Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, ancient

Battle of Pharsalus

Battle of Pharsalus was a battle fought on 6 June 48 BC at Farsala, in what is now Greece. It was part of the Caesar's Civil War, which ran from 49 BC to 45 BC. The recorded result: Caesarian victory.

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Battle of Pharsalus, 48 BC
Battle of Pharsalus, 48 BC. The Department of History, United States Military Academy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought6 June 48 BC
WhereFarsala, Greece39.300N, 22.383E
OutcomeCaesarian victory
BelligerentsCaesariansagainstPompeians
Casualties and losses200–1,200 killedand30,000–39,0006,000–15,000 killed
Part ofCaesar's Civil War49 BC to 45 BC

Where it sits in the Caesar's Civil War

Battle of Utica, 49 BCBattle of Marseille, 49 BCBattle of Krk, 49 BCSiege of Corfinium, 49 BCSiege of Massilia, 49 BCBattle of Ilerda, 49 BCBattle of Tauroento, 49 BCBattle of the Bagradas River, 49 BCBattle of Tauris, 48 BCSiege of Gomphi, 48 BCSiege of Oricum, 48 BCSiege of Salona, 48 BCBattle of Pharsalus, 48 BCBattle of Dyrrhachium, 48 BCBattle of Tauris, 47 BCBattle of Zela, 47 BCBattle of Hippo Regius, 46 BCBattle of Carteia, 46 BCBattle of Ascurum, 46 BCBattle of Ruspina, 46 BCBattle of Thapsus, 46 BCSiege of Apamea, 45 BCBattle of Munda, 45 BCSiege of Corduba, 45 BCBattle of Lauro, 45 BCSiege of Brundisium, AD 4949 BCAD 49Battle of Pharsalus, 48 BC
26 placed engagements of the Caesar's Civil War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date6 June 48 BC
PlaceFarsala, Greece
39.300N, 22.383E
KindBattle, ancient
Territorial changeMost of the Eastern Roman provinces defect to Caesar
Strength23,000+; 22,000 legionaries; 1,000 cavalry; ??? light infantry41,000–54,000+; 36,000–47,000 legionaries; 5,000–7,000 cavalry; Thousands of light infantry
Casualties and losses200–1,200 killed30,000–39,0006,000–15,000 killed
Commanders
  • Pompey
  • Titus Labienus
  • Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio
  • Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 54 BC)
  • Lucius Cornelius Lentulus Crus
Battle of PharsalusBattle of PharsalusBattle of CynoscephalaeBattle of CrannonBattle of Mataraga and PetromagoulaBattle of VelestinoBattle of CallinicusBattle of CrannonBattle of CallinicusPatraIoaninaAgrinioChalkidaKateriniLamiaPërmetPolygyros100 km39.300N, 22.383E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Pharsalus
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Pharsalus today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-07-22. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 132 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 119 to 523 m, 405 m of relief, steep country and today it is 56% cropland, 21% tree cover, 13% grassland.

cropland: 56%tree cover: 21%grassland: 13%built-up: 8%shrubland: 2%cropland 56%tree cover 21%grassland 13%built-up 8%shrubland 2%
west to east, 10.0 km122 to 328 mnorth to south, 10.0 km130 to 339 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 48 BC

Battle of Pharsalus is one of 166 engagements of the 1st century BC in the atlas and one of 529 in present-day Greece.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q203681, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Pharsalus, revision 1379786111, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.