Phalaecus () was the ruler of

Phocis Phocis (; ; ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Central Greece. It stretches from the western mountainsides of Parnassus on the east to the mountain range of Vardousia on the west, upon the Gu ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

during the

Third Sacred War The Third Sacred War ( 356– 346 BC) was fought between the forces of the Delphic Amphictyonic League, principally represented by Thebes, and latterly by Philip II of Macedon, and the Phocians. The war was caused by a large fine imposed in 35 ...

before he was ousted. After his ousting he became the leader of a group of

mercenaries A mercenary is a private individual who joins an War, armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rath ...

, whose services were sought by

Knossos Knossos (; , ; Linear B: ''Ko-no-so'') is a Bronze Age archaeological site in Crete. The site was a major centre of the Minoan civilization and is known for its association with the Greek myth of Theseus and the minotaur. It is located on th ...

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

. Once he arrived in Crete, Knossos leadership ordered him to attack their enemy, the city of Lyttus. The Lyttians appealed to the Spartans who came to Crete with an army under their king

Archidamus III Archidamus III (died 338 BC) ( ) was the son of Agesilaus II and Kings of Sparta, king of Sparta from 360 to 338 BC. Biography While still a prince, he was the Pederasty in ancient Greece#Terminology, eispnílas (, inspirer, or pederastic ...

. As Phalaecus was besieging Lyttus, the Spartans arrived and relieved the siege. Later in 343 BC Phalaecus attacked and laid siege to

Kydonia Kydonia ( or ), also known as Cydonia (, ''Kydōnía'') was an ancient city located at the site of present-day Chania near the west end of the island of Crete in Greece. The city is known from archaeological remains dating back to the Minoan e ...

, where his army was routed and he was killed.

Sources

* Theocharis Detorakis, (1994). A History of Crete. Heraklion: Heraklion. . 4th-century BC Greek people 343 BC deaths Ancient Phocian generals Dorian Crete Ancient Greek mercenaries Year of birth unknown {{AncientGreece-bio-stub