Sacred Band
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Monument to Gays in the Military
Pictured is a monument to the Theban Sacred Band, one of the most kick ass, elite regiments of ancient times. They were among the most respected bands of warriors for about 40 years. And it took the genius of Phillip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great and conquerer of all of Greece, to defeat them decisively.
King Philip, honored the men he just defeated by exclaiming:
"Perish any man who suspects that these men either did or suffered anything unseemly."
--from Plutarch, "Pelopidas" 18, translater: Dryden.
The Sacred Band, before their defeat by Phillip, wiped the floor with an army of Spartans at least three times thier number at Tegyra in 375 BC. They were also responsible for the victory by Thebes at Leuctra in 371 BC which firmly established Thebes as the last dominant city state before the defeat of the Greek poli by expanding and competing empires. Their years of existance corresponded almost exactly with the preeminance of the Theban militarily. They were part and parcel with the military success of Thebes.
But the Sacred Band, for all their amazing success, is not likely to be honored by modern military historians. In fact, in America their memory is unlikely to be invoked in any way whatsoever by the party in power. Why?
Gays in the military | history | Sacred Band | Thebes
