Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Dyrrhachium

Battle of Dyrrhachium was a battle fought on 10 July 48 BC at Durrës, in what is now Albania. It was part of the Caesar's Civil War, which ran from 49 BC to 45 BC. The recorded result: Pompeian victory. Recorded strength: 50,000 against 28,000.

See it on the globe Read the article

Battle of Dyrrhachium, 48 BC, English version
Battle of Dyrrhachium, 48 BC, English version. Dyrrhachium_48_ru.png: Homoatrox, based on several maps by US Military Academy (PD) derivative work: Homoatrox, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought10 July 48 BC
WhereDurrës, Albania41.317N, 19.450E
OutcomePompeian victory
BelligerentsPompeiansagainstCaesarians
Casualties and losses2,000+and1,000–4,000
Part ofCaesar's Civil War49 BC to 45 BC

Where it sits in the Caesar's Civil War

Battle of Utica, 49 BCBattle of Marseille, 49 BCBattle of Krk, 49 BCSiege of Corfinium, 49 BCSiege of Massilia, 49 BCBattle of Ilerda, 49 BCBattle of the Bagradas River, 49 BCBattle of Tauris, 48 BCSiege of Oricum, 48 BCSiege of Salona, 48 BCBattle of Pharsalus, 48 BCBattle of Dyrrhachium, 48 BCBattle of Tauris, 47 BCBattle of Zela, 47 BCBattle of Hippo Regius, 46 BCBattle of Carteia, 46 BCBattle of Ascurum, 46 BCBattle of Ruspina, 46 BCBattle of Thapsus, 46 BCSiege of Apamea, 45 BCBattle of Munda, 45 BCSiege of Corduba, 45 BCBattle of Lauro, 45 BCSiege of Brundisium, AD 4949 BCAD 49Battle of Dyrrhachium, 48 BC
24 placed engagements of the Caesar's Civil War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date10 July 48 BC
PlaceDurrës, Albania
41.317N, 19.450E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength50,00028,000
Casualties and losses2,000+1,000–4,000
Commanders
Battle of DyrrhachiumBattle of DyrrhachiumSiege of DyrrhachiumBattle of DyrrhachiumBattle of DyrrhachiumBattle of DurazzoBattle of DurazzoBattle of DurazzoBattle of DurazzoSkopjePodgoricaLecceShkodërBrindisiBitolaPrizrenElbasan100 km41.317N, 19.450E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Dyrrhachium
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Dyrrhachium today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-08-27. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 5 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -4 to 179 m, 183 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 46% water, 36% built-up, 8% grassland.

water: 46%built-up: 36%grassland: 8%tree cover: 5%water 46%built-up 36%grassland 8%tree cover 5%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 97 mnorth to south, 10.0 km-2 to 11 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 4 times between 48 BC and 1107.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 48 BC

Battle of Dyrrhachium is one of 159 engagements of the 1st century BC in the atlas and one of 53 in present-day Albania.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q525325, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Dyrrhachium (48 BC), revision 1378084108, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.