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Pharsalus 48 BC: Caesar and Pompey – Clash of the Titans (Campaign, 174) Paperback – September 26, 2006

by Si Sheppard (Author), Adam Hook (Author)

33 ratings

Part of: Campaign (376 books)

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Increasing tension between Julius Caesar and Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great) after the death of Marcus Licinius Crassus soon degenerated into military conflict. With his hand considerably strengthened by his election as Dictator by the Senate in Rome, Caesar knew that power would only be a reality once he had militarily defeated Pompey. By August 49BC, Caesar had effectively destroyed Pompey's armies in Spain, but, by the time he had crossed the Adriatic pursuing him eastward, his forces were heavily outnumbered. Even with the reinforcements brought by Mark Antony, his attempt to crush Pompey by laying siege to Dyrrachium was unsuccessful and he eventually had to withdrew into Thessaly, with Pompey in pursuit.

The stage was set for the final clash of the two titans of the Roman world and the odds were heavily in Pompey's favour, with 45,000 men against Caesar's 22,000. However, the veteran legions loyal to Caesar were the best in the Roman army and the challenge he faced clearly stimulated Caesar's tactical genius for battle. Guessing that Pompey would attempt to overwhelm his right wing with his cavalry, he concealed elite cohorts of legionnaries behind his own heavily outnumbered horsemen with orders to fight at close quarters like pikemen. Caesar's predictions were correct and, far from overwhelming his exposed right flank, Pompey's left flank was routed, allowing Caesar to envelop and scatter the rest of his army.

Simon Sheppard expertly charts the events leading up to the Pharsalus campaign, the course of the battle itself and the seismic implications of this decisive clash between the two greatest generals of their age.

From the Publisher

Full colour battlescenes

Beautifully illustrated battlescenes are included to bring the narrative of the conflict to life.

Three-dimensional ‘bird’s-eye-views'

Each three-dimensional 'bird's-eye view' is meticulously researched to recreate the actual battlefield at that point in history with accurate contour detail, scaling, landscaping and terrain features.

Maps

Detailed historical maps frame each battle or campaign, and provide the key historical context.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

London-born Si Sheppard completed his Bachelors and Masters degrees in New Zealand before receiving his doctorate from Johns Hopkins University in the United States. He is currently an associate professor of political science and international relations at Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York, and has written several titles for Osprey focusing on the interrelationship between geography, technology, and strategy.

Adam Hook studied graphic design, and began his work as an illustrator in 1983. He specializes in detailed historical reconstructions, and has illustrated Osprey titles on subjects as diverse as the Aztecs, the Ancient Greeks, Roman battle tactics, 19th-century American subjects, the modern Chinese Army, and the history of fortification. His work features in exhibitions and publications throughout the world.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Osprey Publishing
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 26, 2006
Edition ‏ : ‎ First Edition
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 96 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1846030021
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1846030024
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.24 x 0.23 x 9.88 inches
Part of series ‏ : ‎ Campaign

Best Sellers Rank: #1,288,298 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,767 in Ancient Roman History (Books)
- #2,239 in Military Strategy History (Books)
- #5,557 in Great Britain History (Books)

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33 ratings

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Customers find the book's narrative quality positive, with one review noting it provides a wonderful concise overview of the battle. Moreover, the book receives positive feedback for its coverage of battles. However, the information quality receives mixed reviews, with some customers finding it excellent while others say it's not all informative.

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Narrative quality Battles Information quality

6 customers mention "Narrative quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the narrative quality of the book, with one review noting it provides a well-written account of the battle, while another highlights its concise overview and detailed sections.

"...The introduction is excellent! It very nicely summarizes the events leading up to Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon...." Read more

"Typical Osprey publication. Informative and well written. Lots of illustrations and photos of areas were the campaign took place." Read more

"Wonderful concise over view of the battle and events surrounding it." Read more

"All in all, this is a well-written book on the battle where Caesar defeated Pompey...." Read more

3 customers mention "Battles"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the battles described in the book, with one mentioning that the actual battle of Pharsalus is nicely portrayed.

"...The book recovers in the “Battle” section and the actual battle of Pharsalus is nicely, if a little too briefly, covered...." Read more

"...line: the author did a great job in covering this ancient and very significant battle." Read more

"...An absorbing view of one of history's most fascinating and desicive battles." Read more

8 customers mention "Information quality"5 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's information quality, with some finding it informative and excellent in its introduction, while others note it is not all informative.

"...The introduction is excellent! It very nicely summarizes the events leading up to Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon...." Read more

"Typical Osprey publication. Informative and well written. Lots of illustrations and photos of areas were the campaign took place." Read more

"...Si Sheppard, the author, does an excellent job of describing the circumstances that caused the civil war, along with such events as Caesar's..." Read more

"The text is interesting and informative, and is supported by spirited plates by Adam Hook...." Read more

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Stephan Bullard
Good, but Somewhat Uneven Account
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2020
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Pharsalus 48 BC, is very much worth reading—especially if you’re not too familiar with the Civil War. The book is something of a mixed bag, however. I’d give it 4.5 stars if I could.

