Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, ancient

Battle of the Nile

Battle of the Nile was a battle fought in 47 BC at Nile Delta, in what is now Egypt. It was part of the Alexandrian War. The recorded result: Roman victory; Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIV installed as co-rulers of Egypt. Recorded strength: 20,000 infantry; 1,000 cavalry against 27,000 infantry; 2,000 cavalry.

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Battle of the Nile (engraving by Matthäus Merian, originally painting of Antonio Tempesta, cca 1625)
Battle of the Nile (engraving by Matthäus Merian, originally painting of Antonio Tempesta, cca 1625). Matthäus Merian, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought47 BC
WhereNile Delta, Egypt30.900N, 31.117E
OutcomeRoman victory; Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIV installed as co-rulers of Egypt
BelligerentsRoman Republic (pro-Caesar forces); Ptolemaic Kingdom (pro-Cleopatra forces)Greek forces of MithridatesKingdom of JudeaagainstPtolemaic Kingdom
Part ofAlexandrian War48 BC

Where it sits in the Alexandrian War

Siege of Alexandria, 47 BCBattle of the Nile, 47 BCBattle of Castra Iudaeorum, 47 BC47 BC47 BCBattle of the Nile, 47 BC
3 placed engagements of the Alexandrian War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date47 BC (year precision)
PlaceNile Delta, Egypt
30.900N, 31.117E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength20,000 infantry; 1,000 cavalry27,000 infantry; 2,000 cavalry
Commanders
  • Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator
  • Arsinoe IV
  • Ganymedes (eunuch)
Battle of the NileBattle of the NileBattle of the DeltaBattle of SamanouthAir Battle of El MansouraBattle of MansurahBattle of Shubra KhitBattle of the DeltaAir Battle of El MansouraAlexandriaBur SaidSuezGizaIsmaïliaDamanhûrDumyatRashid100 km30.900N, 31.117E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 47 BC

Battle of the Nile is one of 159 engagements of the 1st century BC in the atlas and one of 110 in present-day Egypt.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1975400, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of the Nile (47 BC), revision 1381409056, 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.