account significant losses of macedonian horsemen in the battle preceeding Chaeronea (described in recently discovered strategem in Sylloge Tacticorum) Jacek Rzepka suggests that cavalry in fact had played little or no role in the battle of Chaeronea.
The prevailing reconstruction in academic world nowadays (as Jacek Rzepka says himself) is: that Alexander led infantry and not cavalry in the battle of Chaeronea. But the cavalry charge theory will still remain the most known in popular history, since it cannot be erased from all the books already released.
Wow very interesting, thanks for citing the papers I'll definitely give one or two of them a read
@@angryman132 I've made a video covering the battle of Chaeronea, using these papers and more. My narration sucks, but otherwise I am quite proud of it
@Klaidi Rubiku Just to clarify, Alexander led one flank (the one next to the river) in the Battle of Chaeronea, and he did destroy the Sacred Band of Thebes. But the prevailing nowadays theory says he led infantry (as Paul A Rahe and Jacek Rzepka argue) and not cavalry (as N.G.L. Hammond had conjectured in 1930s, and later Minor M Markle expanded on)
Thanks for the details man. Always enjoy and extra bit of clarification on the always cloudy past. Now I gotta check out ur vids lol
Excelsior!
Philip didn't cry just because they fought bravely growing up he was a captive in Thebes where he learnt military strategy and many of these people were his friends
The curse sounded more like that of a friend than an enemy commander is you ask me. No dishonor done to them, only remembrance
Yes and he only left a house , his teacher's one and burned the whole city due to Thevians were traitors in Greco-Persian wars
It took one of the greatest military minds of all time to take these badasses down. Truly legendary
And their asses were bad after all the man on man action in the barracks
And of the greatest ones to create them, Epaminondas who also trained Phillip together with Pelopidas.
To be fair once the opposing armies discovered that the Sacred Band mostly preferred to attack from the rear , sometimes the flanks and even more rarely mouth first -- the were handily defeated. And mouthily, I'm sure.
I am so going to hell, aren't I?
@@SabbaticusRex You have a future in TV comedy, for sure
@@SabbaticusRex
Who isn't? But it is better to go to hell as that is where the good company is! Only people who like gardening, talking with God and Greys Anatomy would enjoy heaven.
“We are fallen into enemy hands”
Pelopidas: “And why not they into ours?”
**
69th upvote, ty Internet!
lel
Sorry it is a badass quote not a gay one.
Philip of Macedon was actually raised and educated in Thebes, so he knew the reputation of the Sacred Band well, he might've even met some of the men who died at Chaeronea while he was there.
"Let no one say what these men did here today was dishonorable."
Reminds me of David Gemmell's Lion of Macedon series. It's fiction but based a lot on history, portrays it quite well.
And he was the eromenos(love object) of Pelopidas while he was there -Phillip was later assassinated by a jilted male lover (Pausanias) on Phillip's own wedding day.It is therefore likely that the "Holy Band" really was an army of male lovers given these details and also the fact that Alexander the Great and many other noble Macedonians had male lovers themselves -Hephaistion in the case of Alexander.
He was trained by Epaminondas and Pelopidas.
@@kaloarepo288 Is there any evidence that Hephaestion was Alexander's lover, tho?
Everybody is obsessed with the Spartans, but up to this point I haven't even heard about this unit. They are truly legendary
there doesnt seem to be a movie made about them to my knowledge
The best part is there were 300 of them in this band lol
Cuz when it came to head up man up no shooting bs fighting Spartans were top notch bout that life
@@Cherry-pu4mx kind of sus that history perverts associate that number with the Spartans, who the Thebans absolutely battered in battle (and also bc there were hundreds Boeotian soldiers at the battle of the hot gates to help the Spartans out)
@@End-Result There were only 300 spartans sent at the battle of thermopylae and estimates at least 4000 other greeks.
The 300 survived till the end along with 1500 other greeks. 2 were on mission and 298 spartans including Leonidas marched to their deaths upon hearing of the Persians flanking.
