LUCAN’S EGYPTIAN CIVIL WAR ThisbookexploresLucan’shighlyoriginaldeploymentofcontradic- toryGreco-RomanstereotypesaboutEgypt(utopianvs.xenophobic) asameansofreflectingontheviolenttensionswithinhisownsociety (conservatismvs.Caesarism).Lucanshowsthetwodistinctfacetsof first-centurybcEgypt,namelyitsancientPharaonicheritageandits latter-dayHellenisticcultureunderthePtolemies,notonlyinspiri- tualconflictwithoneanother(viatheopposedcharactersofAcoreus, priest of old Memphis, and the Alexandrian courtier Pothinus) but also inextricably entangled with the corresponding factions of the RomancivilwarandofNero’sRome.DrTracyalsoconnectsLucan’s portrayalofEgyptandtheNiletohiscriticalengagementwithGreco- Romandiscourseonnaturalscience,particularlytheNaturalesQuaes- tiones of his uncle, Seneca the Younger. Lastly, he examines Lucan’s attitudetowardsthevalueofculturaldiversitywithintheincreasingly monoculturalenvironmentoftheRomanMediterranean. jonathan tracyteachesintheDepartmentofClassicsattheUni- versityofToronto.HehaspublishedwidelyonLucanandEgyptand iscurrentlyworkingonasecondbook,whichconsiderstheevolution ofGreco-RomanattitudestowardsthedeclineandfallofPharaonic EgyptfromHerodotusdowntotheendofclassicalantiquity. LUCAN’S EGYPTIAN CIVIL WAR JONATHAN TRACY UniversityPrintingHouse,Cambridgecb28bs,UnitedKingdom CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge. ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof education,learningandresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence. www.cambridge.org Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107072077 ©JonathanTracy2014 Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements, noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress. Firstpublished2014 PrintedintheUnitedKingdombyClays,StIvesplc AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary isbn978-1-107-07207-7Hardback CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof urlsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication, anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain, accurateorappropriate. ForW.N.GwynPhierry,whokeptthefaith sedtuamevirtustamenetsperatavoluptas suavisamicitiaequemvisefferrelaborem suadetetinducitnoctesvigilareserenas... Lucretius,DeRerumNaturae1.140–142 Contents Acknowledgements pageviii Introduction:Thecomfortsofdistance 1 part one: pompey in egypt 13 1 SeePompeyrun 15 2 ThefatalcaseforEgypt 31 3 MemphisversusAlexandria 60 part two: caesar in egypt 97 4 Apilgrim’sprogress? 99 5 ThecontextofAcoreus 144 6 ThelessonsofAcoreus 181 7 MemphisversusAlexandriaII 225 Conclusion:Fromseclusiontosolidarity 274 Bibliography 280 Indexofnames 288 Indexofpassages 292 vii Acknowledgements ThisbookbeganlifeasadoctoraldissertationattheUniversityofToronto, withthetitleScience,Egypt,andEscapisminLucan,andmythanksgoout firstofalltomylong-sufferingsupervisor,ProfessorMichaelDewar,who, withhissageadviceandconstantencouragement,patientlyshepherdedme through the entire process and without whose gentle strictures my thesis would have ended up much less effective and persuasive (not to mention much longer). I would also like to thank the other members of my thesis committee: Professor Brad Inwood, who considerably refined my picture ofLucan’srelationshipwithSenecaandwhoalwayspushedmetoapproach thephilosophicalportionsofmythesiswithprecision,accuracy,andintel- lectual rigour; Professor Alison Keith, who directed my thoughts towards Lucan’suseofgenre,aswellasofferingusefulfeedbackonmywritingstyle and on the structuring of my arguments; and Professor Christer Bruun, who, in his capacity as Graduate Coordinator, guided me at every stage of my major field and thesis. In addition, I owe a considerable debt of gratitude to Professors Elaine Fantham and Denis Feeney, my internal andexternalexaminers(respectively),fortheirinsightful,challenging,and stimulating questions and comments, which proved to be of invaluable assistance in my further development of this topic and in the daunting taskoftransformingthesisintobook.Mentionshouldlikewisebemadeof ProfessorJohnGrant,whosegraduateseminaronLucanprovidedthegerm for my thesis. Of course, the book has also benefitted considerably from theguidanceIhavereceivedfromMichaelSharp,myeditoratCambridge University Press, as well as the anonymous reviewers for my manuscript, whosesuggestionsandcriticismswereindispensablyconstructive.Finally, IoffermyheartfeltthankstoW.N.GwynPhierry,mydearestfriend,my trustedhelpmate,andthesinequanonofallmyendeavours.Ihopethat, oneday,Icanbegintorepayallthelovingkindnessandunfailingsupport you’veshownmethroughthepasttwodecadesofmylife. viii