M/M: The Sacred Band of Thebes, Athenaeus, Deipno. 13.12

Name:   Athenaeus Date:   2nd century CE Region:   Naucratis [modern Egypt] Citation:    Deipnosophists 13.12

Pontianos said that Zenon from Citium declared that Eros was the god of friendship and liberty, the provider of harmony, and nothing else. He wrote in The Republic that Eros was a god and an assistant in the safety of the community….In Thebes, the so-called “Sacred Band” composed of lovers, demonstrates the majesty of the god of love, for these soldiers welcome an honorable death over living with dishonor.

Ποντιανὸς δὲ Ζήνωνα ἔφη τὸν Κιτιέα ὑπολαμβάνειν τὸν Ἔρωτα θεὸν εἶναι φιλίας καὶ ἐλευθερίας, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ὁμονοίας παρασκευαστικόν, ἄλλου δὲ οὐδενός. διὸ καὶ ἐν τῇ Πολιτείᾳ ἔφη τὸν Ἔρωτα θεὸν εἶναι συνεργὸν ὑπάρχοντα πρὸς τὴν τῆς πόλεως σωτηρίαν. …ὁ δὲ παρὰ Θηβαίοις ἱερὸς λόχος καλούμενος συνέστηκεν ἐξ ἐραστῶν καὶ ἐρωμένων, τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ σεμνότητα ἐμφαίνων, ἀσπαζομένων θάνατον ἔνδοξον ἀντ᾽ αἰσχροῦ καὶ ἐπονειδίστου βίου. 

Tum Potianus, Zenonem Citieum, aiebat, existimare Amorem Deum esse, Amicitiae &Libertatis & Concordiae auctorem, neque ei aliud esse negotium. Quare etiam in Republica scripsit, esse Amorem Deum, adiutorem ad salutem civitatis … Apud Thebanos sacra cohors, quae vocabatur, ex amatoribus & amasiis composita, maiestatem Dei huius declarabat, quum gloriosam mortem turpi & probrosae vitae anteferrent. 

Translated into Latin by Johannes Schweighaeuser (1805)

Athenaeus of Naucratis [2nd century CE, modern Egypt] was a scholar who lived in Naucratis during the reign of the Antonines. His fifteen volume work, the Deipnosophists, are invaluable for the amount of quotations that preserve otherwise lost authors, including the poetry of Sappho.

Pelopidas, the Leader of the Sacred Band of Thebes: Cornelius Nepos Pelopidas 4

Throughout this turbulent time period, Epaminondas spent his time at home away from the political drama, so the honor of being the liberator of Thebes belongs to Pelopidas alone. There are many other accolades, however, that he shared with Epaminondas.  For although Epaminondas was in charge during the battle of Leuctra,  it was Pelopidas who was the leader of the Sacred Band that first broke apart the Spartan battle lines. Pelopidas was there for all of these dangers, and even led a wing of the army during the attack on Sparta. He was sent as an ambassador to Persia in order to restore control of Messena. And so Pelopidas was one of the most important men of Thebes, but he still was second to Epaminondas in fame.

--Cornelius Nepos, Vita Pelopidae 4.1-3

 

Hoc tam turbido tempore, sicut supra docuimus, Epaminondas quoad cum civibus dimicatum est, domi quietus fuit. Itaque haec liberandarum Thebarum propria laus est Pelopidae: ceterae fere communes cum Epaminonda. 2 Namque in Leuctrica pugna imperatore Epaminonda hic fuit dux delectae manus, quae prima phalangem prostravit Laconum. 3 Omnibus praeterea periculis adfuit - sicut, Spartam cum oppugnavit, alterum tenuit cornu -, quoque Messena celerius restitueretur, legatus in Persas est profectus. Denique haec fuit altera persona Thebis, sed tamen secunda ita, ut proxima esset Epaminondae.

 

 

 Cornelius Nepos (110 - 25 BCE) was a Roman author who was born in Cisalpine Gaul (now Northern Italy). He is best known for a series of biographies of great men of Greece and Rome.

