The Sacred Band - An Alternative 300 - Extra History

📜 The Sacred Band: An Alternative 300 - Thanks to 300, everyone is familiar with the Spartan troops & Spartan military power. But let's talk about the 300 that served the Theban army. An elite force of shock troops, these 300 men were well trained, fearsome in battle, and were the first to defeat the Spartans while having a smaller force. This was the Sacred Band and they had one very important trick up their sleeve: the literal power of love. Yup. Every member of the Sacred Band fought alongside their partner. It's pride month, baby.
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by Sean Kiner, Dean Kiner
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[@Ice-Climber]

"They were super gay." We are talking about Ancient Greece here.

[@studentofhistory718]

Yahhhhhhhh not saying much in terms of ancient greece lol

[@ianlilley2577]

Its like saying the sky is blue

[@joshuawall646]

Yeah it’s believed that the original reason the Greeks cultivated olives and made it into olive oil was to use as lube.

[@ArkadiBolschek]

Yeah. Putting their best troops in the right flank was also pretty much standard practice in ancient Greece; it wasn't a Spartan thing.

[@emperorofwends8875]

The most gayest lokal in history

[@JohnSmith-ey6zy]

Of course Philip II would cried, because the Sacred Band he was killing were his childhood friends when he was growing up in Thebes.

[@eps200]

also the sheer waste, imagine the additional conquests of Macedon with the sacred band added to it's army.

[@dariusgunter5344]

@@eps200 well as good as they were, they were just a small elite unite of one city state, even if they had been there to help Alexander (Phillip would have died regardless) they would have most likly either been destroxed when thebes rebelled againgst Alexander or have been rederen useless due to the sarisacy which they never trained to use, which was one of the main reasons for Amcedons vixtorys.

[@baerververgaert1308]

@Klaidi Rubiku He was a hostage which is a complicate term and role at almost every point in history. This is because they have the dual roles of being killable and a potential future ruler. Thus they were generally treated luxuriously too leave a positive image of the place. Note that even if a king wouldn't behave nicely, his heir could always be installed as new leader. This makes the impression you leave on the heir even more important.

[@benthiccbiomancer2760]

​@Klaidi Rubiku IIRC there are direct references from ancient authors describing him as tutored by Epaminondas and being a lover of Pelopidas. It could well be retroactive myth-making, but it would imply that he held a pretty high position in his captivity.

[@saslykasLT]

@@dariusgunter5344 To be honest, main reason of the Macedon's war machine success was combined arms aproach, sarissa was only part of it.

[@janoriegam2107]

Two Greeks, chilling in a hot tub, 5 feet apart cause they’re not part of the Sacred Gang

[@luciusvernus3174]

Noice

[@couchpotatoe91]

You really think the Sacred Bande were the only couples back in the day? We're talking about a nation who made the Olympian competitors perform naked with only men allowed in the audience. Basically twitch chat nowadays whenever certain girls stream.

[@AK_14564]

@@couchpotatoe91 I don't see the connection with the Olympics... I think you coming up on conclusions easily.

[@DuranmanX]

Social distancing

[@ArkadiBolschek]

@@couchpotatoe91 Chill man, it's just a meme.

[@stevenchoza6391]

“Let no one say what these men did was dishonorable.” - Phillip II, describing the fallen Sacred Band of Thebes.

[@paulbutkovich6103]

Choosing to fight to the death when you have no chance of winning is pretty dishonorable in my mind. All you are doing is wasting your lives and the lives of your adversary.

[@presidentfist2787]

@@paulbutkovich6103 that would be true with modern warfare but you have to remember that at the time surrendering usually meant death or enslavement. Also, if you resisted, this could mean the population gets massacred like Alexander did to Thebes a few years later.

[@Grim_Sister]

Osp did a rather amusing bit on Thebas and it is HILARIOUS

[@Yeeren]

@@paulbutkovich6103 Then you have no concept of self-sacrifice. A unit fighting to the last rather than surrending continues to inflict damage to the enemy, and that damage may be the difference between victory or oblivion for that unit's nation. For example, had some Soviet units not fought to anihilation during the German offensives of Operation Barbarossa, it's entirely possible the outcome of the war would have been different.

[@coolsceegaming6178]

Paul Butkovich We may tell our soldier to just give up and survive, but back then if you were to fight till death, you’d be respected greatly.

