city state · Greece and the Aegean

Pharsalus

700 BCE – 146 BCE (approx.) · capital Pharsalus

Thessalian city of Phthiotis, long ruled by aristocratic families, whose plain saw Caesar's victory over Pompey in 48 BCE.

Origins

Pharsalus stood on a hill above the plain of the Enipeus in southern Thessaly, in the region Greek myth linked to Achilles's Phthia. It became a city in the Archaic period and one of the leading members of the Thessalian League with Larissa and Pherae.

Rule and society

Pharsalus was dominated by aristocratic families such as the Echecratidae. In the 370s BCE Polydamas governed the city and was forced to submit to Jason of Pherae. Daochus, a Pharsalian, served Philip II as tetrarch of Thessaly and set up a family monument at Delphi.

Decline and legacy

Pharsalus passed under Macedonian rule, was freed by Rome in 196 BCE and came under Roman control by 146 BCE. In 48 BCE Julius Caesar defeated Pompey nearby at the Battle of Pharsalus.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Pharsalus. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pharsalus
MLA
“Pharsalus.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pharsalus. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Pharsalus.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pharsalus.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Pharsalus’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pharsalus (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