The exact date of the Sacred Band's creation, and whether it was created before or after the "Symposium" of Plato (c. 424–347 BC) and the similarly titled "Symposium" by his rival Xenophon (c. 430–354 BC), has also long been debated. The generally accepted date of the Sacred Band's creation is between 379 and 378 BC. Prior to this, there were references to elite Theban forces also numbering 300. Herodotus (c.484–425 BC) and Thucydides (c. 460–395 BC) both record an elite force of 300 Thebans allied with the Persians, who were annihilated by Athenians in the Battle of Plataea (479 BC). Herodotus describes them as "the first and the finest" () among Thebans. Diodorus also records 300 picked men () present in the Battle of Delium (424 BC), composed of "heníochoi" (, "charioteers") and "parabátai" (, "those who walk beside"). Though none of these mention the Sacred Band by name, these may have referred to the Sacred Band or at least its precursors. Historian John Kinloch Anderson believes that the Sacred Band was indeed present in Delium, and that Gorgidas did not establish it, but merely reformed it.