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Pompey and the Senate's army had left Italy for Greece in 49 BC. Caesar, for lack of a fleet, solidified his control over the western Mediterranean - Spain and North Africa, specifically, before assembling ships to follow Pompey.
An indecisive winter (49/48) of blockade and siege followed. Pompey eventually pushed Caesar into Thessaly and at Pharsalus attacked. Caesar began the battle with a smaller, but veteran, force. Pompey's troops were more numerous, but far less experienced. Moreover, Pompey's senatorial allies disagreed with Pompey over whether to fight at Pharsalus and pushed Pompey into a quick decision.
Both commanders realized that if one army was able to flank the other and force them to fight on two sides, they would probably win. As such, both commanders put a substantial amount of effort into insuring that the other would be unable to sneak around to the back. The battle was held with a river to Caesar's left, insuring that neither side would be able to move around the other army on Caesar's left. The most important part of the battle was to happen on Caesar's right. Pompey hoped to win by using his superior cavalry to mount a two-front attack on Caesar's forces. As such, he placed a large contingent of cavalry on Caesar's right, with light forces consisting of funditores (slingers) and sagitarii (archers). Caesar placed his (somewhat weaker) cavalry on his right, with the fourth battle line in reserve behind it.
Caesar opened the battle with three battle lines, and a fourth in reserve. Marc Antony was given command of Caesar's troops by the river facing Lentulus. The center of Caesar's army was commanded by Calvinus, and the commander of the center of Pompey's army was Scipio. The commander of the right wing of Caesar's army was P. Sulla while Ahenobarbus commanded the right side of Pompey's force. Caesar was greatly outnumbered in cavalry. To make matters worse for Caesar, Titus Labienus (Caesar's second in command in Gaul) controlled the far left wing of Pompey's army. Light and heavy infantry were deployed near the river on both sides. The majority of the army was a clash between heavy infantry.
When the two generals had finished deploying their troops, the heavy infantry began to close. Pompey ordered his soldiers not to charge (against the standards of the day) in an effort to tire out Caesar's troops. Caesar's veteran centurions, forseeing Pompey's trap, stopped halfway on their charge and allowed their lines to rest. Pompey's fresh legionaries and Caesar's veteran troops created a stalemate in the center. By the river, the light infantry skirmished before the heavy infantry closed. Titus Labienus charged with his calvary and suceeded in pushing back Caesar's calvary and light infantry. However, when confronted by Caesar's fourth line of heavy infantry, Labienus' charge was pushed back and the light infantry and calvary of Pompey's right were pushed back into the hills. Caesar's fourth battle line wheeled into Pompey's rear at the same moment when Caesar pushed a fresh line of troops into battle. Now facing Caesar's fresh third line at the center of the battle and the attack from behind from Caesar's fourth line, Pompey saw that his defeat was at hand. He fled the battle, while his troops were defeated under pressure. Caesar ransacked Pompey's camp and took control of the remainder of Pompey's army.
Pompey fled from Pharsalus to Egypt, where he was assassinated on the order of Pharaoh Ptolemy XIV Dionysus.