Caesar’s arrival in Rome and the siege of Marseilles; in Books IV–VIII the civil war in
Spain, Illyria and Africa, Caesar’s arrival in Italy through Epirus, the siege against
Pompeius at Dyrrachium, the battle of Pharsalus, Pompeius’ flight into Egypt and his
death. In Book IX Lucanus describes the withdrawal of Cato Uticensis’ troops through the
Libyan desert towards Leptis Magna, among dangers and sufferings. Lucanus includes
a catalogue of 16 snakes, born in Libya from the blood streaming form the Medusa’s
cut head and describes the atrocious deaths inflicted on soldiers by their bites (9.607–
733), probably based on N. Finally in Book X (incomplete), Lucanus speaks of
Caesar’s visit to the tomb of Alexander the Great and of a banquet given for him by
K VII.
Ed.: C.R. Raschle, Pestes Harenae. Die Schlangenepisode in Lucans Pharsalia (IX 587–949) (2001);
C. Wick, Marcus Annaeus Lucanus, Bellum Civile, liber IX (2004).
OCD3 94 – 95; J. Radicke, Lucans poetische Technik. Studien zum historischen Epos (2004).
Claudio Meliadò
L. Annaeus Seneca (ca 40 – 65 CE)
Born ca 4 BCE/1 CE, Stoic philosopher and
Roman politician. Tutor and advisor to the
emperor Nero. Seneca was born in Spain to a
wealthy Italian family. His interest in philosophy
began early, and he studied under both Stoics
and Sextians (Seneca later described S’
independent Roman school, a little misleadingly,
as a kind of Stoicism). He was politically active
from the age of 25, becoming quaestor in 31, and
thereafter moving in influential circles, including
that of the imperial family. In 41 he became
ensnared in a move by Claudius’ first wife Messal-
lina to banish Caligula’s sister Iulia Liuilla, osten-
sibly for adultery with Seneca. With the help of
Claudius’ second wife, Agrippina, Seneca was able
to return to Rome in 49, when he also became
tutor to Agrippina’s 12-year-old son, Nero. After
Nero’s accession in 54, Seneca became one of the
two chief advisors to Nero, exerting a powerful
influence on the young emperor, and ensuring a remarkably smooth and scandal-free early
reign. His co-advisor in this period was Sex. Afrianus Burrus, Nero’s praetorian prefect.
Over time, however, Seneca’s beneficial influence on Nero began to wane as the emperor
became more and more self-indulgent, and on Burrus’ death Seneca attempted to retire.
His political reputation had become compromised as a result of Nero’s increasingly
unacceptable behavior, including Nero’s murder of his own mother. In 64, Seneca was
implicated (perhaps unjustly) in the conspiracy of C. Calpurnius Piso and forced to commit
suicide.
Seneca’s main philosophical interests were in ethics and natural philosophy, and he also
authored some celebrated and influential tragedies, nine of which are extant. As with his
tragedies, Seneca’s natural philosophy (to judge by the extant Naturales quaestiones) is deeply
Annaeus Seneca Bildarchiv Preus-
sischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY
L. ANNAEUS SENECA