The introduction is excellent! It very nicely summarizes the events leading up to Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon. The introduction is so good, it makes the book worth getting even if you read nothing else. The following sections on the personalities and troops are perfectly fine. Things go downhill in the “Campaign” section. After the great introduction, I was expecting a nicely written summary of the opening moves leading to Pharsalus. That was not the case, however. Some parts of the campaign were clearly described, but much of the information was disjointed and hard to follow. The initial movements of Caesar in Italy and the clashes around Dyrrachium are particularly confusing. The book recovers in the “Battle” section and the actual battle of Pharsalus is nicely, if a little too briefly, covered. The final “Aftermath” section is exceptionally detailed. Too much so, in fact. It covers everything that happened after the battle until Caesar became the undisputed leader of Rome. In some ways this is nice. It gives readers a full picture of the entire Civil War. On the other hand, it takes up a lot of space (9 of 92 narrative pages) and is really beside the point. The book’s main focus is the battle of Pharsalus, not what happened after it. It would have been better if this section had been trimmed to 3-4 pages and the rest of the space used to clarify the events in the “Campaign” section.

All in all, Pharsalus 48 BC is a nice addition to a Roman history library. Like other Osprey Campaign books, it provides a lot of good information for people of all interest levels.

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Elmer Bates
Informative
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2021
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Typical Osprey publication. Informative and well written. Lots of illustrations and photos of areas were the campaign took place.

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Ronald A. Robison
Review
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2020
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Wonderful concise over view of the battle and events surrounding it.

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Mike Dillemuth
An Excellent Study of Caesar's Great Victory
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2008
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
All in all, this is a well-written book on the battle where Caesar defeated Pompey. It is easy to follow, well organized, and follows the standard format for Osprey books in the Campaign series. Si Sheppard, the author, does an excellent job of describing the circumstances that caused the civil war, along with such events as Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon River and the Battle of Dyrrachium.

The chapter on the opposing commanders is broken down into the Caesareans and the Republicans. Each of these two-sections is further divided into the individual characters. The name of each individual is highlighted in bold print. This simple technique provides the reader an easy reference to all the main characters.

The author provides an excellent description of the events that occurred during the battle itself. His narrative gives an understanding of the influences that affected each commander. Caesar was clearly outnumbered but he had a battle tested force and was the sole authority in command. Although Pompey had a numerically superior force, it was not combat tested. The unwanted advice of the various Roman senators in his camp also burdened Pompey. He did not have the freedom of command that Caesar enjoyed. The author finishes with a chapter on the "Aftermath." He describes such events as the assassination of Pompey, Caesar's African campaign, and the battle of Thapsus. In essence, he provides just the right amount of information to wrap up the story.

The book contains several photographs of statues, coins, and relief carvings on tombs. The photographs are clear and provide an accurate image of people, clothing, and weapons of the time. The author also uses several medieval paintings to depict certain events, such as Pompey's marriage to Cornelia. Although these images are interesting, they are not representative of the time. Some of the other paintings are from the 1700s. The use of modern battlefield photographs, however, is different. These photographs provide an excellent view of the terrain.

The book contains several campaign maps, which provide a nice overview of events across a wide area. These maps, however, contain too much information. The map outlining Caesar's five campaigns in the Mediterranean has over seventeen separate events. The text for this map is crammed into a corner, and in such a small font, that it is hard to read.

The book also contains three 3-D "birds eye view" maps of the battle of Pharsalus; one each for early morning, mid morning, and noon. Two of the maps, however, are missing letter indicators. The legend lists a series of letters and numbers that correspond to elements in Pompey's and Caesar's forces. Two letter designators are missing from their respective maps. Thus, the reader is left to guess where those units are located. Although this is not a critical flaw, it does reflect upon the editor's attention to detail.

Again, this book is an easy read. It is nicely organized and well focused on the battle itself. In addition, the author provides relevant information on events leading up to the battle and its aftermath. The shortcomings in the maps and paintings are minor and do not take away from the excellent narrative. Bottom line: the author did a great job in covering this ancient and very significant battle.

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K. Murphy
Pharsalus
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2007
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
The text is interesting and informative, and is supported by spirited plates by Adam Hook. An absorbing view of one of history's most fascinating and desicive battles.

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4 people found this helpful

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Nipper
Oustanding item!
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2021
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Great books by Osprey.

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Hannibal
Etat du produit
Reviewed in France on February 15, 2018
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Le conditionnement du produit est juste parfait et le livre lui-même répond tout à fait aux attentes d'un passionné d'Histoire antique.

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Mr. Martin J. Owen
Good book - recommended.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 18, 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
A Good Book for non-academic readers who have an interest in Roman History but want it explained in everyday language.

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Percy
Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 27, 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Very good

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JPS
Good overview of the campaign, but with glitches
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 7, 2012
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Despite its title, this Osprey title is about the Civil War from January 49 BC, when Caesar crossed the Rubicon without having relinquished his command to March 45 AD when Caesar's victory at Munda (Spain) destroyed the last army lined up against him.

