Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Zela

Battle of Zela was a battle fought in June 47 BC at Zile, in what is now Turkey. It was part of the Caesar's Civil War, which ran from 49 BC to 45 BC. The recorded result: Roman victory.

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Battle of Zela (engraving by Matthäus Merian, cca 1625)
Battle of Zela (engraving by Matthäus Merian, cca 1625). Author:, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtJune 47 BC
WhereZile, Turkey40.300N, 35.883E
OutcomeRoman victory
BelligerentsRoman RepublicagainstKingdom of Pontus
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 Zela, 47 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

DateJune 47 BC (month precision)
PlaceZile, Turkey
40.300N, 35.883E
KindBattle, ancient
Commanders
  • Pharnaces II of Pontus
Battle of ZelaBattle of ZelaBattle of ZelaBattle of AnzenSiege of AmaseiaBattle of PteriaBattle of Bathys RyaxBattle of ZelaBattle of AnzenSiege of AmaseiaBattle of PteriaBattle of Bathys RyaxSamsunOrduCorumKırşehirYozgatKastamonu100 km40.300N, 35.883E
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 Zela
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 50 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Zela today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-09-01. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 739 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 638 to 1,357 m, 719 m of relief, steep country and today it is 58% cropland, 18% grassland, 17% built-up.

cropland: 58%grassland: 18%built-up: 17%tree cover: 5%cropland 58%grassland 18%built-up 17%tree cover 5%
west to east, 10.0 km678 to 845 mnorth to south, 10.0 km712 to 1,143 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

In the same war

Elsewhere in 47 BC

Battle of Zela is one of 159 engagements of the 1st century BC in the atlas and one of 622 in present-day Turkey.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q971507, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Zela (47 BC), revision 1370596555, 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.