Greek Warfare by Lee L. Brice

Author:Lee L. Brice
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ABC-CLIO
Published: 2012-11-07T16:00:00+00:00

References

Burn, A. R. Persia and the Greeks: The Defence of the West. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1984.

Cawkwell, George. The Greek Wars: The Failure of Persia. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Strassler, Robert B., ed. The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories. New York: Anchor Books, 2009.

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Sacred Wars

Lee L. Brice

The Sacred Wars were four Greek conflicts that took place between the sixth and the fourth centuries bce. They originated when the authority in charge of Delphi, the Delphic Amphictiony, charged a city-state with sacrilege against Apollo. Membership in the Amphictiony varied, but included many different cities around Greece. Although the first two conflicts did not have wide repercussions, the last two Sacred Wars resulted in Philip II gaining entry into the military for the first time and political rivalries in central Greece.

The First Sacred War occurred in the early sixth century and resulted in the destruction of Cirrha due to sacrilegious treatment of pilgrims. The military force, sometimes called the Amphictionic League, annihilated the city and cursed the land. The second war started in the mid-fifth century when Athens and Sparta disagreed over Phocian control of Delphi. Athens put Phocis in control of Delphi, but Sparta disagreed and asserted direct Delphic authority. The Athenians responded by giving control back to Phocis ca. 448, probably by force. The conflict was part of the continuing struggle between Sparta and Athens. Both these conflicts are incompletely attested and do not seem to have had repercussions beyond immediate events.

The Third Sacred War turned out to be much more important. In 357 the Amphictiony, under heavy Theban influence, charged Phocis with sacrilege for cultivating the sacred Crisaean Plain. When the Amphictiony imposed a large fine Phocis ignored the fine. With tacit support from other cities its general, Philomelus, seized the sanctuary. Phocis tried to assert its control over Delphi and the leadership in the Amphictiony in order to reverse the fine. The Amphictiony declared war. This activity must be seen in light of the Theban hegemony. Athens and Sparta supported Phocis as a way of hurting Theban ambitions. Phocis used the wealth it controlled to raise an army.

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