The Phocian Chalk Raid of the Thessalian Camp Circa 490

This chapter discusses the Phocian Chalk Raid of the Thessalian camp circa 490, the most illustrative example of the Phocians' collective capabilities during the late Archaic and early classical periods. Studying the accounts of Herodotus, Pausanias, and Polyaenus, it reconstructs a historiographically marginalized, violent encounter that involved some of the most unusual military tactics ever employed between Greeks. Indeed, the encounter defies virtually every established convention of classical Greek warfare. The Phocians' defensive strategy reflects a sound understanding of the potential threats that surrounded their ethnos. Ultimately, the defense of circa 490 illustrates that even without a formal federal structure, the Phocians still constituted a well-organized and effective political entity. Since an ethnic affiliation, common coinage, and a common meeting place distinguished later koina (federal states), the possibility remains that a federal state existed in Phocis during the time in question. But the point is that there did not need to be a formal federal state in Phocis for an effective defense.