Battle+of+Pharsalus

Historical by: Joey Giola The Battle of Pharsalus was the culmination of a 6 month war. Pompey and Caesar built large fortresses facing each other, in preparation for the battle. Marc Antony had shown up to support Caesar, but the combined army was soon defeated. Caesar only had two options, an all out assault or retreat. Retreat was not an option when Caesar was trying to overthrow the Senate. "When the lines joined, Labienus ordered the cavalry to attack; as expected they successfully pushed back Caesar's cavalry until his hidden fourth line joined in, using their pila to thrust at Pompey's cavalry and turn them to flight. After this, Caesar ordered his six cohorts from his left flank to attack the flank of Pompey's army, the battle was more or less decided." (Wikipedia 4). This battle affected the course of history by allowing Caesar to overthrow the Senate and become a dictator. This in turn caused lots of changes in the world. Land was conquered and places had civilization. New lands were discovered and the Roman empire grew in size. Lots of places now would be less civilized if not for Caesar becoming a dicator by defeating Pompey. This battle effectively changed the course of history.

Works Cited 1. Wikipedia contributors. "Battle of Pharsalus." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 23 Sep. 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. 2. Battle of Pharsalus (48 BCE)" //livius.org//. n.p. n.d. Web. 23 October. 2012



Aim by Johnny Wilson The reason why the Battle of Pharsalus happened was because of the political battle and civil war going on. According to livius.org " The civil war between [|Julius Caesar] and the [|Senate] had broken out early in 49, when the conqueror of Gaul, who was not permitted by the Senate to run for [|consul], crossed the river Rubico" (Battle of Pharsalus (48 BCE). The quote shows that Julius Caesar and the Senate had started the battle due to disputes. Pompey, who was a rival of Julius Caesar was going to fight for the senate, which led to the battle of Pharsalus. The civil war had started because Caesar had started to fight the senate as the Roman Republic's parties were all shifted around. Another reason for the start of the civil war according to historynet.com was because the Roman Republic had a huge amount of political unrest dating around 50 years caused the civil war to start (Jordan). As shown in the quote, the roman republic was needing a new political leader or party, the senate was trying to hold it's ground and regain control while Julius Caesar is trying to start a new era were he is the the leader of the Roman republic. Overall, the aim of the battle was Julius Caesar trying to gain more political respect from the battle in order to overtake the senate. Work Citied "Battle of Pharsalus (48 BCE)" //livius.org//. n.p. n.d. Web. 19 October. 2012. "Caesar's Civil War: Battle of Pharsalus" //history.net.// Weider History Group. 12 June, 2006. Web. 20 October 2012.

Cultural- Grant Williams The Battle of Pharsalus took place on August 9th, 48 BCE. This battle between Julius Caesar and Gnaeus Pompeuis Magnus resulted in a victory by Caesar, bringing him and the Roman Empire to great power and prosperity, and bringing the republic to an end. "Caesar's victory took him to the pinnacle of power, effectively ending the Republic” (Wikipedia 5). The Roman army was nothing close to similar with modern armies, though in 48 BCE, their methods were affective. Weapons such as the sword, shield, pilum, and javelin were used for close and long range combat. In modern day armies, weaponry is entirely different. The Battle of Pharsalus affected modern day society because it brought Caesar and the Roman Empire too much more power and prosperity, which brought land and reputation to Rome. “Despite Pompey's prestige in the east, the legend of Caesar must've been incredible. The man had conquered Gaul, crossed the Rhine, crossed into the farthest reaches of the known world in Britannia, and now utterly destroyed the Great Pompey with a far inferior force” (UNRV 9). The Roman Empire overtook Pompey the Great, and continued to overcome after the large victory. The reign of Julius Caesar influenced other followers, but none as successful as him. The victory over Pompey by Caesar also influenced many wars for land and wealth, though in modern day, the Battle of Pharsalus influenced complete control, and power rises from lower political positions. Works Cited- Wikipedia contributors. "Battle of Pharsalus." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 23 Sep. 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. UNRV History contributors. “Battle of Pharsalus.” Roman Empire. UNRV History contributors. 2003. Web. 21 Oct. 2012.

Audience: Alex Colpo

The audience of the Battle of Pharsalus is the people of ancient Greece and the surrounding countries. The battle was fought between Julius Caesar and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. The American Journal of Archaeology states, "The result was a decisive victory by Julius Caesar over Pompey."(American Journal of Archaeology) This victory was a key victory in Caesar’s campaign that effectively ended the Republic of Rome and turned it into an empire. The people of the Roman empire were the audience of the battle and were greatly affected by the aftermath of this battle. This battle changed the way their country was run because this is what sealed the deal for Julius Caesar to become the ruler of Rome. This war was showing to the people of Rome, or the audience that Julius was a very powerful man and could defeat anyone in battle. He had captured the people of Rome and was going to begin to expand the country greatly until his death.

2. History Net - Live The History."//History Net: Where History Comes Alive//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012.
 * 1) 1.The American Journal of Archaeology vol. 87 no.1 January 1983