Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Thapsus

Battle of Thapsus was a battle fought on 6 April 46 BC at Thapsus, in what is now Tunisia. It was part of the Caesar's Civil War, which ran from 49 BC to 45 BC. The recorded result: Caesarian victory.

See it on the globe Read the article

Battle of Thapsus
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought6 April 46 BC
WhereThapsus, Tunisia35.624N, 11.048E
OutcomeCaesarian victory
BelligerentsPopularesagainstOptimates; Numidia
Casualties and lossesNearly 1,000andAbout 10,000
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 Thapsus, 46 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 April 46 BC
PlaceThapsus, Tunisia
35.624N, 11.048E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength50,000−70,000 (at least 12 legions), 5,000 cavalry70,000−90,000 (at least 12 legions), 14,500 cavalry; Juba's allied troops with 60 elephants
Casualties and lossesNearly 1,000About 10,000
Commanders
Battle of ThapsusBattle of ThapsusCapture of MahdiaBattle of RuspinaBattle of the Tarigo ConvoyOperation Harpoonfall of KairouanCapture of MahdiaBattle of RuspinaBattle of the Tarigo ConvoyOperation Harpoonfall of KairouanTunisSfaxNabeulBéjaSdid BouzidSilianaZaghouan100 km35.624N, 11.048E
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 Thapsus
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 5 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Thapsus today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-07-04. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 1 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -2 to 25 m, 27 m of relief, flat country and today it is 68% water, 21% grassland, 5% cropland.

water: 68%grassland: 21%cropland: 5%built-up: 4%water 68%grassland 21%cropland 5%built-up 4%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 17 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 2 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 Thapsus is one of 166 engagements of the 1st century BC in the atlas and one of 133 in present-day Tunisia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q849653, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Thapsus, revision 1381864315, 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.