ORDER OF BATTLE // -48 BCE
Battle of Ilerda
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 67,000 estimated
Populares
31,000
Medium-confidence figure
Optimates
36,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Ilerda, fought in June 49 BC, allowed Caesar to neutralize the Pompeian forces in Hispania commanded by legates Lucius Afranius and Marcus Petreius before turning to confront Pompey himself in Greece. By removing the threat posed by this Hispanian army — which outnumbered his own force of 31,000 with 36,000 troops — Caesar secured his western flank and freed his operational attention for the decisive confrontation that followed at the Battle of Pharsalus. The engagement was consequently a significant step in the broader strategic sequence of Caesar's Civil War, eliminating a capable enemy army without the losses a pitched battle might have entailed.
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