The Battle of Pankalia is fought between the army loyal to the Byzantine emperor Basil II and the forces of the rebel general Bardas Skleros.
It takes place to the west of Caesarea, in the thema of Charsianon on March 24, 979.
In a surprise attack, the emperor's army, commanded by Bardas Phokas and reinforced by the Georgian cavalry under Tornikios, inflicts a crushing defeat on the rebels.
Skleros himself is wounded by Phokas in single combat, but manages to escape to Muslim territory.
His army is scattered and the rebellion is soon put down, thus eliminating a major threat to Basil II's early reign.