He urged the 1500 remaining greeks to surrender. Historians debate whether this is true or if it was because they were surrounded by the immortals.
The thebians were 300 but didnt fight alone either and although the side they fought on was outnumbered, they used a strategy unseen before.
The thebian band filled the first file and filled tht file with more soldiers than the usual standard, leaving the other files less deep.
This allowed them to use greater force by outnumbering one side and pushing through the front lines of the spartans.
the Sacred Band of Thebes; bashing shields and butts since 371 BC
dabu! zag zag!
🤣
I'm crying with laughter 😭 😂
LMBO
Let's get to bashing butts, as well as *deez nuts*
Im surprised netflix hasnt made a series out of greeco brokeback mountain.
shut up this is so funny 😂
I'd sign up for Netflix if that ever happens.
I'd watch it
I’d totally watch that.
The problem there is that there’d not be any even half-way believable roles for women or ethnic minorities.
@Bored Again yeah, so you could have somebody from the Middle East or a fairly European Hispanic; but the diversity people in entertainment get seriously squeamish if there aren’t roles for black people, Indians or Asians.
Dear Invicta, making this particular video opens up an amazing follow up video opportunity. The commander of the battle of Leutra, Epaminondas has been criminally unrepresented in modern sources. This man not only defeated the Spartans in this battle with his military genius. But then he INVADED Sparta itself for the first time in 600 years. According to Plutarch, this is the first time it's women had seen the smoke of the enemies fires, and signalled the end of Spartan dominance. Infact, although Sparta weathered this defeat, they never again reclaimed there dominance, this is largely impart again to the strategic brilliance of Epaminondas, who not only invaded Sparta but freed and secured the freedom of the helots in Messina, Spartas economic breadbasket. Instead of leaving after raiding and looting, Epaminondas stayed and built a fortified city in Messina to ensure the newly freed helots would be protected. In summary not only did Epaminondas defeat Sparta in battle as this video shows, but then he not only invaded Sparta itself but dismantled their economic power and systemically crippled the Spartans. If anyone has ever deserved praise it is the man who did this to the legendary Sparta. The story of this man is beyond the scope of this post. But not only was he a genius, he was a philosopher, Pythagorean, intellectually and morally sound, and a man worthy of praise. The tragedy is if you TH-cam him there's almost no content on him or his achievements. Please read some of Plutarch's accounts, and general history about Epaminondas and make a follow up video. He really does truly deserve it.
wow
True, it's the same with Pelopidas.
I was looking for someone to say this
Fantastic information, thank you so much
So Epaminondas was a Hector of Troy reskinned as a Theban? That’s awesome.
"First ones in and last ones out...in a fight" had the pause been a bit longer...
"Its not gay if you're the top"
-Romans and Greeks
Also ottomans and persians.
Egyptian boys: bruh
So it means am not gay after all 🤔
As well as literally every top ever
@@Ugurcan191
Homosexuality was common in the Ottoman empire?
When Sacred Band of Thebes beat the Spartans they had the advantage of understanding enemy tactics and being somewhat unknown , they where finally defeated with the same situation happened to them. Extraordinary history, thank you.
Spartan general marching on thebes when he hears it's raining men and macho man being played on a pan flute- "zeus save us!"
Well, no. I mean it's the Spartans. He would have thought, "Oh, they too are men of culture."
@@andrewsuryali8540true, but they kept the gayness of their military on the down low and forced all spartiates to take a wife by 30.
Hahaha great comment! 🤣
@@andrewsuryali8540 I thought the Spartans looked down on Thebes
@@Argos-xb8ek Er, it's this meme: knowyourmeme.com/memes/ah-i-see-youre-a-man-of-culture-as-well
The name Sacred Band :(Ιερός Λόχος) has been used by other Greek Formations. Such as the the Sacred Band which was a picked body of university students that participated in the Revolutionary War of Independence of 1821. The Cretan Sacred Band that participated in the Cretan Uprising of 1866-1869. The Cretan Students Sacred Band that fought in Epirus, Northern Greece, during the Balkan Wars. The Epirote Sacred Band that fought against the Kingdom of Albania and Central Powers forces at World War I. Finally the most famous after the Thebans, the Sacred Band which was established by exiled forces in Egypt, during World War II it aided in the Resistance and Liberation of modern Greece.
