I remember hearing about it many years ago, it wasn't just limited to the Greek army either. I guess it was the done thing back then.
I remember my father telling me the story of an ancient battle between two sides, one of which was vastly superior in size to the other. Spies from the larger army witnessed soldiers in the smaller force brushing each other's hair and having close affectionate contact with one another and gleefully passed the reports on to their commanders, who assumed that they would offer no resistance.
Come the actual battle, the smaller army won against vast odds, fighting bravely. I have a feeling one side was the Spartans but I can't remember for sure.
