Sacred band

[Inuyasha12]

First about the carthaginian sacred band, isn't that unit hellenic/greek, not carthaginian. I remeber the hellenic total war mod and there was a greek faction with sacred band hoplites.
Who really had the sacred band!!??



secondly i have a question about the hellenic total war mod, anyone who still has it could you tell me who has the ability to make sacred band enomotia in the game.

i don't know why but "theban sacred band keeps poping into my head"

But thebes is in egypt(in this game at least)

Ohhh im so confused

[Louis VI the Fat]

I know that there was a Theban sacred band. If there were any others, or anything similair elsewhere, I do not now.

And there is a Thebes both in Greece and in Egypt. This had me confused for a long time as well.

Can't help you with the rest.

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Yes. Just like Louis IV the Fat said, there was a Thebes in Egypt and a Thebes in Greece. This later one is the one were Epaminondas was born. He was the first general that planned and achieved a tactical plan able to defeat the Spartans in a hoplites battle. The elite hoplites of Thebes were a group of homossexual men (couples mostly) that were called The Sacred Band.

As for Historical justification for the Cartaghinian Sacred Band Infantry I was never able to find out if it was true or not.

[Tricky Lady]

Posted on behalf of Junior Patron Krusader:




The Sacred Band for Carthage is different from the Sacred Band in Thebes. I also got confused about the names first time.

The Carthaginian Sacred Band were Carthaginian nobles, originally a officer corps, who were trained to have Carthage as a primary priority, and above all other things like marriage, spouses etc. Carthage and its well-being was the most important thing in their lives. The unit btw is trained in the Greatest temple to Baal, so that might hint at the Sacred name.

Sacred Band in Thebes, were an elite homosexual unit, where each member had a homosexual partner. This made them reluctant to rout or withdraw as they didnt want to leave their lovers behind. Philip 2 of Macedon defeated them in battle, and almost the entire Sacred Band were slaughtered as they refused to give up or give ground. This moved Philip to tears, and he later had a Lion statue erected over their graves on the battlefield, so it could keep eternal vigilance over the fallen Sacred Band warriors. They had a own citadel in Thebes too.

Thebes in Greece was a major city, until it was razed by Alexander the Great as I recall. It was in the area near Larissa, nothwest off Athens. Why there are two Thebes I dont know, although the Thebes in Egypt was important too, and remained longer.

[Longasc]

The Lady is quite right. The Sacred Band were noble citizens of Carthage or, in general, a settlement.

Some sites with references to the Sacred Band of Carthage and their appearance:

http://www.barca.fsnet.co.uk/shields.htm

http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/se/~luv20009/Gela.html

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

To Tricky Lady and Longasc. What I said was:

As for Historical justification for the Cartaghinian Sacred Band Infantry I was never able to find out if it was true or not.

Note the Infantry. I was talking about units on the battlefield, not if there was or not a Sacred Band formed by noblemen in Carthage.

[Del Arroyo]

As far as the 'two Thebeses', in my copy of the Illiad/Odyssey one is 'Thebes' and one is 'Thêbês'. So perhaps they were pronounced differently.

But they both go back quite a ways, at least.

DA

[Aedil]

Thebes in Greece was a major city, until it was razed by Alexander the Great as I recall. It was in the area near Larissa, nothwest off Athens. Why there are two Thebes I dont know, although the Thebes in Egypt was important too, and remained longer.

Well, the Thebes in Egypt is of course just a Greek "transcription" of the Egyptian name. So they presumably thought it sounded like Thebes.