Battle of Pharsalus

• The Battle of Pharsalus (9th Aug 48 BCE) was fought between Julius Caesar and Pompey during the Great Roman Civil War (49-45 BCE).

Date and Location

• 9 August 48 BCE at Pharsalus, modern Farsala in Greece.

The Reason for the Battle

• It followed the Battle of Dyrrhachium (10 July 48 BCE) where neither Julius Caesar nor Pompey had been able to achieve victory.

The Winner

• Winner: Julius Caesar
• Loser: Pompey and the Optimates

The Adversaries

• The Populares under Julius Caesar
  • versus:
• The Optimates under Pompey

The Commanders

• Julius Caesar
  • Versus:
• Pompey

The Strength of the Forces under Julius Caesar

• Caesar was outnumbered 3 to 1.
• 9 Legions: 22,000 men: The remainder of 9 Legions, all under-manned due to earlier Losses:
  1. Legio VIII Augusta
  2. Legio IX Hispana
  3. Legio XII Fulminata
  4. Legio X Equestris
  5. Legio I Germanica
  6. Legio III Gallica
  7. Legio IIII Macedonica
• Auxiliaries and Allies: 5-10,000 men
• Allied Cavalry: 1,800 horse
• Casualties and Losses; 1,200 Soldiers and 30 Centurions.

The Strength of the Forces under Pompey

• 12 Legions: 40-60,000 men
• Auxiliaries and Allies: 4,200 men
• Allied Cavalry: 5-8,000 horse
• Casualties and Losses: 8,000

How the Armies were Deployed

• Caesar’s Army
  • Julius Caesar had the River Enipeus on his left flank, and his Cavalry on his right flank opposite Pompey‘s larger Cavalry numbers.
  • Julius Caesar was outnumbered by 3 to 1 by Pompey‘s army and was rapidly running out of supplies.
  • Caesar’s Strategy:
    • He told his Legions that if they were routed, Pompey‘s legions would massacre them. They understood it was a Win or Die situation, and fought accordingly.
• Pompey’s Army
  • Pompey held the high ground and had numerical superiority, with his right flanked by the River Enipeus and had placed all his Cavalry on his left flank, under Labienus.
  • Pompey’s Strategy:
    • Pompey planned to wait until Caesar’s Army was weakened by starvation, then attack, but the Optimates were anxious to crush Caesar, and forced Pompey to attack.
    • Pompey was in a very strong position. He held the high ground, had numerical superiority, had his Right flanked by the River Enipeus and had all his Cavalry on his left flank, under Labienus.
    • He decided therefore to sit and wait for Julius Caesar to make a mistake, and adopted a defensive position instead of planning an attack.

How the Battle was Fought

• Caesar’s Tactics
  • With the River Enipeus on his left flank and his Cavalry on his right flank opposite Pompey‘s larger Cavalry numbers, Caesar’s Plan was to tempt Pompey‘s Cavalry into an attack on his own weaker Cavalry, which he did.
  • But concealed behind Caesar’s Cavalry was a line of infantry who broke Pompey‘s Cavalry with their Pila (Javelins).
  • Once Pompey’s Cavalry was dispersed, Caesar’s left flank attacked Pompey‘s right flank which broke, and Pompey’s Centre then collapsed.
• The Result
  • Pompey’s Legions were routed resulting in a victory for Julius Caesar.

The Outcome

• This Battle ended the Wars between the First Triumvirate as it resulted in Pompey‘s defeat and then death.

Pompey’s Assassination

• Pompey escaped from the battlefield and travelled to Egypt but was assassinated by the Pharaoh Ptolemy, and his head sent to Julius Caesar.
• Caesar would have pardoned Pompey along with the other Optimates, and it was not a gift well received.
• Julius Caesar traveled to Egypt and spent some time there, before returning to Rome. It was here that he first met the future Queen Cleopatra VII.

Pharsalus, Farsala, Greece