@Anthony Tsatsis So am I man!
Οι καημένοι οι Ιερολοχίτες στην μάχη του Πέτα σχεδόν εξοντώθηκαν μέχρις ενός! Από μια ομάδα στρατιωτών περιμένεις τέτοια συμπεριφορά, όχι όμως κι από φοιτητές! Τιμή και δόξα στους μεγάλους Έλληνες αγωνιστές!
That's pretty cool!
Badass. Hope to see others in the future.
@@TeutonicEmperor1198 Μάλλον εννοείς τη μάχη στο Δραγατσάνι. Η μάχη του Πέτα έγινε το 1822, οπότε και ο Ιερός Λόχος είχε πάψει να υφίσταται.
Theban: Nothing is manlier then two man
Spartans: That’s gay....
Theban: It is gay, everyone is gay.
Uhm, the Spartans were just as "manly" as the Thebans. Spartan women had to make themselves look like boys on their wedding night to make the groom more comfortable.
Yea I mean what’s manlier than two dudes goin at it am I right? That’s 2x the manliness
Spartans also practice male sexual relationships in their training. They just didnt have the fortune of being placed in the same group always in battle. At least not always as an inseparable unit as theban couples
@@Ideo7Z in other words, the Spartans practiced simulated same-sex marriage.
@@Ideo7Z Sounds pretty gay to me.
They really took the concept of the battle buddy to staggering new heights
...they actually didnt and it's a complete myth. The whole gay thing was suggested by a politician but they never actually did it. You are being lied to.
@@NeuKrofta There are a lot of sources that the Thebian bands did practice something related to a same-sex relationship in partnership whether through a friendship that often engaged in sex, or simply a pedastry type relationship (which is unfortunately common with most cultures that practice a sense of male same-sex relationship due to the ideas of masculinity being a "penatrative force" if you know what I mean"
@@NeuKrofta It's not one politician that talks about it. Plato and a ton others talk about it the art has homosexual soldiers on it.
@@jonathanmosher72 Platos last book "Laws" shows that he did not have a high regard for homosexuals and one piece of pottery scribbles doesn't mean it was a big thing in society.
@@NeuKrofta Wrong. It is largely accepted by historians. Plutarch is considered one of the most respected and highly reliable source of historical events. The historicity of the Sacred Band is largely accepted by historians and it is detailed in the writings of numerous classical authors including Plutarch.
This is crazy.. was literally the other day thinking, “I wish someone would do a video on The Sacred Band of Thebes..” sure enough 😁👍
High fives for women and open mouth tongue kisses for The Men
Ha, Meet the Spartans!
'you have a free society'
@@karlzbatiao6510 Yess the Fre'est.
I love this culture
I-imagine we k-kissed on the battlefield
*Blushes*
OwO
👉👈
Really gay but funny lol
The part at the end about Phillip weeping at the sight of the bodies of the Sacred Band piled up is amazing. What a time to have lived.
So the Sacred Band of Thebes had completely the opposite policy to Don’t Ask Don’t Tell?
Don't ask or tell anyone if there's a straight soldier
So it would be awkward if you are the only straight dude in the unit.
@@ongkhuongduy3498 imagine being at the barracks after a battle
There are 274 bodies in the Lion Tomb plus another single burial maybe of a warrior who died later and wished to be buried with the others. Another thoery explaining where the tomb is sited - near the pass leading back to Livadia- is that the band fought a suicidal rear guard action to cover the army’s retreat. I have visited the battlefied several times once walking from Levadia over the pass. It takes about an hour and a half - has some lovely views....
The voice is so serious... makes me to take notes...
“Let’s talk about something we do know about; Their equipment…”
My mind: he’s gonna talk about the Ds.
One of the few channels where I’m confident I can go ahead and give it a like at the start of the video. Thanks for this amazing content!
