DRESSED IN BLACK

200 years after the Greek Revolution.

At Jassy in Moldavia, on 24 February 1821, Alexandros Ypsilantis issued the very first 

Declaration of Independence, 

under the headline:

FIGHT FOR FAITH AND FATHERLAND!

  

 

 

 

Scene no 13: A dressed in black, young soldier of the 1821 Sacred Band, parading between two cypress trees. In front of formidable hoplites of Classical Greece.

Toy soldiers made by the Greek sculptor, Fotis Spyretos. Cypress trees made by Elastolin.

The Sacred Band: The first organized military unit of the Greek Revolution. A battalion formed by Alexandros Ypsilantis, comprising 400 young Greek volunteers, students from eastern Europe. They borrowed the famous name from the ancient Sacred Band of Thebes. The original Sacred Band was the elite force of the ancient Theban army.