Homosexuality in the militaries of ancient Greece
Homosexuality in the militaries of ancient Greece was regarded as contributing to morale. The chief example is the Sacred Band of Thebes, a unit said to have been formed of same-sex couples. The Spartan tradition of military heroism has also been explained in light of strong emotional bonds resulting from homosexual relationships. Various ancient Greek sources record incidents of courage in battle and interpret them as motivated by homoerotic bonds.