Battle of Crocus Field
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In 354 BC, Philip II of Macedon invaded south heading for Phokis, only to be defeated by Onomarchos' brilliant artillery ambush, and Philip was expelled from Thessaly. Philip said that he had withdrawn, 'like a ram, to butt the harder'. True to his prediction, he reinvaded the following year, and smashed the Phokians at the Battle of Crocus Field (also known as Battle of Volo). With this victory, Philip accrued great glory as the righteous avenger of Apollo, since Onomarchos had plundered the Sacred treasury of Delphi to pay his mercenaries. Onomarchos' body was crucified, and the prisoners drowned as ritual demanded for temple-robbers.
Relatively little is known about the battle. The sea lay to the east of the plain, which the supporting Athenian fleet, based at Neapolis in the north of the Aegean Sea, commanded. Philip probably force-marched at night south to the field with 3000 horse and over 20000 foot (including lots of mercenaries) to prevent Onomarchos 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 Phokians had 500 horse and 20000 foot, mostly mercenaries, plus the supporting Athenian fleet under Chares.
The Athenians may have numbered about 2000 men, since 20 ships constituted the fleet at Neapolis the year before; in the year following the battle Athens sent 5000 men in 50 ships to aid Phayllus, the brother of Onomarchos, giving 100 men transported per ship to the same area in very nearly the same time and circumstances. While Diodorus actually 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 that the battlefield lies by, it is almost certain that they were actively seeking to render the Phokians 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.
