The Camps of Brutus and Cassius at Philippi, 42 B.C.

by C. Jacob Butera and Matthew A. Sears

Hesperia, Volume 86, Issue 2
Page(s): 359-377
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2972/hesperia.86.2.0359
Year: 2017
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ABSTRACT:

The traditional interpretation of the Battle of Philippi (42 B.C.) locates the camps of Brutus and Cassius to the west of the city of Philippi. This article proposes a new location for the camps based on three key arguments: (1) there are no hills in the traditional location corresponding to the hills mentioned in the ancient sources; (2) there are two hills in the southeastern section of the plain, near modern Amygdaleonas, that fit the ancient descriptions much more closely; and (3) an alternate route into the plain, south of Mount Pangaion, renders the traditional location strategically unfeasible.