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The Pharsalia of Lucan
362 pages, Paperback
Published May 22, 2025
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October 27, 2025
"Wars worse than civil on Emathian plains,
And crime let loose we sing: how Rome's high race
Plunged in her vitals her victorious sword..."
Lucan's Pharsalia is a dramatic retelling of what was a very real conflict that took place between Julius Caesar and the Roman senate (with the senate being led by the famous general Pompey the Great). Caesar's smashing victory against Pompey at the battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC was probably the single most crucial event leading to the final death throes of the Roman republic. Starting from this historical narrative, Lucan delivers a long, meandering poem that merges fantasy and reality.
Lucan follows the basic story in chronological order: Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon, Pompey's abandonment of Rome and flight to Greece, and the consecutive battles of Dyrrhachium and Pharsalus. However Lucan also includes visions of gods and goddesses--and a delightful, if absurd, chapter featuring Shakespearean-style witches and their raising of corpses that then deliver prophecies of blood and strife on the eve of Pharsalus.
A must-read for any fan of Roman history and/or those who enjoy epic poems in the style of the Iliad and the Aeniad.
And crime let loose we sing: how Rome's high race
Plunged in her vitals her victorious sword..."
Lucan's Pharsalia is a dramatic retelling of what was a very real conflict that took place between Julius Caesar and the Roman senate (with the senate being led by the famous general Pompey the Great). Caesar's smashing victory against Pompey at the battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC was probably the single most crucial event leading to the final death throes of the Roman republic. Starting from this historical narrative, Lucan delivers a long, meandering poem that merges fantasy and reality.
Lucan follows the basic story in chronological order: Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon, Pompey's abandonment of Rome and flight to Greece, and the consecutive battles of Dyrrhachium and Pharsalus. However Lucan also includes visions of gods and goddesses--and a delightful, if absurd, chapter featuring Shakespearean-style witches and their raising of corpses that then deliver prophecies of blood and strife on the eve of Pharsalus.
A must-read for any fan of Roman history and/or those who enjoy epic poems in the style of the Iliad and the Aeniad.
Displaying 1 of 1 review