[@omegaPSI2006]

"Ancient greece" "Super gay" Ya dont say

[@mrxmgs3768]

At this point, that is just redundant 😏

[@anderskorsback4104]

Well, not really, not in the sense we think of as gay today. Asymmetric Mentor-Fuckboy relationships between an older and a younger man were a well-established part of the civic culture of the Ancient Greek city-states, but were generally a side thing for heterosexual men. For a man to actually prefer men over women, or to have an equal, symmetric relationship with another man, was considered weird, even if not disapproved of. Textual primary sources attest to how Spartan gayness was a well-established stereotype (which went as far as actually having a sexual preference for your comrades in arms and not caring about your wife having affairs) and something about which the rest of Greece sniggered and derided them for.

[@Gizmotin2]

I cant like this because it has 300 likes :(

[@101Mant]

They weren't really gay in the modern sense, ancient Greek pederasty wasnt like modern gay relationships for many reasons.

[@hgu]

**cough** olive oil **cough**

[@DavidR575]

Sounds like Matt was having a great time just saying "Pelopidas"

[@arokjuata3365]

I'm also having a great time how english caption of "pelopidas"

[@alexelmaleh3076]

Forgot to mention Epaminondas

[@ArmySigs]

Who isn't?

[@NinjaSushi2]

I only have Czech looking subtitles. Lol

[@studentofhistory718]

Greece: everybody's a little gay Sacred Band: OH YEAH WELL IMMA BIG GAY

[@finnpom7795]

I am today coming out as the biggest gay!

[@Apollo9898LP]

@kavros kavouri That's inaccurate. While it was socially stigmatized among men of equal social class, because of the idea that an adult male shouldn't take the passive role in sex, none of the Greek ctiy-states that i can find outlawed homosexuality in their laws.

[@problems3485]

kavros kavouri lol it is a common trope that Greeks are the most open about being gay in the classical era

[@Elsenoromniano]

@kavros kavouri They did not ban homosexuality, they banned anal sexy were one of the participants was a passive adult (understanding adult as someone well over early twenties). If the passive was a boy (under Greek tradition someone who had not yet developed full body hair and beard) it was tolerated, although not very well seen (full intercourse in pederastic relationships was seen as an humiliation for the younger part of the pair). It is important to note that for most of western history attraction was clearly differentiated from acts, there was no homosexuality, just homosexual acts. And in the case of the Greeks passive acts and active acts.

[@agentwashingtub9167]

Klaidi Rubiku They banned homosexuality, but not pederasty which is what this was. These weren’t two loving men, this was a man and a young teen. It was institutionalized socially acceptable abuse

[@NorninTGK]

7:51 So the secret to the Thebes' cavalry is riding two horses? Fascinating. :D

[@ArkadiBolschek]

"Yo dawg, I heard you like horses..."

[@Tsuruchi_420]

The famous horse horseman man

[@jokuvaan5175]

The horses must have also been gay

[@Psychol-Snooper]

@@ArkadiBolschek DAMN IT! so you can ride when you ride!!!

[@KasumiRINA]

"two men one horse" was the symbol of knights Templar... so everything evened out in the end lmao)))

[@MagaldiMateus]

And my grandmother swears homosexuality is a new thing.

[@PSIgmr]

**Ancient Greece joined has joined the chat**

[@Striker2054]

Because your grandmother has been buried under the propaganda that there were no gays before now.

[@amegalodonwithinternetacce5863]

@Klaidi Rubiku germany and italy from hetalia enter the chat

[@Carewolf]

You should tell your grandmother not to swear.

[@MagaldiMateus]

@@Carewolf She would just give me the finger.

[@catcharide56]

The Spartans were great warriors, but even better propagandists.

[@Pikazilla]

makes us almost forget that they were military dictatorship that brutally enslaved other Greeks

[@Raj-df7wf]

catcharide56 me: *Sees nazi Germany* * Sees sparta*

[@Galwayshade]

That is true. They just focused in their big fancy reputation rather than add improvements to their strategy or tactics. Hell, Sparta did little to contribute to arts, literature and engineering unlike many other city states.

[@parrotbird7900]

James Monahan They were literally the North Korea of Ancient Greece

[@AngryKittens]

Not really. Spartans didn't say much. At all. They did not have philosophers, authors, or poets. That's where the words "laconic" and "spartan" comes from in the English language. Ironically, it was an Athenian that fell so in love with their experimental eugenics society that he wrote heaps and heaps about them, all of praise about their supposed superiority, even slandering their enemies (like the Thebans) and ignoring their failings: an Athenian named Xenophon. That said, it was true that the Spartans were nearly undefeated in battle. That alone was enough to make everyone fear them.