"They have us outnumbered. Those poor bastards"
That Alexander guy sounds like a vanilla commander! Nothing special! I'm pretty sure that he hasn't achieved anything significant during his lifetime!
Alexander living to old age is one of the biggest what ifs in history. Imagine an empire that stretched from the Atlantic to the Himalayan mountains that lasted thousands of years before probably falling to barbarians from Northern Europe. It would be like Rome on crack.
@@user-uy1rg8td1v If that happened, I'm sure that we would be speaking Greek now.
It's not simply Rome on crack, but Rome on f*cking steroids.
Weaponized homosexuality time
@Egg T Might be because there were less people. Today, a person is a dime a dozen. We don't matter as much tbh, since there are so many of us. Back then, you could take that person as a slave or trade with them when the conflict is over. Sacking cities was rarely down, usually only after a revolt.
well as greeks we believe that there is a huge error in all the translations from greek and arabic to old english back then.The partner in war translated as gay soldiers in your language.If we had so many gay and strong soldiers it is also a unique thing in war history...😂
@@user-kn9ib9zm4q Μην σπαταλας τον Χρονο σου. Δεν προκεται να σε πιστεψει κανεις. Ετσι τους μαθανε ετσι σκεφτονται.
CIA: shit, he's on to us!
You right Kostas, there is even meme about it
POV
You are a good buddy
Modern historians interpreting that « Wouldn’t that make these 2 best friends… GAY?! »
You had to be a man's man to get into the Sacred Band of Thebes.
Men getting into men, getting into men, getting into men.
Yup! Every mans man and every mans woman !!
Lol sure did
it's said to be part of the Sacred Band you had to ingage in lethal pillow fights with older members.
tough shit indeed
Pillow fights with lots of pillow biting.
And then pillow farts
Having only heard of Carthage, when it came to the unit known as the Sacred Band, it's good to know that it wasn't the only unit that bore that name. It would seem that these two units were the pride of their respective nations.
It is like the marine corp, or commando's of ancient times. Many Greek styled armies had a unit like this.
I actually only knew about the Theban Sacred Band, didn't knew Carthage had its own.
Thebes was first. Carthage named theirs after them I believe.
This is extremely well made, the video covers exactly the questions that pop-up in mind and without time wasting
Last year I wrote a really long detailed paper over the battle of chaerona, I became super interested in the sacred band and wanted to learn more while I wrote the paper, the only information I could find came from Plutarch and the lions tomb erected near the battlefield, I’m so happy you made this video, wish I had it last year while I wrote my paper
With the Battle of Tegyra, it seems the Spartans assumed they were going up against a unit of regular Thebans and didn't realize it was Pelopidas and the elite of the Sacred Band, and so they adopted a thin line with the plan of encircling and destroying them. This allowed the Thebans to break through their line and destroy them.
Holy shadows of the dead, I’m not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and brother people, to fight one another. I do not feel happy for this victory of mine. On the contrary, I would be glad, brothers, if I had all of you standing here next to me, since we are united by the same language, the same blood and the same visions. ~Alexander
This was a great video. I enjoyed it immensely. I sure hope you do a ton more video's like this in the future. Great job.
Thank you so much for your amazing work! These works of art help make anyone's day better.
Would you like to see a live action movie about the Sacred Band of Thebes?
Only if it includes sex scenes
You can find it on PornHub gay!
Search the trailer in MEN channel
Netflix series.
Considering the movie Troy made Patroclus into Achilles’ ‘cousin’ and Hollywood also toned down the relationship between Hephaistion and Alexander in Alexander the Great I really don’t know that I’d trust them not to chicken out. ‘It would get censored in China which is a major market’ being the usual excuse to not tell stories about same sex attracted ‘heros’. I don’t use the term homosexual since it just didn’t exist as a word or a concept - people had sex with other people as they wished (of course women are much less free and very lightly documented) as long as they married and had children.
Can you cover Napoleon’s Old Guard? That’d be pretty awesome to learn about their history and equipment!
Beautiful work. And the animations superb.
