The Army of Theban Lovers
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Name: Maximus of Tyre [Cassius Maximus Tyrius] Date: 2nd century CE Region: Tyre [modern Lebanon] Citation: Dissertation
18.2.f-k |
Epamonidas liberated Thebes from Sparta’s control
by weaponizing love. In Thebes there were many young soldiers in love.
Epamonidas put weapons in their hands, and created a squadron of lovers who had
incredible valor and were undefeatable. Whether in battle formation or in melee
they easily repelled the enemy’s assault, the likes of which have never been
seen, not even under the skillful leadership of the Trojan War hero Nestor, nor
in the descendants of Heracles in
The reason for this was that each man had to prove themselves
to their lover, either to fight well in their lover’s eyes, or out of
necessity, since each man had to defend his own sweetheart. And in turn, a
rivalry spurred on their bravery, so they could perform equally as well as
their lover, just as the puppies of hunting dogs follow the bigger dogs in the
pack.
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Ἐλευθεροῖ τὰς Θήβας Ἐπαμεινώνδας ἀπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων σρατηγήματι ἐρωτικῷ. Μειρακίων πολλῶν καλῶν
ἐρασταὶ ἤσαν Θήβησιν πολλοὶ νεανίαι. ὅπλα
δους Ἐπαμεινώνδας τοῖς ἐρασταῖς καὶ τοῖς ἐρωμένοις συνέταξεν
λόχον ἱερὸν του ἔρωτος. δεινὸν καὶ ἄμαχον καὶ συνασπίζοντα ἀκριβῶς καὶ ἄῤῥηκτον οἷον ουτε ὁ Νέστωρ περὶ τὸ Iλιον συνεστήσατο ὁ δεινότατος τῶν σρατηγών, οὔτε Ἡρακλείδαι περὶ Πελοπόννησον ουτε Πελοποννήσιοι περὶ τὴν Ἀττικὴν. ἔδει γὰρ ἕκασον τῶν ἐραστῶν
ἀριστεύειν, καὶ διὰ φιλοτιμίαν ἐν ὄψει τῶν παιδικῶν μαχόμενον καὶ δὶ ἀνάγκην ὑπερμαχούντα
τῶν φιλτάτων. ἦν δὲ
καὶ τὰ μειράκια ἐφάμιλλα ταῖς ἀρεταῖς τοῖς ἐραςταῖς, ὥσπερ ἐν θήρᾳ σκύλακες
συμπαραθέοντες τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις τῶν κυνῶν. |
Epamonidas amatorio
stratagemate Thebas in liberatem a Lacedaemoniis vindicavit. Erant Thebis
multi pulchri adolescentuli qui amabantur, multi pulchri iuvenes qui amabant.
Utrisque arma in manum Epamonidas dat, et utrisque cohortem instruit
amatoriam, quae mirae virtutis planeque inexpugnabilis cum esset, conferto
simul agmine facile hostium impetum sustinuit. Qualem neque imperatorum
solertissimus Nestor, in Troiano agro, neque in Peloponnesiaco Heraclidae,
neque in Attico instruxere Peloponnesii |
Maximus of Tyre [2nd century CE, modern Lebanon] was listed as one of the most influential people in the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius’ life. He spent most of his life in scholarly pursuits; his Dissertations were a collection of philosophical treatises based on the works of Plato.