  

Paternity isn't Patriotism: I Do Not Owe the State Children, Nepos, Epaminondas 10.1-2

[Epaminondas] never got married. When Pelopidas criticized him for not having children, he reproached Pelopidas back for having a son with a bad reputation, saying it was worse to leave behind such a kid as an heir. “For,” he continued, “I leave behind a daughter: the Battle of Leuctra, which will not only outlive me, but will also live forever.”1

-Cornelius Nepos, EPAMINONDAS 10.1-2

 Hic uxorem numquam duxit. In quo cum reprehenderetur, quod liberos non relinqueret, a Pelopida, qui filium habebat infamem, maleque eum in eo patriae consulere diceret, 'Vide', inquit 'ne tu peius consulas, qui talem ex te natum relicturus sis. Neque vero stirps potest mihi deesse. 2 Namque ex me natam relinquo pugnam Leuctricam, quae non modo mihi superstes, sed etiam immortalis sit necesse est.' 

 

Cornelius Nepos (110 - 25 BCE)was a Roman author who was born in Cisalpine Gaul (now Northern Italy). He is best known for a series of biographies of great men of Greece and Rome.

M/M: Building A New Life Together, Aristotle, Politics 2.1274a

A Fresh Start Together in a New Home

Name: Aristotle Date:     384 – 322  BCE Region:    Stagira / Athens [modern Greece] Citation:  Politics, 2.1274a-b

Although he was Corinthian by birth, Philolaus became a lawmaker in Thebes.  Philolaus was from the noble Bacchiad family, and was the boyfriend of the Olympic victor Diocles. Diocles was forced to leave his city due to [his mother’s toxic behavior].  He left for Thebes, where he and his lover spent the remainder of their lives. They arranged their tombstones in such a way that they faced each other, but with Diocles’ tomb facing away from Corinth. They say that Diocles arranged it this way, for due to the trauma he experienced in his youth, he did not wish to buried in sight of his homeland, but Philolaus didn’t mind if his own tomb did. 

ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ Φιλόλαος ὁ Κορίνθιος νομοθέτης Θηβαίοις. ἦν δ᾽ ὁ Φιλόλαος τὸ μὲν γένος τῶν Βακχιαδῶν, ἐραστὴς δὲ γενόμενος Διοκλέους τοῦ νικήσαντος Ὀλυμπίασιν, ὡς ἐκεῖνος τὴν πόλιν ἔλιπε διαμισήσας ..., ἀπῆλθεν εἰς Θήβας: κἀκεῖ τὸν βίον ἐτελεύτησαν ἀμφότεροι. καὶ νῦν ἔτι δεικνύουσι τοὺς τάφους αὐτῶν ἀλλήλοις μὲν εὐσυνόπτους ὄντας, πρὸς δὲ τὴν τῶν Κορινθίων χώραν τὸν μὲν σύνοπτον τὸν δ᾽ οὐ σύνοπτον: μυθολογοῦσι γὰρ αὐτοὺς οὕτω τάξασθαι τὴν ταφήν, τὸν μὲν Διοκλέα διὰ τὴν ἀπέχθειαν τοῦ πάθους, ὅπως μὴ ἄποπτος ἔσται ἡ Κορινθία ἀπὸ τοῦ χώματος, τὸν δὲ Φιλόλαον ὅπως ἄποπτος.

Fuit et Philolaus Corinthius Thebanis legum auctor. Erat autem Philolaus ex Bacchiadum genere: sed cum Dioclis, eius qui vicit Olympia, amator esset: ille autem ...aspernatus ac detestatus urbem reliquisset: Thebas una cum eo profectus est, ibique ambo mortui sunt: atque etiam nunc eorum sepulchra ostendunt, ita posita, ut alterum quidem ex altero facile conspici possit: sed Corintiorum agro alterum sit in conspectu positum, alterum non sit. Fabulantur enim, eos ita sua sepulchra fieri ac locari iussisse. Dioclem quidem propter odium calamitatis acceptae, ut ne ex sepulchri aggere ager Corinthius prospici posset: Philolaum, ut posset.  Translated into Latin by Guillaume Du Val

Aristotle [384 – 322 BCE, modern Greece] was a famous Athenian philosopher and scientist.  Not only were his works on philosophy, logic, and science incredibly influential to ancient Mediterranean culture, but he also is known as one of the teachers and mentors of Alexander the Great.

