It was the elite troop of the theban army . it consisted of 150 pairs of male wariors , who were lovers .

Philip II of Macedon fought against and won a victory over a Greek coalition of Athens and Thebes . It was here that the elite Sacred Band of Thebes was annihilated .

In anticipation of the upcoming battle with Sparta, Thebes created an innovative battle group. The so called Sacred Band was a hand picked group of 300 outstanding soldiers that were set apart from the maim Thebes army. This group had the advantage of being to move quickly, unlike the slow phalanx formation.

Thebes was , at different times , allied with Sparta when it was mutually beneficial to both . For example there was a Theban contingent , The Sacred Band , with Sparta at the Battle of Thermopylae . (Thebes effectively ended Spartan influence and prestige by defeating the Spartans at the Battle of Leuctra .)

Thebes in Egypt is famous because it was the capitol of Ancient Egypt during the New Kingdom.

Thebes in Greece is famous because it was a major power during the period of the city-states. It was a major rival of Athens, sided with the Persians during Xerxes' invasion of Greece in 480 BC, and ended the power of Sparta at the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC. Thebes was conquered and destroyed as a power by Phillip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great, in 335 BC after their elite military group, the Sacred Band of Thebes, was destroyed in 338 BC.