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roman history

battle of pharsalus -- august 9, 48 B.C.
On August 9, 48 B.C., although outnumbered by over two to one, Julius Caesar's forces defeated pro-republican forces under the leadership of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey) at Pharsalus in Thessaly. Caesar claimed to have lost only 200 men in the battle, while Pompey's casualties numbered in the thousands. Pompey himself fled the battlefield, and eventually made the fatal decision to go to Alexandria. The battle was definitely a turning point in the Civil Wars and Caesar's decision to pursue Pompey to Alexandria would also have ramifications for Rome's history.


links
Pharsalus is generally well represented on the web. As usual, we begin with a number of articles which describe the battle:


And, of course, you'll want to read some of the ancient sources on the battle:


There are some maps and photos available to give you an idea of the place where the battle was actually fought:


Copyright © 2001 David Meadows
this page: http://atrium-media.com/bibliotheca/romanhistory/pharsalus.html