Battle of Crocus Field

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Part of the Third Sacred War

Date	352 BC
Location	Thessaly, Greece
Result	Macedonian victory.

Belligerents

Macedon

Phocis,
Athens

Commanders

Philip II of Macedon

Onomarchus †,
Chares of Athens

v • d • e Third Sacred War

Crocus Field – Thermopylae

The Battle of Crocus Field (also known as the Battle of Volo) was a battle between Philip II of Macedon and Onomarchus of Phocis in 352 BC. Philip had been defeated by Onomarchus the year before, but this time was victorious.

1 Summary
2 The battle in detail
3 See also
4 References

[edit] Summary

The Phocians had for many years sent men to assist the Thebans in their inroads into the Peloponnese. In the campaign of Mantinea (370–362), however, the Phocians withheld their usual levy of men. As punishment, the Thebans instigated a religious quarrel and secured a penal decree against them from the Amphictyonic League (356). In retaliation the Phocians, led by Philomelus and Onomarchus, seized Delphi and its treasury, and used it to hire an army of mercenaries with whom they began an invasion of Thessaly.

In 354 BC, Philip II of Macedonia marched on Phocis, only to be defeated by Onomarchus' brilliant artillery ambush. Philip was expelled from Thessaly, but asserted that he had withdrawn, 'like a ram, to butt the harder'. Philip reinvaded the following year, and smashed the Phocians. With this victory, Philip accrued great glory as the righteous avenger of Apollo, since Onomarchus had plundered the Sacred treasury of Delphi to pay his mercenaries. Onomarchus' body was crucified, and the prisoners drowned as ritual demanded for temple-robbers.

[edit] The battle in detail

Relatively little is known about the battle. The Aegean Sea lay to the east of the plain, which was controlled by the supporting Athenian fleet based at Neapolis in the north of the Aegean. Philip probably force-marched at night south to the field with 3,000 cavalry and over 20,000 infantry (including many mercenaries) to prevent Onomarchus from marching north and linking up with reinforcements from Pherae. Since the river crossing the plain is not mentioned in accounts of the battle, it is likely that the battle took place somewhat to the north - it is hard to imagine Philip would have chosen not to defend it given the opportunity to do so. The Phocians had 500 cavalry and 20,000 infantry, mostly mercenaries, plus the supporting Athenian fleet under Chares.

The Athenians may have numbered about 2,000 men, since 20 ships constituted the fleet at Neapolis the year before; in the year following the battle Athens sent 5,000 men in 50 ships to aid Phayllus, the brother of Onomarchus, giving 100 men transported per ship to the same area in very nearly the same time and circumstances. While Diodorus says that the Athenians just happened to be passing by chance, given that they arrived so close to the time of the main clash and had to sail into the large bay near the site of the battlefield, it is almost certain that they were actively seeking to render the Phocians assistance. However, Diodorus also says that Chares had a "large number" of triremes with him, and twenty does not constitute a large fleet by Athenian standards. Perhaps there were 50 on this occasion, as in 352. It is likely that the vast majority were hoplites, since horse-transports are not mentioned, and Athens possessed hardly any light troops at this time.