Plutarch, a native of the village of Chaeronea, is the source of the most substantial surviving account of the Sacred Band. He records that the Sacred Band was originally formed by the boeotarch Gorgidas
According to Plutarch, Gorgidas is the founder of the Sacred Band.
He chosen the 300 men by hand-picked for ability and merit, regardless of social class. It was composed of 150 male couples, each pair consisting of an older erastes (the older man, called “lover”) and eromenos (the younger male, called “beloved.”).
The Sacred Band was united as a single unit of shock troops. They were soldier fight with the enemy. Their main function was to cripple the enemy by engaging and killing their best men and leaders in battle.