M/M: A Hymn for the Sacred Band of Thebes, Greek Anthology 13.22

A Hymn in Praise of the Sacred Band of Thebes 

Name: Phaedimus of Bisanthe Date:    2nd century BCE Region:    Bisanthe [modern Turkey] Citation:    Greek Anthology 13.22

My lord, Far-Shooter,

Hold back the bow

You used to bring down the hearts of giants!

Do not open the quiver of the Wolf Slayer!

Instead use the arrows of Love

On our youth  

So the courageous love of these young men

May defend our homeland!

This love kindles their courage,

O Greatest of the gods,

Ever improving these champions.

O Guardian of Thebes,

Accept this gift of Melistion.

τόξον μὲν, ᾧ Γίγαντος ὤλεσας σθένος, ἴσχε βίης, Ἑκάεργ᾽ ἀνάσσων: οὔ οἱ φαρέτρη λύεται λυκοκτόνος: τοῖσδε δ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἠΐθέοις ὀΐστὸν στρέφειν Ἔρωτος, τόφρ᾽ ἀλέξωνται πάτρῃ, θαρσαλέοι φιλότατι κούρων.

Arcum quidem, quo Gigantis deiecisti robur, cohibe a violentia, longinque-iaculans regnator; non tibi pharetra aperiatur luporum-interfectrix; sed hos in adolescentes sagittam verte Amoris, ut auxilientur patriae, impavidi amore iuvenum.

πυρὸς γὰρ ἀλκή, καὶ θεῶν ὑπέρτατος αἰὲν ὅδε προμάχους ἀέξειν. Μελιστίωνος δ᾽, ὦ πατρώιον σέβας Σχοινιέων, ἐπίηρα δέχθαι.

Ignis est vis ille est et deorum supremus usque hic ad propugnatores excitandos. Melistionis autem, o patrium numen Schoeniensium, studium tui accipe. Translated into Latin by Hugo Grotius

Phaedimus of Bisanthe [2nd century BCE, modern Turkey] was one of the numerous authors whose poetry is preserved in The Greek Anthology. Very little is known about him or his works outside of these extant poems.

M/M: The Lion of Chaeronea: Pausanias, Descriptio Graeciae, IX.xl.9

The Lion of Chaeronea was a memorial dedicated to the Theban Band (an army of paired lovers) who fell at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BCE

Next to the city is a memorial for the soldiers who fell in the battle against Philipp. The memorial has no inscription; it is a lion, signifying the courage of these men. I think the reason there is no inscription is that victory did not accompany their daring effort.

Proximo urbi loco est commune Thebanis sepulcrum, iis qui in acie contra Philippum stantes ceciderunt. Nulla est apposita inscriptio. Insigne tumuli leo est, ad eorum virorum animi magnitudinem significanda. Inscriptum (ut opinor) propterea nihil est,quod illorum hominum virtutem dii non fortunassent.

προσιόντων δὲ τῇ πόλει πολυάνδριον Θηβαίων ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ πρὸς Φίλιππον ἀγῶνι ἀποθανόντων. ἐπιγέγραπται μὲν δὴ ἐπίγραμμα οὐδέν, ἐπίθημα δ᾽ ἔπεστιν αὐτῷ λέων: φέροι δ᾽ ἂν ἐς τῶν ἀνδρῶν μάλιστα τὸν θυμόν: ἐπίγραμμα δὲ ἄπεστιν ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐοικότα τῇ τόλμῃ σφίσι τὰ ἐκ τοῦ δαίμονος ἠκολούθησε.