[@thatfighterguy5846]

Can I just say how much I love that the way that "superior cavalry" is represented at 7:50 is as a horse on top of another horse?

[@Tomartyr]

3:45 Ah, history's most iconic duo: the bear and the twink.

[@supermichelangelo5763]

"Perish any man who suspects that these men either did or suffered anything unseemly." -Philip II, after the Sacred Band's last stand

[@Wesyan1999]

"And they were super gay" You already said they were Ancient Greek

[@DaRealRessonance]

Oh damn, it’s the OG art style

[@zm1639]

Yep

[@mlovecraftr]

+

[@Katie-oq7mh]

Tadodaho aa I love it

[@doahnunn472]

The best art

[@davidhueso]

Thanks y´all for the kind words!

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

I can't express how grateful I am that this artstyle has returned.

[@redcoat4348]

The artstyle looks the same...

[@danielboggan2479]

When did it go away?

[@math3000]

@@redcoat4348 it's the OG art style

[@connorbranscombe6819]

@@redcoat4348 I mean sure, if you dont know what the words "art style" means.

[@zenkomenhi]

"All super gay" Read: Ancient Greece

[@GoldfishEmpire]

•-• k then.

[@HeliosXII]

SUPER GAY SHOCK TROOPS BABEH!

[@Vassilinia]

Right? Lmaoooo 🤣

[@williamle8300]

Flashbacks from highschool in the 1990s 😭

[@Psychol-Snooper]

Ancient everywhere before Christianity.

[@GaryCrasher]

Gee, I wonder why I never heard of this in high school history class...

[@josepheastham9717]

Because the conflict of Persia vs Greece had a wayyyyyy bigger impact on the world. Also democracy isn't credited and lauded as Thebian or Spartian.

[@PixelPower0615]

The same reason you don't know the real story behind achilles and patroclus...

[@alejandrogorricho4791]

The Same reason they dont tell you about the Trail of Tears in Highschool

[@germanrinaldi7830]

They would say they were "really good friends"

[@ecurewitz]

@@alejandrogorricho4791 I learned about the trail of tears in middle school. This was in Massachusetts, in the 1980s

[@abcdef27669]

Young man, there's no need to bow down I said, young man, let's take Thebes off the ground I said, young man, 'cause you're in a free town There's no need to be unhappy Young man, there's a place you can fight I said, young man, we will fight day and night You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find Many ways to have a good time It's fun to stay at the Sacred Band of Thebes! It's fun to stay at the Sacred Band of Thebes! They have everything for you men to enjoy You can hang out with all the boys It's fun to stay at the Sacred Band of Thebes! It's fun to stay at the Sacred Band of Thebes! You can get yourself clean, you can have a good meal You can do what ever you feel Young man, are you listening to me? I said, young man, what do you want Thebes to be? I said, young man, you can make real your dreams But you got to know this one…

[@jasminemiller7485]

Why has no one else like this? This is amazing!

[@Psychol-Snooper]

B-A-N-D?

[@jarrakul]

This is fantastic.

[@Pavlos_Charalambous]

Honestly that was a good one 🤣

[@alarcon99]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@daborinkid7279]

i clicked for 2 reasons: - my love for this channel - my love for rome total war

[@captainjules6033]

- my hate for playing against the Sacred Band

[@TheOldBearTime]

I was confused at first cause the Sacred Band is a carthaginian unit.

[@rogerogue7226]

@@captainjules6033 They're a phalanx unit played by the AI. Flank em and they die.

[@camerontorres6850]

Captain Jules the Sacred band in Rome Total War was with the Carthaginian faction... I assumed they were going to mention a little more about Carthage and the rise of the Sacred Band from Carthage but after completely watching this video, it threw me off completely off 😭💀 but overall I have much huge respect for this fight force and the City State of Thebes that assembled this fighting force to gain independence from Sparta. The fact they actually had an emotional bond like it was described in the video was touching and shows how effective they were and how high their morale would be when faced off in the battlefield against much larger odds against their enemies!

[@cristianvillanueva8782]

I was literally playing rome 2 when I found this video

[@DragoSonicMile]

Pelopidas: _We are not trapped in here by all of the Spartans! They are all trapped in here with us!_

[@leiladekwatro3147]

4:13 I love how the guy's lover still loves and supports him even when he tries to flex his non-existent biceps

[@brendanthebomber.]