This channel is getting really good. Alot of niche topics I wouldn't think about
I came for the history... and stayed for the gay jokes in the comments
Why do they always attack from the rear?
I can tell that you definitely came
I remember when I told my history teacher in school about them and she didnt believe me lol. Public schools sucks I'm homeschooling my kids.
About there being a Sacred Band of Thebes or that it included gay couple lovers?
Because one fact is verified - there was a Sacred Band of Thebes
The second fact isn't really confirmed as true - it might be but also might not as mentioned in this very video
@@savioblanc gays are very normal in ancient Greeks so that's highly possible
@@chrolloiscominginsideme188 It was *very normal* in _Plutarchs writings_. One influencal writer alone can throw off our entire perception.
Soooo her not knowing a random fact,means you are soo much more knowledgeable than her...🤦
@@API-Beast I'm not Plutarch, but I am Greek, it was for the most part inconsequential if it did not affect other aspects of life, and men of status were expected to show restraint.
I’ve been here since you’re massive battles and can I just say how fantastic it is to see your channel become such a big thing.
Oh yay! The channel has indeed come a loooong way. I'm super happy with it but do still wish I had time for more total war.
wow great video so detailed and put well together, always wanted a video like this to explain everthing on the Sacred Band of Thebes. Learned so much
These guys were the ancient jojo's change my mind
Not gay enough
@CXVII 117 R badass
No, that title belongs to the Punic sacred band. These lot weren't fabulous enough.
Minoans
Can you guys cover the Iberian Scutarii? They were the inspiration for the Roman Legionary, and would complete the cartaginian army units!
Yes please
Long time fan of your channel, of your content... Please keep inspiring people like me!!
Really good. Thanks once more for great research and presentation
Philip II grew up as hostage in Thebe, he probably wept also because he knew them (perhaps not personally, but he must have recognized them and respected them)
I wish you would do the military history of the south east asian too, particularly the kingdom of Majapahit
Mapajahit
Buzz
Mahapajit
Buzz
Mapahajit
Buzz
...
BAS BATTLES HAS IT ALL
i have done zero research on this comment, but over the years, i have seen similar channels upload asian military history videos and i have seen comments here and there from the owners that they don't generally perform as well in views. views, likes, comments, subscribers, and engagement from viewers determine how much they charge sponsors. for example, i love history and i often really struggle to follow chinese military videos because the names start to blend and i end up having to focus on the portraits once there are numerous actors involved and then i end up clicking off.
Thank you for making a video of one of my favorite sacred bands. Respectfully...
amazing work as usual. keep up the good work.
I've watched a few videos on the sacred band, but I do think urs gives a bit more details and is very well done
Ooof I got chills at the end there!
I just want to say I love your videos! Great look at history
We asked and you delivered as always love this channel it’s the best!’
Bro I have to ask where did you find all the music it’s absolutely godly
“Bring your wife to work”
A ripping yarn well told, gentlemen! Thank you!
Thank you very much for answering the requests. The Sacred band of Thebes is just...Awe-mazing!
Many snide comments about them being a _flamboyantly oriented_ army, but you guys should know this: Soldiers have this thing that restrains their will to die fighting, called _"My wife and children bac7 home."_ Now imagine if the _'wife and husband'_ were in the same platoon together .... Dude, the one would be charging headfirst beside 'their significant other' to make sure they aren't killed by the enemy.
.... I know I'm terrified whenever I look out my window and see a couple coming to ask why I stole their WiFi, talk less of seeing an army of male-male couples coming to end my natural connection with life and oxygen.
Not to mention the behavior was a norm in the ancient eastern Mediterranean...
@CXVII 117 R "motivation... won't do anything at all" is an odd take
@CXVII 117 R I dunno man Alexander/Philip on campaign with 80,000 other men? and 100 of their closest buds? Homoeroticism is baked into the military, just ask any soldier today!
@CXVII 117 R Your comment shows you clearly have not served in any military/police/martial service, regardless of nationality or origin. My (somewhat joking) comment's based in reality, having spoken to actual people (from many nationalities and origins) who have actually served, or continue to serve. Homoeroticism is baked into the military.
