Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Philippi

Battle of Philippi was a battle fought on 3 October 42 BC at Philippi, in what is now Greece; it lasted 20 days. It was part of the Liberators' Civil War, which ran from 43 BC to 42 BC. The recorded result: Triumvir victory.

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Battle of Philippi
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought3 October 42 BClasted 20 days
WherePhilippi, Greece41.013N, 24.286E
OutcomeTriumvir victory
BelligerentsTriumvirs; Supported by: Ptolemaic Egypt (sent ships but too late to aid in the fighting)againstLiberators; Supported by: Parthian Empire (cavalry force)
Casualties and losses16,000 killed (3 October)and8,000 killed (3 October); Surrender of entire army (23 October)
Part ofLiberators' Civil War43 BC to 42 BC

Where it sits in the Liberators' Civil War

Battle of Cape Myndus, 43 BCBattle of Rhodes, 42 BCBattle of the Ionian Sea, 42 BCBattle of Philippi, 42 BC43 BC42 BCBattle of Philippi, 42 BC
4 placed engagements of the Liberators' Civil War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date3 October 42 BC
to 23 October 42 BC
PlacePhilippi, Greece
41.013N, 24.286E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength53,000–108,000; 40,000–95,000 infantry in 19 legions; 13,000 cavalry60,000–105,000; 40,000–85,000 infantry in 17 legions; 20,000 cavalry
Casualties and losses16,000 killed (3 October)8,000 killed (3 October); Surrender of entire army (23 October); Total dead: 40,000
Commanders
  • Marcus Junius Brutus
  • Gaius Cassius Longinus
  • Aulus Allienus
  • Serapion (strategos)
  • Tyre, Lebanon
Battle of PhilippiBattle of PhilippiSiege of PhilippiBattle of AmphipolisStruma operationBattle of SerresBattle of SerresBattle of AmphipolisStruma operationBattle of SerresÇanakkaleKhaskovoKateriniXanthiPlovdivAlexandroupoliKomatiniPolygyros100 km41.013N, 24.286E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.
Filipos, en la Macedonia Oriental
Filipos, en la Macedonia Oriental. No machine-readable author provided. Marsyas assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Philippi
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 50 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Philippi today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-30. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 93 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 828 m, 828 m of relief, steep country and today it is 59% cropland, 13% shrubland, 11% grassland.

cropland: 59%shrubland: 13%grassland: 11%tree cover: 10%built-up: 7%cropland 59%shrubland 13%grassland 11%tree cover 10%built-up 7%
west to east, 10.0 km50 to 117 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 593 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

Battle of Philippi 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 Q335330, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Philippi, revision 1381429349, 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.