Relationship goals lmao

[@jmt5887]

Stories like this is what makes Extra History so great. They always find something that you don't know or aren't taught and explains it in such a way that it's crazy it isn't taught in school.

[@apexhunter935]

Then why didnt they talk about how George Washington was a slave owner

[@CaptainJigili]

How'd you post a comment 14 hours ago on a video published 6 minutes ago?

[@luciusvernus3174]

I mean its called "*Extra* History" of course they will find something that you didnt ask or expect

[@BoxStudioExecutive]

@@apexhunter935 Everyone knows that

[@jmt5887]

I'm a patreon. I get to see it a day early.

[@presidentfist2787]

'The sacred band' would be a great name for a gay bar

[@nulolove]

Dinks on me!

[@baerververgaert1308]

Someone in the chat called them the 'sacred gang' which sounds just fabulous.

[@acebalistic1358]

there probably is somewhere on the planet

[@pankiriyan9898]

Bright idea

[@frater7576]

That would dishonor their memory. To be equated with baseness.

[@scetmam1031]

Someone once told me that the Spartans used their helmets as brushes, I knew it wasn't true but I can never look at their helmets the same now.

[@leoslack6104]

Collector's Professional Killstreak Kit anyone else read the start of this like All Star

[@TheOldBearTime]

Joey?

[@Psychol-Snooper]

Their helmet's doubled as a shoeshine boy's stand.

[@Nianiosoglou]

"strong hero warriors" and "gay" in the same sentence must be every homophobe's nightmare

[@scptime1188]

Ikr

[@thatoneweirdo1910]

It's my best day dream lol

[@Observer31]

It's not a coincidence that this video has 10 times the "normal" amount of downvotes... sigh

[@highbahamut6188]

@@Observer31 actually is probably because of the pride month part.

[@thomasrinschler6783]

While it's nice to see Pelopidas get his due, you could have at least mentioned Epaminondas as well. He was at least as important to the whole Theban revival, and was the one to come up with the whole unorthodox strategy that crushed the Spartans at Leuktra... But thanks for bringing up the Theban Hegemony period. So often general histories go straight from the end of the Peloponnesian War right to Phillip and Alexander and skip right over this period. Which would leave those who aren't familiar with this time period wondering where Sparta was during the rise of Macedon, and why Thebes was such a major opponent to the Macedonians instead...

[@bluespaceman7937]

Yeah, I was wondering about why that didn't come up before

[@GilgameshEthics]

Hey thomas can you start making some history videos for me? K thx

[@Jesterman]

Jk Rowling 20 years after writing Harry Potter be like: 0:38

[@nigelis2345]

Telling her assistant "Write that down, write that down".

[@robertwalpole360]

*facepalm*

[@19Pyrus70]

@@nigelis2345 Too late. Fantasy novel series Thieves' World already used Sacred Banders back in the late 70's & early 80's.

[@Xamsims]

Honestly amazing how Sparta spiralled to irrelevance literally due to the power of love. May the Sacred Band rest in peace.

[@CStone-xn4oy]

Sparta spiralled into irrelevance because they put all of their "points" into military training. That works fine until you are beaten by a numerically inferior force. Its also worth noting that Sparta itself never had the population to field an army capable of dominating Greece on land.

[@hankwilliams2569]

It was due to tactics and leadership.. Idiot

[@NicaremE]

Irrelevance? they were affected for sure, but where do you get irrelevance from? Sparta stayed THE military superpower for a while

[@Integrationist]

This video is a celebration of pederasty

[@spartan8561]

power of love ?🤣🤣🤣🤣it wasn't with love or letting your ass open that you won the war and were honored

[@alangao4693]

"The Spartan Forces were routed" Well thats not something you hear everyday

[@Themasked4137]

“Their Superior Horsemen” - I’m on horse who’s riding a horse

[@ribbitgoesthedoglastnamehe4681]

Its a horse, driving a warchariot pulled by even bigger horses, made of hundreds of tiny horses on skateboards.

[@luluviana9602]

I can't love you people more than I already do, honestly. You're all wonderful people. I'm so proud and happy to follow this channel

[@UnDeaDCyBorg]

Their second battle against the spartans was an impressive feat of tactics with what, from the outside, could be seen as a rather simple innovation.

