48 : Pompey defeated by Julius Caesar at the Battle of Pharsalus.

After Julius Caesar was defeated by Pompey at Dyrrhachium in 48 BC, both armies departed and again made contact somewhere near what is today Fársala, Greece. In the ensuing battle on this day, Pompey's cavalry was turned back by advancing legionnaires using their pila as stabbing spears rather than as javelins. Caesar's soldiers then began to outflank the left wing of Pompey's infantry; at the same time, Caesar's third division, which had been held in reserve, was ordered to attack. Pompey's legions broke, and he fled to Larissa.