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Pharsalia

Lucan

Politics & EconomicsEnglish
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In ten books of furious verse, Lucan tells the story of the civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey that destroyed the Roman Republic: Caesar's crossing…

Catalogue details

Author
Lucan
Category
Politics & Economics
Language
English
Source
Project Gutenberg

About this book

In ten books of furious verse, Lucan tells the story of the civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey that destroyed the Roman Republic: Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon, the siege of Massilia, the battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC, Pompey's flight to Egypt and his murder on the shore, and Cato's march through the deserts of Libya, where serpents attack the soldiers. Lucan does away with the gods of epic and makes Caesar a destructive force of nature.

Context and significance

Lucan (39–65), the nephew of the philosopher Seneca, wrote the poem under the emperor Nero, who first favoured him and then banned his work; after joining a plot against Nero he was forced to take his own life at twenty-five, leaving the poem unfinished. Compare Caesar's own De Bello Gallico and Other Commentaries.

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