In the summer of 48 BC, on a plain in Thessaly in Greece, Julius Caesar's smaller army of battle-hardened veterans defeated the larger forces of Pompey the Great and the Senate's party. Caesar's infantry, instructed to strike at the faces of the enemy cavalry, broke Pompey's flank and then the whole line. Pompey fled to Egypt, where he was murdered on landing by officials of the young Ptolemy XIII. Caesar followed, became involved in the dynastic dispute and the Alexandrian War, and put Cleopatra on the throne.
Before and after
- from 57 BCE to 935 CESilla
- 55 BCEOrigins of Theatre of Pompey
- from 54 BCE to 628 CERoman–Persian Wars
- c. 50 BCEEruption of Apoyeque
- 49 BCECaesar defeats Pompey at Pharsalus
- from 10 January 49 BCE to 17 March 45 BCECaesar's Civil War
- from 19 April 49 BCE to 6 September 49 BCESiege of Massilia
- 24 August 49 BCEBattle of the Bagradas River
- 46 BCEOrigins of Forum of Caesar
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 499 BCE to 449 BCEGreco-Persian Wars
- from 431 BCE to 404 BCEPeloponnesian War
- from 218 BCE to 201 BCESecond Punic War
- 217 BCEHannibal destroys the Roman army at Cannae
- from 59 BCE to 51 BCECaesar begins the conquest of Gaul
- 43 CERome invades Britain
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 1st century BCE.