Winston Lee sounds like lies, I knew a lot of people from them military and that sort of stuff never fuckn happens.
So, what were their best songs?
I really like your videos. Thank you so much
New subber and gotta say I am really liking your content.
You didn't mention that alexander utterly sacked thebes to pay for his campaign a few years later
Phillip would have known many of those men in the sacred band. He had been a hostage for many years in Thebes and fought in their army.
Fascinating. Thank you.
👉 If you are interested in history & mysteries then my last video is for you ✨👌
According to Solons laws, any man practising homosexuality was:
1- banned from becoming a member of the council of nine;
2- was banned from standing for elections as a priest;
3- was banned from being a citizen’s advocate;
4- was not allowed to exercise power in or outside the city of Athens;
5- was not permitted to be sent an emissary of war;
6- was banned from expressing his opinions;
7- was banned from entering temples;
8- was banned from being wreathed in races;
9- was not allowed to enter the agora.
All these violations were punishable by death, according to Solon’s Laws.
"Lover" is misunderstood by modern historians. People really think Ancient Greece was an LGBT paradise lmao
Based Athenians
Thebes was not Athens thankfully.
Bullshit. What's your source for this nonsense?
That was for male prostitution, not homosexuality.
Εταιρήση means "gives himself unto prostitution".
Please do not spread the lie our talking heads love to spread by deliberately mistranslating one word.
Enemies before fight : Are you gay ?
Band of Thebes : hug and hold hands each other while give a gay aura in battlefield
Enemies : You are Gay
Incredible. Thank you
This is fantastic. I loved that nothing we don't have any clear source about is stated as facts, instead the creators speculate and they highlight it. This is how history is meant to be told!
Macho macho man -
I got a thebean marching band
Plato and Xenophon both make reference to such an infantry institution in their respective Symposia.
Units of history was a great series from this channel
Enjoyed!
The Sacred Band has been resurrected as of late. They are the new defenders of the Ram Ranch.
Hahahhahaa yasss🐏🐑🐏🏇🐑🐏🐏🐏🐑🏇🐏🐏🐏
Ram Ranch under siege. Must fortify!
SACRED BAND OF THEBES: “I want you to remember, Spartans. In all the years to come, in your most private moments, I want you to remember, my hand, at your throat, I want you to remember, the one man who beat you.”
Not many comic book readers on this channel, evidently
@@brnclandonald It felt right. I hoped more people would catch it.
This was very good. A+
Great video, interesting content.
In ancient Greek, lover "εραστής" means teacher of one student and them together (teacher and student) are called lover's "εραστές".
Thats right.
Yup they were not having gay buttsex. That is woke historians reading into that translation way to far.
@@Rex73777 No, that is you declaring a certain interpretation of evidence incorrect in one statement, and then launching a pre-emptive ad hominem attack upon anyone who might decide to query or qualify your statement. That a historical argument does not make. Do it the right way. Using the information about εραστής and εραστές as a starting point, write your evidenced thesis.
So they weren't full made up of gay lovers and instead made up of teachers and students?
The macedonian/selucid silver shields have to be next. Probably the best ancient unit ever.
Great episode.
Brilliant, thanks 😊 👍
Can you do next the varangian guards?
We gotta remember that there were multiple factors leading up to Sparta's loss at Leuctra. One is that Sparta was a little past her prime at that time in history. I don't think they were even practicing their "agoge" anymore(correct me if I'm wrong), and perhaps mostly relying upon their past reputation. So I think it would be fair to say that without the special training described by Xenophon, the "edge" of their fighters would be dulled, making them not particularly special compared to other "elite" hoplites of the day. Plus, if I recall correctly, the army Sparta was leading at that battle was made up of mostly mercenary forces from the Peloponnese, with the Spartan citizens on the right flank. And if you have an enormous overly-stacked phalanx of pressing against a typical phalanx caught in mid-maneuver... well... it's not like the Spartans were 8-pack-abs-wielding brawny-boys from 300, they were simply men of the day, and of course, no one could have expected or have been able to stand up to a formation like that. And thus, in the aftermath of that catastrophe, it's not hard to imagine the mercenaries losing their nerve and making a run for it.
