The Battle of Zela was a battle fought in 47 BC between Julius Caesar and Pharnaces II of the Kingdom of Pontus. The battle took place near Zela (modern Zile), which is now a small hilltop town in the Tokat province of northern Turkey. The battle ended the ambitions of king Pharnaces who wanted to expand his rule over Asia-Minor. Prelude After the defeat of the Ptolemaic forces at the Battle of the Nile, Caesar left Egypt and travelled through Syria, Cilicia and Cappadocia to fight Pharnaces, son of Mithridates VI. Pharnaces had defeated Caesar's Legate Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus, and his small Roman and allied army at the Battle of Nicopolis. He then committed atrocities against the Roman prisoners and against any Roman civilians he found in the region. When Pharnaces received word of Caesar's approach, he sent envoys to seek peace, which Caesar refused outright. Pharnaces had made camp near the town of Zela on the site of a great victory (the Battle of Zela of 67 BC) won by his father. His camp was in a strong defensive position; on highground with a track linking his camp to the town to maintain his supply line. Caesar set up camp on the other side of the valley, but upon his scouts reporting Pharnaces' position he decided to move his camp to the highground opposite the Pontic camp. The Romans quickly marched onto the highground and started building a camp. Pharnaces reacted by drawing his army out of camp and put them into battle order. Caesar drew up one line of infantry to protect the workers, but kept the rest of his army constructing the new camp. The Pontic army suddenly marched against the Romans. The armies Caesar had a detachment (vexillation) of the veteran VI Legion (c. 1000 veteran legionaries), the XXII Legion (a legion of Galatians; armed, trained, and organized in the Roman style by King Deiotarus of Galatia), the XXXVI Legion (a legion created from Pompeian legionaries who surrendered to Caesar after the Battle of Pharsalus) and several cohorts of survivors of the army of Domitius Calvinus. He also had a small contingent of cavalry. His army numbered c. 15,000 men. Pharnaces had an army approximately 20,000 strong, mostly consisting of tribal and levied infantry, but also containing a core of professional soldiers; phalangites, legionaries, and cavalry. Pharnaces also had scythed chariots. Order of battle Pharnaces drew