[@edylai683]

This just proves love is the most powerful force in the world

[@terner1234]

except persia

[@edylai683]

Yeah that's true

[@Noric.Morava]

Have you heard about thermonuclear weapons thou?

[@edylai683]

Nope

[@Just_A_Dude]

To paraphrase Corinthians 13:13... "In the end, three things remain: Hope, Faith, and Love. Of these three, Love is greatest."

[@THECOMMUNISTCHANNEL]

They Proteck They attack But most importanly *They protect each others back*

[@marcelinecorbin1257]

They Proteck, they Attack, but most importantly they think each other’s a snack

[@nulolove]

And attack the back😏😏

[@finnpom7795]

*They both find eachother as a snacc*

[@armyofone5904]

Penetrate*

[@scptime1188]

But they have to say no hom- oh wait.

[@Friendlyneighborhoodguy]

I love Greece I love the food, the weather and the Greek people are very friendly and there is a small Greek community in the Philippines.

[@isaakwang750]

Greece we know its you, pay debt

[@AidenCSS]

Hands down one of my favorite channels, always happy when I see your channel upload!

[@mattmarino4033]

Aiden I completely agree , SUCH a great channel, just amazing informative content!

[@thisisntgoingwell]

"A secret weapon" Me: *A trumpet???*

[@DJMichael356]

😂

[@baerververgaert1308]

You're thinking of Scipio.

[@urielantoniobarcelosavenda780]

Tfu tfu tfu tuftfutfutfu, HEY Tfu tfu tfu tfu tfu tfutfu

[@euansmith3699]

7:50 "Their superior mounted troops..." :D :D :D

[@fletcherscottforeriesenate2008]

Euan Smith wowwww

[@shivenrege6780]

I thought the sacred band was me and the boys playing music

[@damiangaming5696]

only if you and the boys gay

[@shivenrege6780]

I just found that out an hour ago

[@somedude2278]

Me and the boys in the Sacred Band

[@KasumiRINA]

Army of Lovers IS a band named after the Theban Band. Swedish Europop, super popular in homophobic ex-USSR, _ironically._

[@shivenrege6780]

@@KasumiRINA Ironic

[@tsmspace]

"the spartans never lost!" ,, "hey what about that sacred band" ,, "that's super gay, it doesn't count"

[@samarbrander981]

They had the gay advantage it wasn’t a fair fight.

[@vicenzostella1390]

It’s Ancient Greece, though.

[@Rendo86]

oh yeah what about Thermopylae

[@jimmyhylton9957]

But Spartans has the gay too.

[@ArkadiBolschek]

Isn't "tyrannical Spartan" masters a redundancy?

[@leowei771]

well, Tyrant was an actual office position for Sparta. So it isn't that redundant.

[@TheAustronaut03]

Ha! Yes it is.

[@noahnavarro1008]

To be fair a master isn't necessarily tyrannical, an apprentice has a master but that doesn't make their master tyrannical.

[@Abshir1it1is]

@@noahnavarro1008 The word '"masters" wasn't part of the quotation, my friend. The joke is that "Tyrannical" and "Spartan" are a redundancy. Y'know, cuz it was a military dictatorship/slave-owning state.

[@ArkadiBolschek]

@@noahnavarro1008 "Tyrannical" and "Spartan" _is_ a redundancy though.

[@matthewsanchez4391]

"And they were all, super gay" So when the band said "you're screwed" they meant it literally?

[@luckyassassin1]

"Super gay" Well yeah that's ancient Greece

[@falco5476]

Well technically ancient Greece in general was more super Bi

[@14thbattlegroupcommander]

7:51 nobody gonna talk about this gem

[@thebutzel9752]

Yeah saw that. Instantly thought why the hell did they decide to put a horse on top of horse?

[@ShinigamiInuyasha777]

He had the high ground

[@14thbattlegroupcommander]

@@ShinigamiInuyasha777 ah, someone of culture

[@josebenardi1554]

Epaminondas wasn't mentioned once ? Can't help but feel disappointed.

