Battle of Zela

Battle of Zela
Part of Caesar's Pontic Campaign
Date August 2, 47 BC Location Zile, present day Turkey Result Decisive Roman victory
Belligerents
Roman Republic	Pontus
Commanders and leaders
Julius Caesar	Pharnaces II of Pontus
Strength
10,960	20,000
Casualties and losses
unknown	unknown, most of the army

The Battle of Zela was a battle fought in 47 BC between Julius Caesar and Pharnaces II of The Kingdom of Pontus.

After the defeat of the Ptolemaic forces at the Battle of the Nile, Caesar left Egypt and travelled through Syria, Cilicia and Cappadocia to fight Pharnaces, son of Mithridates VI.

Pharnaces had defeated Caesar's Legate Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus, and his small Roman and allied army at the Battle of Nicopolis. He then committed atrocities against the Roman prisoners and against any Roman civilians he found in the region. When Pharnaces received word of Caesar's approach, he sent envoys to seek peace, which Caesar refused outright.

Caesar had two cohorts of the veteran VI Legion, the full XXII Legion, an allied force of Galatians and Vexillations from the XXXVI Legion. He also had a small contingent of cavalry. Pharnaces had an army approximately 20,000 strong, mostly consisting of tribal and levied infantry but also containing a core of professional phalangites, legionnaires, and cavalry. Pharnaces also had scythed chariots.

The battle took place in Zile, what is now a small hilltop town in the Tokat province of northern Turkey. The Pontic army positioned itself near the hilltop town of Zela, but as Caesar's men were entrenching their own camp on nearby high ground the Pontic force suddenly attacked. This action was unexpected as it defied logic to give up the solid position at Zela and to attack uphill. The assault achieved momentary surprise and at first gained some ground amidst the confusion, but the veteran Roman legionaries soon recovered and quickly organised a defensive line. Caesar then went on the counter-offensive and drove the Pontic army back down the hill, where it was completely routed.

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