Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1052: The Sacred Band of Thebes Shows Its Edge

The Spartan envoys demanded a guarantee from Daionia: they must never again fund Sparta's enemies.

Antaoris responded with King Davos's exact words, though his tone carried a bit more heat. "If you can let the Apulian rebels who fled to the Peloponnese Peninsula stroll back into the kingdom for a tour, why can't we sell a little grain to Thebes? Sparta should consider itself lucky that Daionia is only selling grain and nothing else!"

The Spartan envoys departed resentfully. The Theonians' words put all the Spartan Elders and Ephors on high alert, making them realize that Daionia still harbored a grudge against Sparta.

This left them with an even greater sense of urgency. However, when the new year arrived and spring returned (376 BC, Year 18 of the Kingdom of Daunia), Agesilaus was bedridden with illness and unable to march. The Ephors had to appoint the other King of Sparta, Cleombrotus, as the commander-in-chief of the army to continue the offensive against Thebes.

Once the Allied Forces had assembled, Cleombrotus decided to take the same route Agesilaus used during his first attack on Thebes—sailing across the Gulf of Corinth, landing in western Boeotia, and meeting up with the forces of Thespiae.

But the Thebans had already learned their lesson; they would not fall for the same trick twice. They laid an ambush in the mountains south of Thespiae in advance. When the Spartan army marched through the valley pass after landing, the Thebans suddenly attacked and drove them back.

Seeing the Thebans holding the strategic chokepoint, Cleombrotus believed it was impossible to cross into Theban territory this way, so he led the army back to the Peloponnese.

Afterward, envoys from various allied states gathered in Sparta. Disgruntled that Sparta had continuously conscripted their citizens to fight Thebes year after year without making any visible progress, they complained, "The citizens are growing increasingly weary of this war. If things continue like this, we fear they will refuse to fight altogether."

They proposed a new plan: "The Thebans have heavily defended the south, making a breakthrough genuinely difficult. However, the Allied Forces have more warships than the Athenians. Why not use the fleet to transport an army by sea, bypassing Athens to land in northern Central Greece? From there, we could unite with the Phocians and attack Thebes from the northwest."

Pushed to the brink of famine, Athens immediately sent out 80 Warships and overtook the Spartan fleet near Naxos (not Naxos City on the Island of Sicily in the Kingdom of Daunia). A fierce battle ensued where the Spartan fleet was defeated, causing their previously planned military operation to fail.

Motivated by the victory, and at the request of the Thebans, the Athenians decided to send out their own fleet of 50 Trireme Warships to circumvent the Peloponnese Peninsula, strike at the Spartan Coalition navy, and harass its allied states.

The Athenian Council appointed Timotheus as the commander of this fleet. He was the son of Conon, one of the heroes who had revived Athens and previously served Persia.

In 375 BC (Year 19 of the Kingdom of Daunia), Timotheus set sail with his fleet. Along the journey, he refrained from landing on or harassing Peloponnese Island, but he achieved something significant instead: he landed on Corcyra Island. There, he neither enslaved the locals nor forced them to change their government. Consequently, all the city-states on the island willingly joined the Maritime Alliance of Athens.

It should be noted that Corcyra Island was the closest Greek territory to the Kingdom of Daunia, meaning Athens's naval influence had now stretched to the vicinity of the Adriatic Sea. At this time, however, the Kingdom of Daunia offered no response.

Because the Athenian Fleet was sailing around the Peloponnese Peninsula, the Spartan Coalition had to remain on high alert against it, preventing them from launching any large-scale offensives against Thebes. Seizing this golden opportunity, the Thebans boldly struck out in all directions, attempting to liberate and conquer the neighboring Boeotian city-states controlled by the Spartan army.

Among these efforts, a military operation commanded by Pelopidas was the most famous.

When the Thebans received intelligence that the Spartan army stationed in the city of Orchomenus had been transferred away, Pelopidas saw a prime opportunity to conquer their northern neighbor (Orchomenus and Thebes were separated only by Lake Copais). He hastily led 300 infantrymen and several dozen cavalrymen on a rapid march north around the lake.

Yet as he approached Orchomenus, he received dismaying news: the Spartan garrison had already returned to the city.

Unwilling to launch a forceful siege that would inflict heavy casualties on his men, Pelopidas had no choice but to lead his army back empty-handed.

Unexpectedly, as the army was passing through a place called Tesia, they suddenly encountered a Spartan army marching down from the north.

The encounter was abrupt and caught Pelopidas completely off guard, and the Spartan army outnumbered his own soldiers.

With a powerful enemy blocking the road ahead, the city of Orchomenus a short distance behind where the Spartan garrison could strike at any moment, and Lake Copais sealing off their flank, the Theban Army found themselves backed into a corner with no escape. Pelopidas could only order his army to fight to the death.