[@SantomPh]

He was not a member of the Sacred Band, he was a senior politician

[@stephentomsky9576]

This wasn't spelled out in the episode, but the reason for putting the best soldiers on the right is that in phalanx formations, each man's shield unevenly protruded to his left (strapped off center to the left arm), partly covering the soldier to the left. This meant that those at the farthest right lacked a shield to help fully cover them, so most logically wanted the best fighters in that vulnerable position, warriors who could hold strong in battle with less protection. Thebes instead basically sent their best force against the weakest part of the enemies line. You can see a good explanation on Overly Sarcastic's video on Classical Warfare. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i37TdHethKyNsLc

[@jakobsworkshop9198]

Being Greek, it is so funny hearing "Pelopidas" this way. It is actually "Pelopídas", where the voice raises on the "i"

[@theophileburtz1624]

Isn't it Epaminondas?

[@Psychol-Snooper]

Playing Assassin's Creed: Odyssey grants Greek pronunciation skills.

[@jakobsworkshop9198]

@@Psychol-Snooper probably the opposite (I'm gonna get woooshed, am I not?)

[@JohnnyWalkerKat]

@@jakobsworkshop9198 your correct its pelopίdas the voice raises in the i.

[@civilgoalstone6151]

This remind me the parody "Meet the Spartans"

[@ArturoLopez-ly2pn]

Idk about you but edgy teenager me loved that movie

[@luckylukemapinggaming5246]

Superior calvary, just someone riding two horses!

[@isnitjustkit]

"They were all super gay" Everyone in Greece was super gay

[@torbk]

Well, the Sacred Band was so gay that even other Greeks thought they were gay, and Phillip II said that anyone who thought what they did unseemly should perish, after the Sacred Bands last stand.

[@kenster8270]

*Super bi. But close enough. :)

[@shawnheatherly]

Now where's the insanely over-the-top action movie about this army?

[@BIONICLECLAYPOKEMON]

"And they were all SUPER gay" I'm in.

[@emperorofwends8875]

ALL OF GREECE WAS GAY

[@studentofhistory718]

Greece: everybody's a little gay Sacred band: YEAH WELL IMMA BIG GAY

[@matiasezequielgalvan1826]

Acient greece be like: "A HOLE IS A HOLE"

[@infinitememegod]

...that's pretty gay..

[@Pavlos_Charalambous]

I know I shouldn't mention this but the Greek version of it goes " a good mill ( grinder ) can grind everything "

[@joshformerlyjambicglortpam8775]

Hey babe, look! *Thrusts a spear into the heart of my enemy in the chaotic melee*

[@frenci99]

7:50 Note to self: if you want better chivalry just put a horse on another horse

[@jonatannyvall9119]

08:01 What "innovation of fighting techniques"? The video states the above but does not explain what it was at any point in the video. It makes us believe the sacred band were just better and so won. The innovation Thebes repeated was that the left flank consisted of more ranks, presumably 50 ranks to the spartans' 12. This higher press of bodies could press forward and thus break the opposing side more easily because of the increased pushing force. Meanwhile, the rest of the Theban army was deployed in an echelon line and did not see much of the fighting. It is about applying most of your force to one spot overwhelming it, while keeping the rest of the enemy line occupied or inactive.

[@animusnocturnus7131]

Actually, the video states that the Thebes placed their most experienced soldiers on the left flank instead of the right, thus surprising the Spartan forces who expected a much easier foe than they got.

[@SusCalvin]

When you think of antique greek warfare, cavalry manouvers isn't what comes to mind.

[@wasneeplus]

The Thebens were also renowned for their use of light infantry, something practically unheard of in Greek warfare before that.

[@SantomPh]

This channel does not really go Kings and Generals or Bazbattles detail. Basically they put their top men on the left and stacked the left wing until it was nearly 8 times the size of fhe Spartan line, bulldozing them . The Sacred Band would then pop out and split the Spartan line cracking the phalanx wide open from the inside. The Thebans also began a variant of the hammer and an anvil

[@abcdef27669]

Sacred Band: "The spartans can take our lives, but they will never take our freedom!"

[@sklaWlivE]

I mean...Togas and great kilts are sorta the same type of thing, I guess...

[@BenjaminKlahn]

@7:51 Double-up horses to represent "superiority" had me in stitches. Brilliant visual gag.

[@Kurtizss]

Thebes: *Very Gay* Sparta: *If Gay means happy, Then im Straight*

[@gaeagaea8018]

Lol I mean the Spartans were also hella gay too Lmao

[@jimmyhylton9957]

Spartans had molestations from boyhood as part of their training.

