Home › Glossary › Letter P

Pharsalus

Battles
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A 48 BCE decisive victory by Caesar over Pompey, effectively ending the Roman Republic.

Detailed Definition
Pharsalus marked the death of republican ideals and the rise of autocracy. In poetry, it symbolizes the tragic cost of civil war and the birth of empire—frequently appearing in classical and neoclassical verse to explore themes of ambition, loyalty, and the irreversible shift from citizen-soldiers to subjects of a single ruler.
Example
Example in poetry:
Pharsalus, Caesar’s 48 BCE victory over Pompey, appears in Lucan’s “Pharsalia” as civil war’s tragic climax; A modern sonnet might frame Pharsalus’ plain as Rome’s soul divided; In a dramatic monologue, a Pompeian legionary recalls Caesar’s veterans at Pharsalus; A free-verse elegy could mourn the Republic buried at Pharsalus; Contemporary poets use Pharsalus to reflect on loyalty and ambition; A haiku might capture cicadas singing over Pharsalus’ ancient dust.
Additional Notes
Pharsalus (48 BCE) sealed Caesar’s victory over Pompey and effectively ended the Roman Republic; in classical and neoclassical poetry, it symbolizes the tragic collision between personal ambition and republican virtue, often framed as the moment liberty succumbed to autocracy.
Also Known As
Battle of Pharsalus
Skip to main content