One thing I'd like to make clear is, while I love the history of Sparta as much as your average American lad might, I'm certainly not a Spartan boot-licker. In closing, I'm willing to give Sparta a break when referring to this battle.
Well told mate
LouPlaysSongs | I genuinely don’t know why people refer to the battle of Leuctra as evidence that the Spartans were overrated. The only thing this battle proves is that the Spartans stagnated after winning the Peloponissian War, and relied too much to the Oligarchs they placed in allied and enemy cities. The Thebans also had 2 incredible generals leading them, the Spartans did not, and as such they used old phalanx-based tactics. King Aegisileus could have proven a challenge for Pelopidas and Epaminondas, but at that time the Spartan King was old and weary.
At that moment probably they had to rely way more heavily than all the other powers of the day in troops from "allies" to fill the army to those pretty high numbers like the ones seen at Leuctra, true Spartans or full-citizen soldiers that could dedicate themselves fully to train and fight were never that many and the system that allowed the creation of those elite soldiers was not terribly efficient, it depended in a huge population of slaves and half-citizens and the loss of even one of those elite soldiers meant the loss of a lot of resources including experience and time that could not be easily or quickly replaced, by the time Leuctra happened the number of true Spartans was already lower than in previous generations and the losses they took there and later in Mantinea were pretty much crippling.
However, i think spartans continued their Agogae system, at least the ones that fought in the specific battle. Precisely, we can assume that those who battled the Thebans were the reknown "Hippeus", the King's Guard always accompanying him to battle. Those were the peak of Spartan military prowess, the ones that fought off and died against the Persians at Thermopylae along with king Leonidas.
I agree. Sparta had just seen the end of the Peloponese War against Athens that lasted over 20 years. A War that consumed vast resources and manpower. Even in it's prime the Spartan Agoge system produced 5.000 to 6.000 Citizen Hoplites. About 300 were the personal Guard of the 2 Kings. It is attested in many sources that the Spartans "naturalised" many non Spartan citizens and even Helots and entered them into their ranks. So the Spartan army after the Peloponese War was in no way comparable to the Spartan army who fought against Persians two generations ago. The Spartans who faced Thebes were possibly down to 2.000 or 3.000 Citizen Hoplites. Half of them had to remain in Sparta to hold down the immense population of 20.000 Helots and slaves who farmed Spartan land. On the other hand the Thebans were ultra militaristic having a professional standing Army in the Sacred Band and a society were military status resulted into economic gain. Phillip who grew up as a "guest" in this society took the idea for a professional army from the Thebans and implemented it in Macedon. The professional Macedonian Phallanx, more advanced than any of the Hoplite formations of it's day, ruled the Greek World for the next 500 years.
Good one
شكراً
Expert "sword" fighters
Men on guard ! We are falling in enemy hands ! thebean soldier to the guy next to him : i would rather fall right into your strong arms any day (touches his face gently) 😜
very interesting
Awesome!
It is generally agreed by historians that the motto of the Sacred Band was "No Homo"
The Argead dynasty (Greek: Ἀργεάδαι, Argeádai) was an ancient Macedonian royal house of Dorian Greek provenance. They were the founders and the ruling dynasty of the kingdom of Macedon from about 700 to 310 BC.
Their tradition, as described in ancient Greek historiography, traced their origins to Argos, of Peloponnese in Southern Greece, hence the name Argeads or Argives. Initially the rulers of the homonymous tribe, by the time of Philip II they had expanded their reign further, to include under the rule of Macedonia all Upper Macedonian states. The family's most celebrated members were Philip II of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great, under whose leadership the kingdom of Macedonia gradually gained predominance throughout Greece, defeated the Achaemenid Empire and expanded as far as Egypt and India. The mythical founder of the Argead dynasty is King Caranus
Love the narrator! Pitch perfect!
Good job on it b