Editing Battle of Pharsalus (section)

==Prelude==
{{main|Caesar's Civil War}}

Following the start of the [[Caesar's Civil War|Civil War]], Caesar had captured Rome, forced Pompey and his allies to withdraw from Italy, and defeated Pompey's legates in Spain.{{sfn|Rawson|1992|pp=424–431}} In the campaign season for 48&nbsp;BC, Caesar crossed the Adriatic and advanced on Dyrrachium. There, [[Battle of Dyrrhachium (48 BC)|he besieged it]], but was defeated.{{sfn|Rawson|1992|p=432}}

Caesar then withdrew east into Thessaly, partly to relieve one of his legates from attack by [[Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio|Metellus Scipio]]'s forces arriving from Syria. He [[Siege of Gomphi|besieged Gomphi]] after it resisted him. Pompey pursued, seeking to spare Italy from invasion by concluding the war on Greek soil, to prevent Caesar from defeating Metellus Scipio's forces arriving from Syria, and under pressure from his overconfident allies who accused him of prolonging the war to extend his command.{{sfn|Goldsworthy|p=423}}{{sfn|Rawson|1992|p=433}}