Battle of Pharsalus

In 48 BC the civil war between Caesar and the Senate's champion Pompey came down to a single plain in central Greece. Pompey had roughly twice Caesar's numbers by Caesar's own count, most of the cavalry and a better supplied army, but his men were less seasoned. Caesar's account says Pompey's cavalry swept round his flank and was met by a hidden reserve line that broke it. The legions then rolled up the rest of Pompey's army, and Pompey fled the field. The victory left Caesar the dominant power in Rome.

Almost everything we know about the order of battle comes from Caesar's own commentary, written to justify his side, so the figures for both armies and for the dead should be treated as partisan. Appian, Plutarch and Lucan supply other details, and they do not always agree with Caesar. Even the site is debated: scholars have argued for locations on both banks of the Enipeus, and the date of 9 August is a Roman calendar date that ran about two months ahead of the seasons. The story of Caesar telling his troops to strike at the faces of Pompey's young cavalry is told by Plutarch and Appian but not by Caesar, and may be embellishment.