Phocis
Phocis is a historical region in central Greece, characterized by its picturesque valley along the river Cephisus and the plain of Crisa, which lies adjacent to the Corinthian Gulf. The area is renowned for its ancient city of Delphi, situated on the southern slopes of Mount Parnassus, which was once under Phocian control and housed a significant oracle. Legend suggests that the Phocians participated in the Trojan War and later faced conflicts with neighboring tribes, such as the Thessalians. Throughout its history, Phocis experienced fluctuating fortunes, notably during the Persian Wars when the region initially aligned with the Persians before switching sides to support the Greeks. Despite periods of strength, including regaining Delphi with Athenian assistance, Phocis faced significant setbacks, particularly during the Third Sacred War against Thebes and later conflicts with Macedonian forces led by Philip II. Ultimately, the region's political landscape shifted as Phocis became integrated into larger alliances, leading to a decline in its autonomy and influence. Despite these challenges, Phocis's rich historical narrative reflects its important role in ancient Greek history and its interactions with powerful states of the era.
Phocis
Phokis
A territory of central Greece including the valley of the river Cephisus to the north and the plain of Crisa on the Corinthian Gulf to the south, linked by passes across the slopes of Mount Parnassus. According to legend, the Phocians took part in the Trojan War, and subsequently fought against the Thessalians. In early days, they controlled Delphi—which lay on Parnassus' southern flank—until a coalition of Greek states brought the oracle under the control of a council of `dwellers round about’ (Amphictyones) c 596. According to Strabo, the largest town of the region was Elataea.
During the Persian Wars, according to Herodotus, Phocis was compelled to join the Persians, but deserted in time to serve on the Greek side at Plataea (479). Checked by the Spartans from expanding at the expense of its neighbor Doris (458/7), Phocis, with Athenian aid, was nevertheless able to recapture Delphi, but lost it again, and once more regained it (in the Second Sacred War) through the good offices of the Athenian Pericles (448), who hoped to encircle the Thebans in Boeotia. From 447, however, the Phocians allied themselves with Sparta, continuing to support its cause during the Peloponnesian War (431–404) and in the early fourth century, until they were obliged to enroll in the Boeotian (Theban) confederacy (c 380).
In 356 Phocian separatists seized Delphi in defiance of Thebes and the Amphictyony, but in the Third Sacred War that broke out in the following year, their leader Philomelus lost his life (354) and his successor Onomarchus was defeated and killed by Philip II of Macedonia (352), to whom the exhausted Phocians eventually had to surrender (346). An indemnity was exacted, they were deprived of their votes in the Delphic Amphictyony to Philip, and their towns were split up into villages. But reconstruction began, with Athenian and Theban support (359), and the Phocians fought against Philip at Chaeronea (338) and against Antipater in the Lamian War (323), in both cases without success.