The Aftermath
Following the battle of Pharsalus, Caesar and his supporters (the Populares) had won a decisive victory in the ongoing civil war against Rome. Nearly 15,000 of Pompey’s men were killed in battle however, according to Caesar, only around 6,000 were actually soldiers with the rest being servants attending to the camp. Contrary to the vast toll taken on Pompey’s army, Caesar lost a mere 200-1,200 soldiers, including 30 centurions. Caesar took into captive many soldiers and optimate leaders, including Marcus Junius Brutus, and enlisted them into his own armies, leaving no resentment. For the knights and senators, Caesar killed off all who had fought against him or had been previously captured, in an effort to gain substantial future power in the government of Rome. Caesar then pardoned all who aided Pompey but made sure to not have any come close to his inner circle.
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus fled to Egypt in a cowardly manner and left his legions in disarray. Upon arrival, Pompey was betrayed and assassinated by the pharaoh Ptolemy XIII. It is unclear why the Egyptians killed Pompey, but it was thought that they saw defeat as sign of weakness and had no desire to be associated with such behavior. The Egyptians also believed that the possibility of a takeover of power by Pompey was inevitable and must be halted or quite simply that the assassination could be used as a way to win favor of Caesar. However, this ideology backfired when Caesar received Pompey’s head from Ptolemy XIII while on his way to Egypt to confront Pompey. Caesar had wished to pardon Pompey in an effort to receive honor for acquitting his great rival, an action unheard of at the time. As a result, Caesar returned to power in Rome after fathering a son with his new love, Cleopatra.
The Impact
The Battle of Pharsalus effectively ended the First Triumvirate between Gaius Julius Caesar, Marcus Licinius Crassus, and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. However, the Roman Civil War was still underway between the popluares and optimates, with the populares now at an advantage with Caesar’s victory at Pharsalus. Caesar would go on to fight more battles in Africa and Hispania with his last being the Battle of Munda which ended the Roman Civil War in 45 BC and put an end to the optimates. After such success and garnished power, Caesar became Dictator perpetuo (perpetual dictator). While serving as dictator, Caesar carried out reforms to “relieve debt, enlarge the senate, build the Forum Iulium, and revise the calendar”, which was known as the Julian calendar. Having not resolved underlying political issues, Caesar was assassinated by Marcus Junius Brutus (whom he pardoned) on the Ides of March. The victory at Pharsalus served as a critical weapon in the eradication of the Roman Republic and an onset of the new Roman Empire.