[@Zack-vh7fu]

I prefer this art style to the ones used on your other videos

[@Googledeservestodie]

"they were Super Gay" *YMCA PLAYS*

[@finnpom7795]

and everytime we kiss i swear i can fly

[@ImmmaI]

7:53 superior mounted troupes, a man on a horse vs a man on a horse on a horse

[@jamesphillips531]

7:51 ahh yes the ultimate cavlary. STALKED HORSES

[@theoutlook55]

When I was a kid, in the years before the repeal of don't ask don't tell, major Supreme Court decisions, and when the occasional gay joke at school was completely kosher, I remember having read about the Sacred Band and how impressed I was with it. Thanks for making an episode about them.

[@radio2fort410]

I love it when you guys come out with a story I haven't heard before.

[@marionchua7543]

We need a movie about the Sacred Band of Thebes because these men were impressive and the formula of male lovers fighting alongside each other clearly worked wonders for Thebes.

[@SisterWomen]

Big love for this. There aren't a lot of videos about the Sacred Band. Smashed it, great work.

[@kyleanuar9090]

From other sources, the army have some losses but the general observed that the most courageous soldiers were lovers hence he recruited 150 pairs of lovers to make up the sacred band, undefeated ever except the last one where they were on reserved and resting when attacked by Alexander's troops.

[@pointly]

Sparta: "I will send a thousand Hoplites to destroy you!" Sacred Band: "Yum!"

[@terorbeam]

Where's Epaminondas in all of this?? I was looking forward to hear the details about Phillip's taken hostage by the 2 generals to ensure that Macedon does not revolt and how he learned from them

[@bufoferrata3205]

Hear! Hear! Epaminondas was the commander at Leuktra. He came up with the strategy that smashed the Spartans, and then he pushed for the liberation of the Messenian helots which finished the Spartans as a great power.(Good riddance!)

[@sleepy0]

this is gonna make so many trolls mad lmao

[@ilejovcevski79]

If you are referring to the battle of Leuctra, it was actually 2 main innovations that won it, not so much the Sacred Band, though they did play their part. First, Epaminondas refused a flank. An unheard of tactic up until then. Second, he more then tripled the depth of the Theban phalanx on the active flank, thus achieving local numerical superiority.

[@Bhaze_it]

I love this art it's one of my favorite styles. Good job!

[@Striker2054]

Stonewall Riots! It's the reason for the season Do the Stonewall Riots!

[@NACBEAST]

"That Ancient Greece had different interpretations of masculine and feminine." Which is really just a kind way of saying that the Ancient Greek view of being gay was strictly on a woman-man scale too. If you were the one giving it, you were still a man, and if you were the one taking it, you were a woman. Also, the 'younger partner' stuff is also a kind way of disguising how young these halves of the partnerships could go. As ever when it comes to history, stuff like this is way messier than what Brands can communicate in a short amount of time.

[@HuntingTheEnd]

My thoughts exactly. We can promote this, but we are then promoting old warrior men dominating young recruits. This wasnt gay in the modern sense, but "submissive = women" which isnt a good message either

[@scivolanto]

I don't think it is an accurate image of how Greeks perceived sexuality, what you describes looks more like the Roman perception (and it would still be quite approximative I'm afraid). The eromenos would certainly not have been assimilated to a woman, or be perceived as feminine because of his role. It was even considered part of the education of teens of the elite to be an eromenos, a mostly honorable role which certainly would have been denied to any woman. What was relevant to the Greeks, however, was the age of the partners. Greek pederasty involved a relationship between adults and what we would currently call teens or minors. Homosexuality between fully grown-up men may even have been frowned upon, if we are to believe Plato at least (cfr. The Symposium). Would the Sacred Band have recognized in modern gays the sexuality they had? Very hard to say, but maybe not.

[@Psychol-Snooper]

You've opened several can's of worms and mixed them all together in the most disparaging way possible. The man/boy relationships in the ancient world were surrounded by rules and mores so strict we know them today. Boys around the age of puberty were often placed in arranged relationships with successful men as "lovers" by their fathers with the goal of learning how to successfully navigate society. These relationships were expected to be intimate but also to respect the boy's dignity (eq no penetration or prostitution,) and in fact improve their reputation. If I recall correctly Socrates was the patron of Aristophanes... although the results of that relationship might be an indictment of the system more than anything.

[@pinktwinklestars]

Hi extra credits! I found a show on Alexander, so now I have a new series to request. Pedro the Magnanimous was such an interesting person, and I'd love to learn more about him from you guys. Thank you for your fun educational show and I can't wait to see what you guys do next!

