Sacred Band of Theb: An All-Gay Army Battaln Ancient Greece – The Journal of A_C_Un

thebes greece gay

The ancient Greek cy of Theb was surprisgly relaxed about gay relatnships, even tchg the attentn of famo Greek philosopher Plato, who

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THE ELE GAY ARMY OF ANCIENT GREECETHE SACRED BAND OF THEB FEATED EVEN THE SPARTANSPETER PRKAR·FOLLOWPUBLISHED LSONS OM HISTORY·4 M READ·OCT 11, 2020--3SHAREGREEK WARRRS — ARTISTIC IMAGE (IMAGE:ARTSTATN/@ALIAKSANDR TRYZON)THE SACRED BAND WAS AN ELE ARY UN OM THEB PRISG 150 GAY UPL. AT THE BATTLE OF LCTRA 371 BC, THE 300 GAY WARRRS LED THE THEBAN ARMY AGAST THE SPARTAN ARMY. THE THEBANS WON AND SHATTERED THE SPARTAN NTROL OF GREECE.THE GREEK VIEW ON GAY WARRRSA MALE UPLE ENGAGG TERCRAL SEX. DEPICTED ON ANCIENT GREEK POTTERY (IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)THE THEBANS BELIEVED GAY WARRRS FOUGHT BETTER ORR TO IMPRS AND PROTECT THEIR LOVERS. IF A LOVER FELL DURG A BATTLE, HIS PARTNER WOULD FIGHT EVEN HARR TO AVENGE HIS ATH.THREE THOAND YEARS AGO ANCIENT GREECE, BEG GAY OR LBIAN WAS NOT A CRIME. IN FACT, CERTA SUATNS, THE GREEKS EVEN ENURAGED HOMOSEXUAL RELATNSHIPS.YOUNG BOYS EXCHANGED ROMANTIC FAVORS FOR THE KNOWLEDGE PROVID BY THEIR OLR TUTORS. FATHERS WOULD PRAY TO THE GODS FOR THEIR SONS TO BE ATTRACTIVE BEE MEANT A BETTER MENTOR. SUCH RELATNSHIPS LASTED UNTIL THE YOUNG BOYS REACHED ADULTHOOD.SOLDIERS WOULD FORM ROMANTIC RELATNSHIPS WH ONE ANOTHER TO BOOST THEIR MORALE.THE GREEK SOCIETY DIFFERENTIATED BETWEEN ACTIVE AND PASSIVE ROL BOTH GENRS TOOK DURG SEX. AN ACTIVE ROLE, BEG A PERATOR, MEANT MASCULY, ADULTHOOD, AND PRTIGE. A PASSIVE ROLE, BEG PERATED, REPRENTED FEMY, YOUTH, AND SHAME.FOR A RECEIVG PARTNER, ANAL SEX WAS MEANG. INSTEAD, THEY ENGAGED TERCRAL SEX.THE MEMBERS OF THE SACRED BAND OF THEB WERE ROMANTIC PARTNERS. THEY LLED AN OLR PARTNER THE ERAST (‘LOVER’) AND A YOUNGER ONE THE EROMENOS (‘BELOVED’). EACH PAIR EXCHANGED SACRED VOWS AT THE TEMPLE OF IOLS, THE LOVER OF HERACL.FACTS ABOUT THE SACRED BAND OF THEB

In the fourth century BC, a fearsome army named the Sacred Band of Theb was formed, and was ma up entirely of gay upl. * thebes greece gay *

This regn, and s prcipal cy, Theb, tablished a precent for male same-sex unns that eply imprsed the ancient Greek world as well as gay rights pneers neteenth-century England and the U.

The story is ltle known pared wh, say, that of the poets Sappho of Lbos, whose homoerotic vers have ma the name of her home island, adjective form, a virtual synonym for female same-sex love. But trac survive of their uniquely gay-iendly culture, cludg a set of archaeologil sketch ma 1880 but brought to light only very recently. Homoerotic affairs were more typilly short-lived, endg when the junr partner – who may have been pre-pubcent at the outset – began to grow facial hair.

Or did their arrival help make Theb a more gay-posive place? The tomb of the Sacred Band was unearthed at jt the moment, the late neteenth century, that gay men, Europe and the U.

THIS FEARSOME, ANCIENT ARMY WAS MA UP ENTIRELY OF GAY LOVERS AND ENDORSED BY PLATO

The Sacred Band of Theb was an ele un of the Theban army prised of 150 gay male upl totalg 300 men. They were formed unr the learship of... * thebes greece gay *

Symonds wrote an impassned fense of Greek male homosexual culture, cludg that of Theb, his semal pamphlet “A Problem Greek Ethics. The work of both Symonds and Whman fluenced Gee Cecil Iv, a gay Victorian man and a iend of Osr Wil, to make the Sacred Band his emblem of gay male pri.