He positioned his 300 infantrymen in the center and deployed his cavalry on the two wings.

No sooner had they formed their ranks than the Spartans launched a fierce assault. The battle had not lasted long before the Theban cavalry on both flanks was crushed.

In the center, however, the Spartan army found itself locked in a bitter struggle despite outnumbering their opponents. This was because they were facing the Sacred Band of Thebes, an elite unit exclusively formed by the Theban government and specifically trained by Epaminondas.

These 150 pairs of young male lovers showed no fear in the face of a formidable foe. Not only were their attacks ferocious, but their coordination was seamless. They continuously encouraged one another as they fought, keeping their morale sky-high.

After a period of intense combat, the Spartan army actually began to give ground under their relentless onslaught. Making matters worse, their commander was slain in the heat of battle. Ultimately, the Spartan army was completely routed.

Because they were still in a perilous position, Pelopidas did not dare give the order to pursue, hastily leading his victorious troops back to Thebes instead.

This battle involved no more than 1,000 men on both sides combined. Though small in scale, its significance was monumental. Unlike the skirmish where Phoebidas was killed, this was a victory won in a direct, head-on engagement. Furthermore, the defeated Spartan army contained many genuine Spartan Warriors. Thus, the triumph shocked all of Central Greece, inspiring the people of many Central Greek city-states under Spartan occupation to rise in rebellion. It also spread the fame of the newly minted Sacred Band of Thebes across the Greek Mainland.

...

"Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!..." Early in the morning, the maddening sound of copper whistles blared through the Thurii slave camp.

Prodded by the overseers, the slaves quickly got out of bed, washed up, and formed lines to enter the cafeteria for breakfast.

The architecture of the slave camp's cafeteria resembled the dining hall at the Thurii Military Camp, only smaller. It was a square, four-sided building with over twenty stone pillars supporting a four-meter-high flat stone roof. Three of its sides were completely open to the air, while the walled-off fourth side housed the kitchen. Inside the spacious hall, dining tables and benches were packed tightly and neatly together, easily capable of seating two to three hundred people at once.

Despite the mouthwatering aroma of food wafting through the air, the slaves did not swarm forward. They kept to their long lines and approached the steaming serving windows in an orderly fashion. After all, these slaves had not been this disciplined from the beginning; it took numerous severe punishments before they finally learned the rules.

"Uncle, what's good for breakfast today?" one slave asked eagerly the moment he stepped up to the window, passing his wooden tray and clay pot through.

Most of the cooks and helpers in the slave camp were either slaves themselves or freedmen who had earned their liberty. As a result, they generally treated the dining slaves quite well, sometimes even offering them a bit of extra care.

The middle-aged cook holding a wooden ladle beamed. "You're all in luck today! Not only is there bread, Wheat Porridge, and meat broth, but everyone gets a piece of smoked beef, and every slice of bread is spread with honey!"

"Really?!"

"Would I lie to you?" The cook placed the portioned breakfast onto the wooden tray and handed it back to him. "Take a good look yourself."

"Wow, it really is meat!" the slave shouted excitedly.

Hearing his shout, a commotion rippled through the slaves waiting in line behind him.

"What's going on! Silence!" an overseer bellowed. His shout instantly brought quiet back to the queue, though every slave's face brimmed with longing.

"Hurry up and leave once you've got your food! Don't block the way!" the overseer urged sternly.

Biting into his honeyed bread and carrying his wooden tray, the slave quickly found the nearest table and sat down.

The cook, having been a slave himself before gaining his freedom, was not intimidated by the fierce overseer in the slightest. Instead, he clanged his wooden ladle against the copper pot full of meat broth and announced loudly to the slaves, "Do you know why breakfast is so rich today? I heard it's because more than twenty slaves fainted at the stone quarry yesterday, and... a few were injured (in reality, seven slaves had died). When the doctors treated them, they realized they fainted because they were starving... Later on, somehow, His Majesty heard about it. He specifically issued instructions to ensure you all eat your fill and eat well to guarantee your health."

"After receiving the orders, Lord Icarus didn't even rest properly last night. He immediately called us in to discuss it and urgently sent people to the Thurii market to buy food... From now on, not only will your breakfasts be rich, but your dinners will be too! And at noon, they'll even deliver food right to the worksite for an extra meal!"

The slaves immediately erupted into cheers, and the entire cafeteria boiled over with excitement.

The overseers' expressions changed, and they were just about to bark an angry reprimand.

But the cook was already shouting at the top of his lungs, "Let us all give thanks to the merciful King Davos!"

"Thank you, merciful King Davos!!!" The cafeteria rang with joyous cheering.

More than half of these slaves were captives from the Western Mediterranean War a few years ago. Each originally worshipped the deities of their own races. However, after prolonged exposure to the other slaves and the environment within the camp, most of them had begun to worship Hades.