The Third Sacred War: Phocis and the Temple of Apollo

The History of Greece: Philosophy, Empire, and Endless Reinvention — Fexingo History · Jun 16, 2026 · 5m · transcript

In the mid-4th century BCE, a seemingly local conflict over sacred land spiraled into a decade-long war that reshaped the balance of power in Greece. The Third Sacred War pitted the Phocians, who seized Delphi and used the temple's treasures to fund a mercenary army, against the Amphictyonic League, which called on Macedon for help. This episode explores how the Phocian general Philomelus sparked the war by defying the Amphictyonic council, how Onomarchus used Delphi's gold to build a formidable force, and how Philip II of Macedon intervened at the invitation of the Thessalians and…