In the meantime, immediately after the misfortune at +Thermopylae [22.5583,38.8] (Perseus) Thermopylae, the Thessalians sent a herald to the Phocians, because they bore an old grudge against them and still more because of their latest disaster.

Now a few years before the king's expedition, the Thessalians and their allies had invaded +Phocis (department), Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Phocis with their whole army but had been worsted and roughly handled by the Phocians.

When the Phocians were besieged on +Parnassus (mountain), Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Parnassus, they had with them the diviner Tellias of +Elis [21.4,37.8833] (Perseus) Elis; Tellias devised a stratagem for them: he covered six hundred of the bravest Phocians with gypsum, themselves and their armor, and led them to attack the Thessalians by night, bidding them slay whomever they should see not whitened.

The Thessalian sentinels were the first to see these men and to flee for fear, supposing falsely that it was something supernatural, and after the sentinels the whole army fled as well. The Phocians made themselves masters of four thousand dead, and their shields, of which they dedicated half at Abai [22.9583,38.5917] (Perseus)Abae and the rest at Delphi [22.5167,38.4917] (Perseus) Delphi.

A tithe of what they won in that fight went to the making of the great statues that stand around the tripod in front of the shrine at Delphi [22.5167,38.4917] (Perseus) Delphi, and there are others like them dedicated at Abai [22.9583,38.5917] (Perseus)Abae.