Why I Love Marseille, Part 29
January 16, 2011Because Lucan described us as a fearless, kick-ass city in back in 61 C.E.
This comes from Lucan’s Pharsalia, which is considered one of the great epic poems of the Roman period. It recounts the Civil War that pitted Julius Caesar against Pompey and describes how Caesar hesitated before invading Marseille, or Massilia, as it was known then. The ‘chief’, as Caesar is called, comes up with a plan:
To draw a rampart, upon either hand Heaved up with earthy sod; with lofty towers Crowned; and to shut Massilia from the land. Then did the Grecian city win renown Eternal, deathless, for that uncompelled Nor fearing for herself, but free to act She made the conqueror pause: and he who seized All in resistless course found here delay.This kind of historical legacy drives me batty with pleasure. I come from the city of Ottawa which got its start in 1800 when Philemon Wright created the first permanent settlements. Ottawa is a great place, but it is a relative infant and leaves one thirsting for historical gravity. To find myself living in Marseille, founded 2,600 years ago by sailors from the Greek colony of Phocaea, is completely intoxicating. I mean, Aristotle lived here for a while and Lucan rhapsodizes about our bravery. How awesome is that?
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