Pompey crossed to Epirus. Owing to his lack of a fleet Caesar could
not follow and returned to Rome. There some of the magistrates were still
functioning, in conjunction with a remnant of the Senate. Being in dire
need of money, he wished to obtain funds from the treasury, and when this
was opposed by a tribune, Caesar ignored the latter's veto and forcibly
seized the reserve treasure which the Pompeians had left behind in their
hasty flight. In the meantime Caesar's lieutenants had seized Sardinia and
Sicily, and crossed over into Africa. He himself determined to attack the
well organized Pompeian forces in Spain and destroy them before Pompey was
ready for an offensive from the East. On his way to Spain, Caesar began
the siege of Massalia which closed its gates to him. Leaving the city
under blockade he hastened to Spain, where after an initial defeat he
forced the surrender of the Pompeian armies. Some of the prisoners joined
his forces; the rest were dismissed to their homes. Caesar hastened back
to Massalia. The city capitulated at his arrival, and was punished by
requisitions, the loss of its territory and the temporary deprivation of
its autonomy. From here Caesar pressed on to Rome, where he had been
appointed dictator by virtue of a special law. After holding the elections
in which he and an approved colleague were returned as consuls for 48, he
resigned his dictatorship and set out for Brundisium. There he had
assembled his army and transports for the passage to Epirus.

*Pharsalus, 48 B. C.* During Caesar's Spanish campaign Pompey had gathered
a large force in Macedonia, nine Roman legions reinforced by contingents
from the Roman allies. His fleet, recruited largely from the maritime
cities in the East, commanded the Adriatic. Nevertheless, at the opening
of winter (Nov. 49 B. C.) Caesar effected a landing on the coast of Epirus
with part of his army and seized Apollonia. However, Pompey arrived from
Macedonia in time to save Dyrrhachium. Throughout the winter the two
armies remained inactive, but Pompey's fleet prevented Caesar from
receiving reinforcements until the spring of 48 B. C., when Marcus
Antonius effected a crossing with another detachment. As Caesar's troops
began to suffer from shortage of supplies he was forced to take the
offensive and tried to blockade Pompey's larger force in Dyrrhachium.
However, the attempt failed, his lines of investment were broken, and he
withdrew to Thessaly. Thither he