Aeneidos vs Pharsalia: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Latin Epic poetry, Latin language, Poetry, History, Fiction
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Pharsalia
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"In this edition Professor Fantham offers the first full-scale commentary on the neglected second book of Lucan's epic poem on the war between Caesar and Pompey: De bello civili. Book II presents all three leading…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Aeneidos is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 7 for Pharsalia.
- Aeneidos has the widest readership — 148037 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Aeneidos | Pharsalia | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (148037) | 3.9 (1705) |
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Reception
| Aeneidos | Pharsalia | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 148037 | 1705 |
| Editions | 64 | 182 |
| Citations | — | 4 |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Want to read | 118 | 59 |
| Reading it now | — | 2 |
| Written reviews | 14 | 2 |
| Wikipedia attention | — | 2559 |
| Pages | 215 | 424 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Aeneidos or Pharsalia?
Pharsalia has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Pharsalia 3.9/5, Aeneidos 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: Aeneidos or Pharsalia?
Aeneidos is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Aeneidos (215 pages, ≈ 3 h 59 m); Pharsalia (424 pages, ≈ 7 h 51 m).
Which is harder to read: Aeneidos or Pharsalia?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Aeneidos: Demanding; Pharsalia: Demanding.