Chaeronea, and the army of male lovers

[meridannight]

i am currently researching and reading up on the life of Philip of Macedonia (Alexander's father), the man who was a military and political genius, and who through his own effort turned Macedonia into a political and military power that it had never been before.

Philip has been one of my favorite men from history, and i consider him a far greater genius than Alexander.

there was an army of male lovers in Greece during Philip's lifetime. it was the Sacred Band of Thebes, and it was an elite military force in the Theban army. it was in battle against Philip that these men were destroyed. historical sources place their number at 300, or 150 pairs of lovers. the fatal battle that took their life was Chaeronea in 338 BCE (August).

Athens' (Demosthenes') stubborn persistence in trying to overcome Philip and his already established power in the Greek mainland led Athens and Thebes into war with him. the conflict culminated at Chaeronea, where Philip's troops' superior formation (the pikeman-phalanx), skill and experience defeated the Athenian and Boeotian forces (neither Athenians, nor Boeotians (i.e. Thebans) had ever fought against the phalanx of pikemen). Philip's tactics spread out the enemy formation (he approached the enemy at an acute angle, not straight on, and used retreat) till they developed a gap in their formation. it was into this gap that Alexander (who commanded a unit in this battle) charged with the Companion Cavalry. the Sacred Band was consequently surrounded and they were all killed. (Philip, who, himself, had male lovers throughout his life, is said to have wept when he saw their dead bodies).

that's the story in brief. in detail, it is an extraordinary event in history and deserves full attention on its own.

the anniversary of the battle of Chaeronea is coming up soon, and i wanted to post this in memory of those men who loved other men and died courageously, to all male lovers who were brave enough to stand up and fight for their love in history, some of whom were killed for it (i.e. the Inquisition); and to show those that didn't know about this how men who loved other men distinguished themselves in history and to provide a positive example on the history of homosexuality.

these men weren't ridiculed or discriminated against for loving other men. they were an honored elite force in the army.

my two main sources have been:
Louis Crompton (History of Homosexuality);
Nicholas Hammond (Philip of Macedon).

some links:

Chaeronea, wikipedia

http://www.historytoday.com/louis-compto...and-thebes

Sacred Band of Thebes

[MikeW]

It is interesting, isn't it, that at the ROOT of what we think of as "Western Civilization," homosexuality was not only common but, apparently, accepted.

What happened? Surely the destruction of the Band of Thebes was one significant turning point. However, I suspect it wasn't until the ascendence of Christianity (and the subsequent marginalization of Paganism) that homosexuality became increasingly oppressed.

[TigerLover]

What happened? Surely the destruction of the Band of Thebes was one significant turning point. However, I suspect it wasn't until the ascendence of Christianity (and the subsequent marginalization of Paganism) that homosexuality became increasingly oppressed.

That is a very historically interesting question. And the short answer is that the Roman Empire happened.

Over the course of it's long history there were a series of events and trends that eroded social acceptance of homosexuality. And when Rome went down that path it took western civilization with it.

Your suspicions are right. Rome's conversion to Christianity struck the final blow. But at that point Homosexuals had already been demonized and stripped of all legal and social protection. The early Christian church identified homosexuals as soft targets and used them as a foil to help the church seize power and drive out paganism.

[TigerLover]

Philip has been one of my favorite men from history, and I consider him a far greater genius than Alexander.

ABSOLUTELY! and i'm glad someone finally agrees with me.

Alexander wouldn't have been able to do half the things he did if he hadn't inherited his father's well oiled military machine. Sure he was a ingenuous battlefield strategist but he fought all those battles with Phillip's army and Phillip's wealth. The only change Alexander made was to slightly lengthen the spears.

[meridannight]

Alexander wouldn't have been able to do half the things he did if he hadn't inherited his father's well oiled military machine. Sure he was a ingenuous battlefield strategist but he fought all those battles with Phillip's army and Phillip's wealth. The only change Alexander made was to slightly lengthen the spears.

exactly! thank you!

it is great to find someone who understands this, and isn't overtaken by an unconditional adulation for Alexander. the latter, of course, had his own merits, that is incontestable, but Philip obviously outweighs his son and it's unbelievable how underrated he has been by military historians and by most people in general.

he built the whole foundation and beyond. he acquired gold and silver mines and political/military allies through either his military strategy or diplomacy; some of his tactics were outright incredible. he unified most Greece that was divided and squabbling before he came along. he also had a consistent uniform vision and knew what he wanted.

i have a lot of respect for him and what he did.

[meridannight]

my two main sources have been:
Louis Crompton (History of Homosexuality);
Nicholas Hammond (Philip of Macedon).

i, of course, meant Louis Crompton's Homosexuality and Civilization (he doesn't have a work titled 'History of Homosexuality'). that's a weird typo on my part... lol.