Second Sacred War

Date	449–448 BC
Location	Mainland Greece
Result	Reinstatement of Phocis in its former sovereign rights on the oracle of Delphi.
Territorial changes	No territory change

Belligerents

Athens,
Phocis

Sparta,
Delphians

Commanders and leaders

Pericles

Greek wars of the 5th century BC

Tanagra Oenophyta Second Sacred War Coronea

The Second Sacred War took place between 449–448 BC and resulted in an indirect confrontation between Athens and Sparta during the First Peloponnesian War. It was a brief war.

The events

In 457 B.C., after the Battle of Oenofyta, the Athenians who had gained control over Boeotia and Phocis decided to detach the city of Delphi from the Ampictyony and to hand it over to the Phocians. The basic reason was the Athenian's desire to control the sanctuary, i.e. to have the right to Promanteia, but as an excuse they used the pro-Persian behaviour that the Amphictyony had shown. When the Phocians regained control over the sanctuary they minted coins on behalf of the Amphictyony on which features the head of Apollo and a lyre or laurel. The war erupted in 449 B.C.when Sparta detached Delphi from Phocis and rendered it independent, handing it back to the Delphians.^[1] The Athenians were however champions of the Phocians. Therefore, in 448 BC, Pericles led the Athenian army against Delphi, in order to reinstate Phocis in its former sovereign rights on the oracle of Delphi.^[2] Immediately after the Spartans had left, they recaptured Delphi and handed it back to the Phocians, who held it until 421 B.C., when Delphi was finally proclaimed independent under the Peace of Nikias. Our main sources for the events are Thucydides (I.112) and Plutarch (Parallel Lives, Pericles. 21).

According to M. Dillon, the military actions of both Sparta and Athens were quick and effective and there is no evidence that they affected pilgrims consulting the oracle.^[1]

In contrast to the Third Sacred War, this war was short and not so bitter.^[1]

References

1 2 3 Matthew Dillon (1997), Pilgrims and Pilgrimage in Ancient Greece, 51
↑ Thucydides, I, 112 and Plutarch, Pericles, XXI

Sacred Wars

First Sacred War Second Sacred War Third Sacred War Fourth Sacred War

Ancient Greek wars

Mycenaean	Trojan War

Archaic	First Messenian War Lelantine War Second Messenian War First Sacred War Sicilian Wars

Classical	Greco-Persian Wars Aeginetan War Wars of the Delian League First Peloponnesian War Second Sacred War Samian War Peloponnesian War Phyle Campaign Corinthian War Boeotian War Wars of the Theban hegemony Theban–Spartan War Social War (357–355 BC) Third Sacred War Foreign War Rise of Macedon Wars of Alexander the Great

Hellenistic	Lamian War Wars of the Diadochi Seleucid–Mauryan war Pyrrhic War Syrian Wars Pyrrhus' invasion of the Peloponnese Chremonidean War Seleucid–Parthian wars Cleomenean War War against Lyctus Social War (220–217 BC) First Macedonian War Cretan War Second Macedonian War Roman–Seleucid War Aetolian War War against Nabis Galatian War Third Macedonian War Maccabean Revolt Fourth Macedonian War Achaean War Mithridatic Wars (First, Second, Third) Final War of the Roman Republic

Military history

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