Sacred Band????? Carthage???

[Wishazu]

i allways thought the Sacred Band were an elite unit from Ancient Greece. is this true? if so, how come only the carthiginians can have them?

[Old Celt]

They both had military units called "Sacred Band", but they aren't the same units. My understanding is the Greeks named one unit the Sacred Band because of heroic deeds they performed in battle. The Carthaginian Sacred Band was a regular unit/branch of the army of Carthage.

[Byzantine Prince]

I still don't understand why they look more like greeks the then any of the greek_cities units.

[Kraxis]

The corinthian helmet is of course wrong, it is not only out of date but out of place. A phrygian helmet (pikeman helmet) or attic helmet (normal hoplite helmet) might have been the helmet of coice for the Sacred Band. But their formation and armour is fitting enough, though it is mentioned to have been polished white metal (it is metal that is at least something). I guess the corinthian helmet is there because the men wouldn't look armoured enough with a lesser helmet.

But these guys most likely fought as hoplites in a phalanx.

Neither these nor the Theban Sacred Band were the only ones, there were Sacred Bands all round the Med. It is just the famous ones we get to know of course.

[metatron]

The Greek (Sacred Band of Thebes) were a completely homosexual unit; The Carthaginian Sacred Band was the only unit allowed inside of Carthage proper, and forbidden to mercenaries. Only Carthaginian citizens could join.

[BeeSting]

Both were elite units. But the Theban Sacred Band of 300 was completely made up of homosexual lovers. I think the Macedonians had a hell of a time butchering every one of them.

[AntiochusIII]

The Theban (Greek) one were created by the great Theban general Epaminondas (sp?) and often led by his close associate Pelopidas. They are the 300 men - homosexual couples are believed to have a very strong morale as their brother-in-arms are their loved ones; fighting as Thebes' elite hoplite force. When they were first created they had the pleasure of defeating Sparta once and again. The last sacred band were destroyed at Chaeronea, however, by Philip II of Macedon.

The Carthaginian Sacred band were the sons of the Carthaginian nobility being offered as sacrifice to the state not as human sacrifice but to train and become Carthage's elite force as property of the temple. (of Astarte, I believe) Some of them are cavalry, which served in Hannibal's campaign, and were some of the finest he had.

I think the Corinthian helmet "resembles" Hoplite superiority so CA just use it to Carthage's elite infantry despite the historical facts that these cool helmets were abandoned long ago...

Though I doubt they look 'that' Greek in real life. Did they use white shields?

[BeeSting]

I think the Corinthian helmet "resembles" Hoplite superiority so CA just use it to Carthage's elite infantry despite the historical facts that these cool helmets were abandoned long ago...

Though I doubt they look 'that' Greek in real life. Did they use white shields?

I think they look horrible in this game!!! Although surviving references are virtually non-existent, the fact that they look like the hoplites of Greek classical period makes me not want to produce them--to avoid the rude awakening that this game is pseudo historical, if that. They should reflect the changes and advances that followed the Greeks suiting the Hellenistic age, and later moving toward the Italian-Greek influence.

Considering that Carthage gave up 100 thousand sets of heavy infantry armor to Rome at their loss of Second Punic War, I would think they would have had the resource to dress their elite units with most up to date armors in the latest fashion and innovation, which I'm sure were mainly of Hellenic influence. So, yes, they did look good…. But very different from how they look good in RTW.

[Aetius the Last Roman]

I'm pretty sure the armor they used was adapted to not only the central and western meditarranean but also to the cultural tastes of the Carthaginians.
I think it was wrong for CA to portray such a Hellenized view of Carthage's most elite unit.

[Wishazu]

im a bit gutted you cant have sacred band when playing as the greeks :(

[Thessalos]

[QUOTE=AntiochusIII]The Theban (Greek) one were created by the great Theban general Epaminondas (sp?) and often led by his close associate Pelopidas. They are the 300 men - homosexual couples are believed to have a very strong morale as their brother-in-arms are their loved ones; fighting as Thebes' elite hoplite force. When they were first created they had the pleasure of defeating Sparta once and again.


WHAT??? HOMOSEXUALS??? WHO SAYS THIS CRAP?
Everybody knows that the ancient Greek ithicks did NOT allowed homosexual afairs... Ican't believe how this awful propaganda prevailed and everyone believes that the ancient Greeks (Hellenes) were homosexuals!

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PAS MI HELLIN VARVAROS

[Watchman]

I thought everyone knew they were. They're downright notorious of that. It's actually been fairly common in warrior cultures, far as I know.

[Thrudvang]

Who cares, really?

[AntiochusIII]

WHAT??? HOMOSEXUALS??? WHO SAYS THIS CRAP?
Everybody knows that the ancient Greek ithicks did NOT allowed homosexual afairs... Ican't believe how this awful propaganda prevailed and everyone believes that the ancient Greeks (Hellenes) were homosexuals!

Hmm... according to people around here they are, and I've read from several sources as well, though I can't remember where...

The Greeks accept homosexuality, according to many sources. Gays aren't freaks, so Greeks aren't freaks because some of them are gays. Though this is not my point here. Well, some easy way to look at it is to look at the Romans, they are tough and manly, no doubt, and yet many of them, Emperors included, several great ones like Trajan, Hadrian, etc, are gays. This could only be Greek influence since no sources claimed that Celts and Phoenicians are gays, or at least, very few of them.

My point, though, is that it creates strong morale and dedication that forms up an elite squad when the time didn't allow that much weapon-based advantage. No tanks to kill horses during those days. It was hoplite vs hoplite, so numbers and dedication means a lot.

[Byzantine Prince]

Thessalos is somewhat right. Homosexuality wasn't allowed in Athens and some other places but the Sacred Band of Thebes were said to have love for eachother. I'm not sure what kind of "love" they were talking about but Im sure it had nothing to do with them having sex. They had sex with eachother simply because they trained all the time and there were no women around. Other then that they would have kids and families.