THE OTHER 300

Can ancient history raise modern questions about masculinity? This is the untold saga of the world’s greatest military fighting force, made up of 150 pairs of male lovers, whose story has just been uncovered.

This elite Greek army called the “Sacred Band” was formed by the city of Thebes in 379 BCE to defend itself from Sparta. Fighting undefeated for four decades, the army was annihilated by the forces of Philip II of Macedon and his son Alexander in the Battle of Chaeronea. Buried on the battlefield where they fell, the 300 were forgotten by History, until a Greek archaeologist discovered the mass grave in 1880. But the discovery was never made public and the grave was covered up, leading some historians to claim that the Sacred Band never existed. In 2022, they’ve finally been re-discovered, lying in pairs.

A team of international archaeologists is re-examining the new evidences, gaining unprecedented insight into their story.

This is a story rooted in ancient history which highlights contemporary topics such as same-sex marriage, the place of gay soldiers in the military, the human consequences of war, and the struggle between democratic and authoritarian political systems.