Battle of Pharsalus 48 BC
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 48 BC | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Ancient (before 500) | derived from year |
| Location | Greece | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Caesar's Civil War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | optimates, populares | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 39.3000, 22.3833 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Pharsalus was the decisive battle of Caesar's Civil War fought on 9 August 48 BC near Pharsalus in Central Greece. Julius Caesar and his allies formed up opposite the army of the Roman Republic under the command of Pompey. Pompey had the backing of a majority of Roman senators and his army significantly outnumbered the veteran Caesarian legions.
Pressured by his officers, Pompey reluctantly engaged in battle and suffered an overwhelming defeat, ultimately fleeing the camp and his men, disguised as an ordinary citizen. Eventually making his way to Egypt, he was assassinated upon his arrival at the order of Ptolemy XIII.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Pharsalus (revision 1379786111), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Cynoscephalae 197 BC · 20 km
- Battle of Crannon 322 BC · 24 km
- Battle of Velestino 1897 · 32 km
- Battle of Callinicus 171 BC · 37 km
- Battle of Larissa 1083 · 37 km
- Battle of Cynoscephalae (364 BC) 364 BC · 39 km
Other battles of the Caesar's Civil War
- Battle of Ilerda 49 BC
- Battle of Utica (49 BC) 49 BC
- Battle of the Bagradas (49 BC) 49 BC
- Siege of Corfinium 49 BC
- Siege of Massilia 49 BC
- Battle of Dyrrhachium (48 BC) 48 BC
- Battle of Zela (47 BC) 47 BC
- Battle of Ascurum 46 BC
- Battle of Hippo Regius 46 BC
- Battle of Ruspina 46 BC
All 16 battles of the Caesar's Civil War →
Browse more: battles in Greece · Europe · Ancient battles