The Sacred Battalion (in ancient Greek hieros lokhos) was an elite corps of the Theban army in ancient Greece.
The Sacred Battalion of Thebes is an elite corps of 300 men, created according to Plutarch by the Theban commander Gorgidas:
“The Sacred Battalion was, it is said, created by Gorgidas. He had composed it of three hundred chosen men whose training and upkeep were taken care of by the city, and who camped in the Cadmea:that is why it was called the city battalion. »
Plutarch also notes that "according to some" it is made up of 150 couples of pederastic lovers.
Gorgidas began by dispatching the Sacred Battalion throughout the Theban line of battle, using these elite soldiers to bolster the resolve of others. But after the Battalion distinguishes itself in Tegyres, Pelopidas uses it as a kind of personal guard. For three decades, this elite corps continues to play an important role.
It was destroyed at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC. BC by the cavalry led by the young Alexander the Great:254 of the 300 soldiers were then killed and all the others wounded. According to tradition, Philip II of Macedonia, stopping in front of the place where the Battalion had perished, exclaimed:“Cursed be those who suspect these men of having done or suffered anything shameful. »
The soldiers killed are buried several days after the battle in a collective burial (polyandreion) marked by a stone lion (discovered in 1818), a replica of the polyandreion of Thespini.