By and large, this is a rather good Osprey Campaign when compared to the others, although I am not sure this is entirely a compliment because the quality of the volumes can be somewhat uneven. While the main points are made, there are, as another reviewer on Amazon.co.uk has noticed, quite a few glitches, approximations or even mistakes.
One of the main good points was to show to what extent Pompey in particular, but even the other generals that opposed Caesar, gave him a run for his money, including at the last battle (Munda) and, of course, at Dyrrachium.

Two related points are to show Caesar as a rather high-risk general ready to risk it all and gamble for the highest stakes, as his did during the campaign that led to the battle of Pharsalus, and as a very aggressive general taking the battle to his enemy, even if outnumbered, and running the risk of being cut off from his Italian base. Essentially he chose to cross the Adriatic and confront Pompey in the Balkans, banking perhaps on his luck. At least that would be part of his propaganda effort to display a show of confidence before the battle and to show himself as favoured by the Gods, once he had won. More probably, he was counting on the divisions among the Republican command and on the superior quality of his own army, mostly composed of veterans from his Gallic wars, as opposed to Pompey's more numerous but less battle-hardened force.

Another related good point was to show that Caesar was actually defeated by Pompey at Dyrrachium, after failing to catch him at Brundisium some time before. His siege of Dyrrachium and of Pompey's entrenched army was a failure and was broken by Pompey. He almost got himself killed when trying to rally his fleeing troops. He had to break the siege off since he was probably running out of supplies and Pompey refused to offer him the straight pitch battle that would allow him to make the most of his veteran troops. A third good point was to show that Pompey went after him but committed the mistake to offer battle at Pharsalus against his better judgement. The reasons for this are well presented and so is the Pompey's reluctance to fight a pitched battle because he was unsure of his infantry. Even then, however, his battle tactics were dangerous and could have been disastrous if Caesar had not managed to neutralise Pompey's cavalry a bit like Sylla had done against Mithridate's general in Greece some 40 years before.
There are however a number of glitches and issues. Taken individually, most of them are relatively small but their accumulation is rather problematic.

First, some of the author's statements are rather questionable. I was, for instance, very surprised to read that "the beauty of the Triumvirate was its inherent stability". Apart from being somewhat counter-intuitive and original (historians generally argue that the Triumvirate was, on the contrary, inherently instable and temporary), the author fails to explain his statement.

Second, I agree with the other reviewer (D.C.Stolk on the UK site): the contrast drawn made between Caesar's allegedly "pitiless" behaviour in Gaul and his policy of "clementia" in Italy (very loosely translated by "forgive and forget") is both superficial and factually incorrect. His "clementia" was not at all "uncharacteristic" and there had been being numerous cases in Gaul where Caesar accepted the submission of tribes without having to strike a blow, especially in the wake of his most stunning victories. It was opportunism and self-interest, of course, and it had little to do with any in-built cruelty or mercifulness.

Third, Caesar's "blitzkrieg", as the author puts it, is not explained and only presented as "a natural extension of his tactics in Gaul." In fact, similar situations - Caesar was heavily outnumbered - obliged him to use a similar method which had worked in Gaul and allowed him to defeat the Gallic tribes piecemeal almost to the end. Against the Republicans, Caesar was also heavily outnumbered so his solution to the problem was also to defeat them one after the other as quickly as he could before they could reinforce themselves and unite against him.

Fourth, the importance of the stirrups, seen as absolutely needed for cavalry to punch through infantry, is, to put it mildly, exaggerated and the author's statement is unfortunately superficial. This issue would have needed to be fully discussed since the author chose to raise it, and, to put it mildly, it is not at all as clear-cut as he makes it to be.

Fifth, there is even a problem with the double page plate showing the frontline at Pharsalus as the Caesarian infantry is about to break through the ranks of the Republicans and the re-enlisted Caesarian centurion Crastinus is about to get killed. He was killed by a sword thrust through the mouth but is it realistic, or even credible, to portray him holding his vinestick in one hand in the middle of the frontline instead of his scutum (shield)? I don't think so...

All of these glitches tend to reduce the quality of the book and this is a pity. For me, this one is worth about 3.5 stars which I will somewhat generously extend to four.

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Pharsalus 48 BC: Caesar and Pompey – Clash of the Titans (Campaign, 174) Paperback – September 26, 2006

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5.0 out of 5 stars Good, but Somewhat Uneven Account

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative

5.0 out of 5 stars Review

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Study of Caesar's Great Victory

5.0 out of 5 stars Pharsalus

5.0 out of 5 stars Oustanding item!

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Etat du produit

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book - recommended.

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars

4.0 out of 5 stars Good overview of the campaign, but with glitches

Good, but Somewhat Uneven Account

Informative

Review

An Excellent Study of Caesar's Great Victory

Pharsalus

Oustanding item!

Etat du produit

Good book - recommended.

Five Stars

Good overview of the campaign, but with glitches