--Pausanias, Descriptio Graeciae IX.xl.10; Translated into Latin by Roulus Amaseus (1696)

 Pausanias was a Greek writer who lived during the era of the “Five Good Emperors.” His work, the Description of Greece, is an important source for geographical, historical, archaeological, and cultural information about ancient Greece. 

M/M: The Army of Theban Lovers, Maximus of Tyre, Diss. 8

The Army of Theban Lovers

Name: Maximus of Tyre [Cassius Maximus Tyrius] Date:   2nd century CE Region:   Tyre [modern Lebanon] Citation:    Dissertation 18.2.f-k

Epamonidas liberated Thebes from Sparta’s control by weaponizing love. In Thebes there were many young soldiers in love.  Epamonidas put weapons in their hands, and created a squadron of lovers who had incredible valor and were undefeatable. Whether in battle formation or in melee they easily repelled the enemy’s assault, the likes of which have never been seen, not even under the skillful leadership of the Trojan War hero Nestor, nor in the descendants of Heracles in the Peloponnesian campaign,  nor in the Peloponnesian campaign against Athens.

The reason for this was that each man had to prove themselves to their lover, either to fight well in their lover’s eyes, or out of necessity, since each man had to defend his own sweetheart. And in turn, a rivalry spurred on their bravery, so they could perform equally as well as their lover, just as the puppies of hunting dogs follow the bigger dogs in the pack.  

Ἐλευθεροῖ τὰς Θήβας Ἐπαμεινώνδας ἀπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων σρατηγήματι ἐρωτικῷ. Μειρακίων πολλῶν καλῶν ἐρασταὶ ἤσαν Θήβησιν πολλοὶ νεανίαι. ὅπλα δους Ἐπαμεινώνδας τοῖς ἐρασταῖς καὶ τοῖς ἐρωμένοις συνέταξεν λόχον ἱερὸν του ἔρωτος. δεινὸν καὶ ἄμαχον καὶ συνασπίζοντα ἀκριβῶς καὶ ἄῤῥηκτον οἷον ουτε ὁ Νέστωρ περὶ τὸ Iλιον συνεστήσατο ὁ δεινότατος τῶν σρατηγών, οὔτε Ἡρακλείδαι περὶ Πελοπόννησον ουτε Πελοποννήσιοι περὶ τὴν Ἀττικὴν. ἔδει γὰρ ἕκασον τῶν ἐραστῶν ἀριστεύειν, καὶ διὰ φιλοτιμίαν ἐν ὄψει τῶν παιδικῶν μαχόμενον καὶ δὶ ἀνάγκην ὑπερμαχούντα τῶν φιλτάτων. ἦν δὲ καὶ τὰ μειράκια ἐφάμιλλα ταῖς ἀρεταῖς τοῖς ἐραςταῖς, ὥσπερ ἐν θήρᾳ σκύλακες συμπαραθέοντες τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις τῶν κυνῶν.

Epamonidas amatorio stratagemate Thebas in liberatem a Lacedaemoniis vindicavit. Erant Thebis multi pulchri adolescentuli qui amabantur, multi pulchri iuvenes qui amabant. Utrisque arma in manum Epamonidas dat, et utrisque cohortem instruit amatoriam, quae mirae virtutis planeque inexpugnabilis cum esset, conferto simul agmine facile hostium impetum sustinuit. Qualem neque imperatorum solertissimus Nestor, in Troiano agro, neque in Peloponnesiaco Heraclidae, neque in Attico instruxere Peloponnesii Necesse enim fuit amatores singulos, vel existimationis suae causa, quod in oculis adolescentulorum pugnarent, vel necessitatis, quod singuli amicissimum defenderent, strenue rem gerere. Vehemens rursus aemulatio adolescentulos pungebat, ut cum amatoribus sibi suis paria facerent: sicut in venatione catuli, qui maiores canes sequuntur.  Translated into Latin by Claudius Larjot

Maximus of Tyre [2nd century CE, modern Lebanon] was listed as one of the most influential people in the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius’ life. He spent most of his life in scholarly pursuits; his Dissertations were a collection of philosophical treatises based on the works of Plato.