The Gallic War

Here we have One of the better known pieces of military history ever penned, and a common model of Latin composition. Like a good deal of military writing, the aims of the author, and his wish to maintain, if not establish his military reputation is clearly carried out. It reads, at least in this translation, easily. The mapping, as usual is not particularly good. ( )

Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it Caesar describes the battles and intrigues that took place in the nine years he spent fighting the Celtic and Germanic peoples in Gaul that opposed Roman conquest.

The "Gaul" that Caesar refers to is ambiguous, as the term had various connotations in Roman writing and discourse during Caesar's time. Generally, Gaul included all of the regions primarily inhabited by Celts, aside from the province of Gallia Narbonensis (modern-day Provence and Languedoc-Roussillon), which had already been conquered in Caesar's time, therefore encompassing the rest of modern France, Belgium, Western Germany, and parts of Switzerland. As the Roman Republic made inroads deeper into Celtic territory and conquered more land, the definition of "Gaul" shifted. Concurrently, "Gaul" was also used in common parlance as a synonym for "uncouth" or "unsophisticated" as Romans saw Celtic peoples as uncivilized compared with themselves.

The victories in Gaul won by Caesar had increased the alarm and hostility of his enemies at Rome, and his aristocratic enemies, the boni, were spreading rumors about his intentions once he returned from Gaul. The boni intended to prosecute Caesar for abuse of his authority upon his return, when he would lay down his imperium. Such prosecution would not only see Caesar stripped of his wealth and citizenship, but also negate all of the laws he enacted during his term as Consul and his dispositions as pro-consul of Gaul. To defend himself against these threats, Caesar knew he needed the support of the plebeians, particularly the Tribunes of the Plebs, on whom he chiefly relied for help in carrying out his agenda. The Commentaries were an effort by Caesar to directly communicate with the plebeians – thereby circumventing the usual channels of communication that passed through the Senate – to propagandize his activities as efforts to increase the glory and influence of Rome. By winning the support of the people, Caesar sought to make himself unassailable from the boni. ( )

Un libro escrito hace 2000+ años por un militar? (bueno, seguramente dictado y editador por sus secretarios) No parece que vaya a ser una maravilla.
Pero Julio Cesar mantiene moviendose en el libro como si fuera un campo de batalla. Variando entre el comentario politico, el movimiento de tropas, el desarrollo de batallas particulares y detalles culturales.

Por supuesto Cesar seguramente miente en todos los detalles, parece que siempre toma las decisiones tacticas y estrategicas ideales lo cual no pudo ser así siempre.

Pero ya se sabe que la historia la escriben los vencedores. ( )

Fascinating to be reading the words Julius Caser wrote over 2,000 years ago.
However, took a long time to get through this. Put the book down numerous times. ( )

Dividida en ocho libros.