The Sacred Band - One

About this episode

This episode discusses the formation of The Sacred Band of Thebes during a time of political turmoil.

This week, on Tales we journey to ancient Thebes, a Greek City state suddenly - unexpectedly - under the control of their foes, Sparta. When you have lost your freedom to a despot, and are fighting for your very survival, what can you turn to? First you have your foundational myths, and second - if you are Thebes - you have some of the toughest gay men ever to exist. This week, in part one of a three parter, we discuss the formation of The Sacred Band of Thebes. Content warnings: brief discussion of sexual violence, incest, anti-LGBTQI+ attitudes, political violence, assassinations and executions. Sources Include:James Romm’s ‘The Sacred Band’Plutarch’s ‘Lives…’ Support Tales on Patreon for $2 US a month and get access to exclusive content, or Try our 7 Day Free Trial. Please leave Tales a like and a review wherever you listen. The best way you can support us is to share an episode with a friend - Creative works grow best by word of mouth. I post episodes fortnightly, Wednesdays. Tales of History and Imagination can be found on… | Facebook |TikTok | Threads | YouTube | Bluesky |

People in this episode

Host: Simone Whitlow

Topics covered

• ancient history
• The Sacred Band
• Thebes
• Sparta
• LGBTQI+ history
• political violence

Keywords

• The Sacred Band
• Thebes
• Sparta
• ancient Greece
• LGBTQI+ history
• political violence
• mythology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sparta

Books & works: The Sacred Band, Lives…

Places: Thebes

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