He formed a secret society, the Orr of Chaeronea, to provi a fom for closeted homosexuals and to work toward a more clive society.

SACRED BAND OF THEB: AN ALL-GAY ARMY BATTALN ANCIENT GREECE

* thebes greece gay *

The volumo diary he kept durg the late 19th and early 20th century is today nsired a val source for the start of the gay rights movement. The extctn of the Band, his ey, had marked a great fall om grace, the end of an era when gay men like himself uld live a life unimped by nmnatn.

The Sacred Band of Theb feated even the SpartansGreek warrrs — artistic image (Image:Artstatn/@Aliaksandr Tryzon)The Sacred Band was an ele ary un om Theb prisg 150 gay upl.

THE VICTOR GAY GREEK ARMY THAT GOT CANCELED BY HISTORY

Public DomaWhy do we see so many football and gby teams named for the Spartans, and only one for the Thebans, though Theb fact feated Sparta battle and end s reign as superpower of Greece? The explanatn li ep the prejudic of ancient Greek historians and thkers, as do the spiratn for that one exceptn: The Caledonian Thebans, Sttish ggers who fe themselv as gay, bisexual, or ;s start by notg that Greek Theb (not to be nfed * thebes greece gay *

At the Battle of Lctra 371 BC, the 300 gay warrrs led the Theban army agast the Spartan army. The Thebans won and shattered the Spartan ntrol of Greek view on gay warrrsA male uple engagg tercral sex.

THE STORY OF THE SACRED BANDTHE GAY LOVERS THAT FEATED THE SPARTANSA RENAISSANCE WRER·FOLLOWPUBLISHED EXPLORG HISTORY·7 M READ·JUN 8, 2020--4SHAREAS A CELEBRATN OF PRI MONTH, I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT ONE OF THE MOST FORMIDABLE, BUT LARGELY FOTTEN FIGHTG FORC HISTORY — THE SACRED BAND, A 300 STRONG THEBAN FORCE, MA UP ENTIRELY OF 150 PAIRS OF GAY, MALE LOVERS. WHILE THEIR PLACE HISTORY MAY LARGELY HAVE BEEN GLOSSED OVER, WE N STILL REMEMBER AND ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR CREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENTS, AS WELL AS THEIR TRAGIC END.ANCIENT THEB

The Sacred Band of Theb, a Greek ary un posed of male upl, spired morn csars for gay rights. * thebes greece gay *

Depicted on Ancient Greek pottery (Image: Wikimedia Commons)The Thebans believed gay warrrs fought better orr to imprs and protect their lovers. If a lover fell durg a battle, his partner would fight even harr to avenge his thoand years ago Ancient Greece, beg gay or lbian was not a crime.

In fact, certa suatns, the Greeks even enuraged homosexual boys exchanged romantic favors for the knowledge provid by their olr tutors. In the fourth century BC, a fearsome army named the Sacred Band of Theb was formed, and was ma up entirely of gay upl.

THE BT GAY BEACH GREECE

In formg the 300-strong army, Gidas took an unual approach; he personally chose each member based on mer and abily, rather than social stat, and only selected gay upl. The ancient gay army was offered the chance to surrenr, but as Plato predicted, they refed to give up ont of their lovers.

THE HISTORY OF GAYS THE MILARY – THE SACRED BAND OF THEB

The Sacred Band of Theb was an ele un of the Theban army prised of 150 gay male upl totalg 300 men. The once-famo troop of hero is often passed over discsns of Greek history bee they were gay and the ncept of a victor un of gay warrrs is at odds wh the prevalent homophobia of the prent day. It is entirely possible there was an earlier un of exclively gay lovers, however, & the Sacred Band was simply the most famo groupg.

If an army of lovers existed before the Sacred Band, then Plato may have been referencg them, but do not seem the earlier un referenced by Herodot and others fs Phaeds’ suggtn as there is no mentn of that group beg exclively gay. It is entirely possible there was an earlier un of exclively gay lovers, however, and the Sacred Band was simply the most famo groupg. They were 150 pairs of gay lovers.

Each uple f the mol of Greece homosexual relatns at the time: an olr, domant gentleman and his younger, passive playmate.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* THEBES GREECE GAY

Meet the Sacred Band of Theb, a fearsome army of gay lovers .

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