SH+2014-15+P6+Battle+of+Pharsalus

Kailie Szewczyk Aim In the Battle of Pharsalus, the Roman general, Julius Caesar successfully defeated the troops that belonged to the Roman Senate and his rival Pompey the Great. In addition, this ancient battle marked the end of the Roman republic (Lendering 1). The initial reasoning behind this conclusion was fueled by the fact that Caesar’s rival, Pompey the Great, decided to fight for the Senate against his former companion Caesar. This rivalry alone caused a massive division within the Senate itself. The divisive issues between Julius Caesar and the Senate grew larger and larger with time, thus leading to the outbreak of a great civil war. Therefore, this battle exemplifies just how effective Caesar’s strategic battle tactics are. This battle is an outward display of Caesar's ability to persuade large amounts of people. For example, Pompey’s army was substantially larger than Caesar’s army. This alone can lead to the lack of citizens wanting to enlist in the army to fight for what they strongly believe in. However, Caesar was able to convince individuals to join him in his quest to defeat the Senate’s army. Another reason for the growing estrangement between Caesar and the Senate was the rough history between Caesar and Pompey. These two individuals were once close friends because of the fact that Caesar married into Pompey’s family. However, once Caesar was beginning to get recognized for his militaristic achievements and advancements, Pompey’s acceptance for his friend began to change. One article states, “[Pompey was] convinced Caesar's goal was the overthrow of the republic…” (Jordan 1). This simple statement is an excellent portrayal of the division between Caesar and the Senate that ultimately led to the Battle of Pharsalus. This statement is directed to show the lack of trust that Pompey held of Caesar and the ease at which Pompey was quick to be falsely deceived by Caesar. Because Pompey was fallaciously “convinced” that Caesar was only wanting to take over the republic of Rome, Pompey engaged in a battle that would soon lead to not only the fall of Rome but the loss of a friend and his own defeat.

Amanda Marks Audience The Battle of Pharsalus was a fight between Gaius Julius Caesar, and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, more commonly known as Pompey the Great, and their legions (“Battle of Pharsalus” 1). Caesar and Pompey were once good friends and relatives by marriage, but over time with Caesar’s gain in power, Pompey felt threatened by Caesar. Pompey, being a consul ordered a number of his legions to guard land in Italy and Spain which surrounded Caesar’s smaller army. Caesar would not allow that trap to take over his military so he took his army to the Rubicon River and crossed it saying “The die is cast”, signaling that he was ready to fight (Jordan 1). Caesar then battled through Italy conquering towns with ease and eventually overthrew Pompey the Great and his army. The audience to this war was a very large selection of people that were both involved and apart from the war. Those who were not a focal point in the war were the different Roman political parties whose diversity played a role in the formation of the civil war. The two different political parties were the populares, who supported Caesar’s standpoint, and the optimates, who supported Pompey’s standpoint. Others who were not fully involved in the war but were still affected, were the people in Spain and Italy. Many people in Italy were taken over by Caesar; people in Spain were almost pulled into the war in order to support Pompey, and those who were not still had to live with Pompey’s military in their homeland. Those who were directly affected by the battle, therefore, a part of the audience, were Caesar, Pompey, and their legionnaires. They fought the battles and were the ones whose lives were put at risk during the time of the battle. These were the people who were a part of the audience to the Battle of Pharsalus.

Megan Nickerson Historical One of the most decisive battles in Caesar’s Civil War was the Battle of Pharsalus. Caesar’s Civil War began in August of 48 BC and was between Gaius Julius Caesar, along with his allies, and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus  ( Pompey the Great), along with those who supported him. Social classes clashed during this war and either side was divided in the following way, “Pompey led the patrician faction, the optimates, composed of Rome's aristocrats and senators. Caesar led the populist faction, the populares, nobles supported by Rome's farmers, veterans and middle class” (Jordan 1). By July of 48 BC, Caesar and his supporters faced defeat at Dyrrhachium. This, among other factors left Caesar’s army exhausted and inefficiently supplied. At the beginning of this war, Pompey’s legions were fearful of facing the legions were well-organized by Caesar, but their victory at Dyrrhachium left them overly confident. These factors worked in Caesar’s favor because, “This exuberance, coupled with Senate pressure, and Pompey's own lack of decisiveness was to prove a fatal mix” (“Battle of Pharsalus: Julius Caesar” 1). The Roman Senate was pressuring Pompey to find Caesar quickly and defeat him; thus, the Battle of Pharsalus began. As the battle ensued, Caesar found his army in ideal circumstances to turn the war in his favor and inspired his men with the following quote, “Our march at present, and set our thoughts on battle, which has been our constant wish; let us then meet the foe with resolute souls. We shall not hereafter easily find such an opportunity" (“Battle of Pharsalus: Julius Caesar” 1). Despite Pompey’s cavalry outnumbering Caesar’s seven to one, Caesar was able to acquire victory. It was claimed by Caesar that 15,000 enemy soldiers were killed and 200 of Caesar’s men were killed; however, these statistics are thought to be exaggerated. The battle came to a close when Pompey’s forces surrendered to Caesar and ended the major part of Caesar’s Civil War.

Estefania Camacho Garcia Cultural The Battle of Pharsalus was a definite game changer for Rome, its leaders, and citizens. According to the article “The Battle of Pharsalus” the battle resulted in, “The Republic never recovered… the Roman Republic evolved into the Roman Empire” (Keko 1). The war was between Pompey the Great and Julius Caesar. Pompey the Great decided to side with the senate, and this caused a civil war within the governing system. The people divided into this war, supporting different sides; this caused a clear divide. Pompey the Great was supported by the Roman Senate and Optimates, while Caesar was supported by his allies and fought the senate. The outcome of this battle was that Caesar successfully defeated the Roman Senate. This caused the Roman Republic to come to end, and the Roman Empire was now in power. The article “Battle of Pharsalus” states, “Caesar’s victory marked the end of the Roman Republic” (1). As a result of the Roman Empire being in power, Julius Caesar became the leader of Rome. Because of Caesar’s fantastic militaristic tactics, Rome had a more successful military. Ultimately, this inflicted a new pride for Rome within its citizens. For the Roman Empire, this win also meant that more land would result in the production of more useful materials. Rome was now developing a healthy economic system. Due to the healthy economic states, Rome became a city of the people, for the people, opening public hospitals and public bathrooms. The citizens of Rome would come under new power and rule, which they appreciated. The new system of government that was the result of Caesar’s victory at the Battle of Pharsalus was now in control and ruled the Empire, and this ultimately caused the Roman society to become more communal and to flourish.

Works Cited //Battle of Pharsalus: Julius Caesar//. Battle of Pharsalus. unrv, 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

//Battle of Pharsalus.// Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Oct. 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

Jordan, Jonathan W. //Caesar's Civil War: Battle of Pharsalus.// History Net Where History Comes Alive World US History Online Caesar's Civil War Battle of Pharsalus Comments. Military History, 12 June 2006. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

Keko, Don. //The Battle of Pharsalus (48 B.C.).// Examiner.com. AXS Digital Group LLC, 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

Lendering, Jona. //Battle of Pharsalus (48 BCE)//. Battle of Pharsalus (48 BCE). N.p., 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.