Pharsalia Book 4

Lucan, in between telling the stories of Vulteius grotesque orders and Curio's expedition to Africa, talks of the mythological defeat of the Libyan giant AntaeusAntaeus was known for his incredible strength and would challenge any opponent to a wrestling match. After he won, he would slay the loserHercules stumbled upon Antaeus and they engaged in a fight.Hercules realized Antaeus got his strength from his mother, Gaia, who is the Earth, and therefore lifted him until all his power drained from him. Hercules was then able to kill him and move on with his life

Summary

After his victory in Massilia, Caesar continued on his voyage to Spain, where he defeats the forces of Afranius and Petreius, allies of Pompey, near IlerdaOn the flip side, in Illyria, a Caesarian raft had been trapped by a Pompeian blockade.The leader of this raft, Vulteius, orders the Caesarian men to kill each other rather than be taken prisoner...and they listen

Summary Part Two

Meanwhile, Lucan, the poet of these books, tells another story of Caesar and his troops...Curio, one of Caesar's soldiers, is leading an African expedition on Caesar's behalfHowever, because Curio is commanding soldiers with questionable loyalty, he is defeated and killed by the forces of King Iuba

PharsaliaBook 4

Extra Info

The fourth book out of ten

Caesar be like...

Antaeus in action

Curio dead

Gaia, the mother of Antaeus