[@blake-81]

And now I just remembered I first heard of the Hieros Lochos (the Sacred Band's original name in Greek) in THAT ONE Episode of Drifters...

[@harmonlanager2670]

I love that that the “superior calvary” was depicted via a rider on two horses

[@cdagos597]

The way you say "Pelopidas" brings my soul joy

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

No one does Pride Marches better than Thebes.

[@mExiCanRyMeeZZ]

Great video I have always been very interested in the Sacred Band of Thebes and I'm glad one of my favorite channels finally made a video about them. I was howerver, a bit dissapointed you did not mention the oblique order Pelopidas used at the Battle of Leuctra, would have been a nice hint to your military history buffs fans out there.

[@Pavlos_Charalambous]

Fan fact : Although late 19th to early 20th century Greece could be considered a ultra conservative nation, the idea of one fighting for freedom to " the bitter end " was so deeply rooted that modern day Greeks couldn't help themselves by fascinated by those ancient warriors Unlike any other well known ancient Greek military force only the sacred band got an regiment named after them during the war of the Greek independence And later during ww2 the first commando unit of the Greek army Also note that the fascination with ancient Greek history will later in the 70s- 80s help the cause of the gay/ lesbian community for braking of the modern day stereotypes, in a way what they was saying was that" if you are so much in love with ancient Greece how you can miss tried us ?" And in some extent it worked, now days even conservative parties are having openly gay PMs

[@yungfaas6688]

Already knew about this, but still really cool to hear it from you guys!

[@emanuelpracic4021]

Last time I was this early Spartans still fought Persians

[@Fish_Sticks]

0:39 jk rowling be like

[@denangel2327]

We discussed this topic when we talked about Athens and Sparta. I was really interested about this topic and love to learn more about it because we only glanced at the surface

[@wis-lord8158]

Fellas is it gay to try and beat Sparta

[@adamhakimimuhamadfaizal8054]

When you're so early you don't know what to say

[@AP-yx1mm]

Yeah but is also true that they regarded widely such relationships to be temporary and that an age differential has to be high. They reported about savage Celts, whose men regardless of their age slept with other men as they were with women, judging their practice to be depraved. I don't know who was more progressive then...

[@nicholasdalli6303]

The Greek attitude at the time was rather xenophobic, if you look at Aristotle he describes all non-Greeks as "Natural Slaves" - as is someone born to be slavish. So even if the Greeks might not have been too progressive by our modern standards (certainly they were ultra-progressive say against the Isrealites) they certainly painted others as immediately lesser and so their actions as inferior.

[@Psychol-Snooper]

And then... Christianity!

[@urielantoniobarcelosavenda780]

@@Psychol-Snoopermmm, taste to jews

[@marchernandez4596]

Conception of homosexuality varied from zone to zone and polis to polis. Relationships were't always temporary, and differences weren't always si high. That's a muscinception spread by hetero scholars with no real interest to challenge the pro-athenian myth that the whole of Greece was like them.

[@keanantorriente1899]

Yyeeeeesssss finally I've always wanted for you to do something like this

[@ShinigamiInuyasha777]

Spartans: TONIGHT WE DINE IN HELL Thebans: Tonight we dine you!

[@math3000]

"It's Pride Month, baby" This was said perfectly

[@zeroburn315]

IIRC, throughout most of Greece in this era it was more unusual to be 100% straight or gay than to be some shade of bisexual. They had their preference, sure, but pretty much everyone was into both sides to some extent.

[@Medicine91]

Getting A+++ in history with all these Extra Credits.

[@AhJong0]

What an amazing piece of history - thanks EC!

[@anarionelendili8961]

Loved the double horse horseman, but somewhat disappointed that Epaminondas and his oblique line tactics didn't even get a mention. Pelopidas might have been the political firebrand of the two, but Epaminondas was the military mastermind, and it was his death two years after Pelopidas' that was the true death knell of Theban dominance. Frankly, without Epaminondas, Pelopidas would have died in the 1st Battle of Mantinea already.

[@nevererothezero7893]

They are almighty warriors Spartans:meh *Did I forgot to mention they are SUPER GAY?* Spartans: *RUN*

[@13141Scott]

Theben commander/politician Epaminondas deserves a highlight. Pelopidas didn't lead alone

[@philbartolotta1759]

I just found the Extra History series and I would love to see you present the Siege of Dura-Europos. These are fantastic.