Crocus Plain (352 BC)

In 359 BC, Philip became king of Macedon. As a youth he had been a hostage in Thebes, where he observed the innovations of Epaminondas. Applying these lessons, Philip created a combined arms force of a maneuverable phalanx, cavalry and …

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In 359 BC, Philip became king of Macedon. As a youth he had been a hostage in Thebes, where he observed the innovations of Epaminondas. Applying these lessons, Philip created a combined arms force of a maneuverable phalanx, cavalry and light troops. He re-armed his phalanx with 17-foot pikes instead of the usual 9-foot spears. Philip aggressively expanded Macedonian control which brought him into conflict with the Athenians. In 352, Philip turned southwest into Thessaly. The Greek Phocian army under Onomarchus arrived at Crocus Plain with 20,000 foot and 500 horse to stop him. Onomarchus deployed with his back to the Pagasaean Gulf. Philip with the same number of foot and 3,000 horse, attacked. Onomarchus' army fought with surprising resilience holding off the Macedonian phalanx until flanked by Philip's cavalry. The Phocian lines began to withdraw and then broke and fled to the sea where many tried to swim out to the Athenian fleet that had just arrived. Onomarchus died fighting, and Macedon now dominated all of Thessaly. Philip had demonstrated the superiority of a combined arms force against a traditional Greek hoplite army. The irresistible Macedonian expansion into Greece would continue.

Thessaly, Greece

The so-called Battle of Crocus Field was a battle in the Third Sacred War, fought between the armies of Phocis, under Onomarchos, and the combined Thessalian and Macedonian army under Philip II of Macedon. In the bloodiest battle recorded in Ancient Greek history, the Phocians were decisively defeated by Philip's forces. Philip's victory secured his appointment as ruler of Thessaly, marking an important step in the rise of Macedon to political ascendancy in Ancient Greece. Opinion amongst historians is divided as to the year of the battle; some favor 353 BC, and others 352 BC.

Wikipedia: Battle of Crocus Field

Macedonian

Phocian

Philip Of Macedon