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Caesar defeats Pompey at Pharsalus

48 BCE, Pharsalus. An event.

Where and when

48 BCEPharsalus

2,073 years ago

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, Pharsalus

In Greece, Caesar's smaller army routs Pompey's. Pompey flees to Egypt. Plutarch says Caesar groaned at the dead and blamed his enemies.

They would have it so; they brought me to such a pass that if I, Caius Caesar, after waging successfully the greatest wars, had dismissed my forces, I should have been condemned in their courts.

Plutarch, Life of Caesar 46.1Translated by Bernadotte Perrin (1919)Read the full passage (Plutarch, Life of Caesar 46.1, opens scaife.perseus.org)

Background: Battle of Pharsalus, Wikipedia (opens en.wikipedia.org)

Why it matters

It was the decisive battle of Caesar's civil war. The historian Paul K. Davis writes that the victory took Caesar to the pinnacle of power, effectively ending the Republic.

Based on Wikipedia: Battle of Pharsalus

The Battle of Pharsalus was the decisive battle of Caesar's Civil War

Paul K. Davis wrote that "Caesar's victory took him to the pinnacle of power, effectively ending the Republic."

Wikipedia, Battle of Pharsalus (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-08-20. Text CC BY-SA 4.0. Our line is checked against these sentences only.

Related moments

In time order, with this one in its place. Each says why it is here.

  1. 52 BCE4 years earlier Vercingetorix surrenders to Caesar at Alesia Same years
  2. 49 BCE1 year earlier Caesar crosses the Rubicon with his army Same years
  3. 48 BCEThis momentCaesar defeats Pompey at Pharsalus
  4. 48 BCESame year Caesar on his speech before Pharsalus Rests on this eventAlso in PharsalusAlso about war and empire
  5. 48 BCESame year Caesar on Pompey's killing in Egypt Rests on this event
  6. 48–47 BCEBegins this year Caesar takes Cleopatra's side in Egypt Also about war and empire
  7. 46 BCE2 years later Cato kills himself rather than accept Caesar's pardon Same years

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