Penguin Classics Conquest Of Gaul [Paperback]

 

 

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Julius Caesar was one of the truly pivotal people in recorded history. Most non-historians know him as the one who was stabbed by Brutus on the Ides of March. It is almost as if Caesar sprang full-grown to grab the reigns of power from the Senate in Rome. Yet Caesar had a fairly long life before he became First Citizen of Rome. He was a successful general and a talented historian who saw world events with the dispassionate eye of one who felt supremely confident that his tenure as an army general was but the last stop before his ascension to ultimate power. In his CONQUEST OF GAUL, Caesar uses the third person point of view to punctuate his tacit assumption that unfolding events ought to be divorced as far as possible from the one witnessing them. This writing technique also served to symbolize his stated goal: to conquer Gaul. To him, Gaul was a land of barbarian tribes, with each possessing formidable numbers and fierce fighters. These tribes and their leaders were enormously emotional, wildly unpredictable, and more dangerous as individuals than as organized units. Caesar knew that to beat them, he could not be as them. They were emotional, he coldly calculating. They were not efficient in massed groups, his legions had to be. Caesar was the ultimate practitioner of the divide and conquer school. He picked off his enemies one at a time, like bobbing heads on a shooting gallery. The Atuatucii, the Nervii, the Helvetians all fought ferociously, sometimes winning minor victories, but it was Caesar who won the ones that counted. He transformed his legions into extensions of his personality. They fought well as masses against overwhelming odds, not for their pay, or hope of plunder, or even for glory, but for their commander. Caesar's iron will and resolve filled his legions with hope and his enemies with despair. It was only when Caesar was recalled to Rome that the Gauls decided that now was the time to seek a new leader to strike down the Roman eagle. During this battle against Vercingetorix and his earlier ones against lesser chiefs, Caesar sees each battle as the logical working out of a master plan, that when combined with the bravery and training of his troops in co-ordinated combat, could crush a loud but awkward foe. As he writes, one can visualize his intended audience, not the reader of this review, but the purple-robed senators back in Rome sweating out the increasing victories of a man who seemed fated to return to the Capitol to tell them their business. His calmness in battle was matched only by his calmness with a stylus. It is truly ironic that it was this same calm that led him to discount the excited warnings of a Mark Antony, who tried to tell Caesar of plotters, that led to his downfall.

I absolutely enjoyed reading this 2000 year old play by play campaign account of Caesar and his conquering legions in Gaul. The text is anything but boring which you might expect from your experience with latin readings from highschool. It has intrigue, treachery, fighting and spectacular engineering feats of a modern war novel. Caesar relays all of this in the most non-chalant manner as if there was little effort involved. From building a bridge across the Rhine in 20 days to the 14 to 10 mile line long seige fortification at Alesia, it testified to the awesome capabilities of the Roman army in addition to it's fighting prowess. We also see Caesar at his best: when the situation turn to mush (sometimes due to his own lack of forsight) Caesar would not only prevent disaster but frequently completely reverses it and turns it into a victory. One wonders how history would have unfolded if Caesar had been destroyed with his legions at the Sabine River by the Nervii....
However, part of the attraction to the book is also because Caesar wrote it to be a great propaganda piece for himself. Those Roman historians out there know better not to take Caesar's word on everything point and try to read between the lines. After all Ceasar conquest of Gaul was stepping stone in his grand plan to achieve absolute power over Rome (not that Pompey was slacking either) which explains why Caesar had to achive a decesive victory in Gaul at any cost.
As military history text it is one of the better ones of its time because of its attention to detail (terrain, weapons, tactics and logistics) and Caesar's habit of being present in most of the battles. There are some general maps of the important regions in appendix but it is lacking in tactical diagrams and one as has rely on the text to get a picture of the fighting. For more detailed analysis of the military aspects of Caesar's career and better situation and tactical maps I would recommend T. A. Dodge's "Caesar". However, the latter is not a light read and not recommended for beginners in ancient history.

I have read the present classic book with great pleasure, but I nevertheless have had some feelings of not being completely satisfied with the editing. I happen to possess the complete translation of Ceasar's "Gallic War" published by an imprint of Harvard University Press and it occurred to me that in the present book several seemingly irrelevant passages have been left out. And this strikes me personally as somewhat irritating. Of course, when one does not know the difference one probably won't mind at all, but I thought it might be useful to people out there who are in the moment of deciding whether or not to by the present book to know that it is not the complete version, and should they wish to come into the possession of this complete one they should rather purchase Harvard's "Gallic War". I am not trying to downgrade the present book, but it's just a matter of wishing to own a complete version of the work or not minding at all about such trivial things.

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5.0 out of 5 stars ROME ROME ROME
If you can get past that the book was, at least in part, a piece of political propaganda for Ceasar you will be able to enjoy the experience of hearing Ceasar in his own words.

Published on Sep 3 2001 by Shaun Isham

3.0 out of 5 stars great read
you must really like histroy to get into this book , and like Julius Caesar this is what he wrote and thought , i really enjoyed his point of view , but this book not for... Read more

Published on July 10 2001 by optexprsn

5.0 out of 5 stars The Grand Caeser's Ego Trip
So I pick up this book (it was a gift from friends), and expect it to be dull and dry like Tacitus or Plutarch. Read more

Published on July 5 2001 by Clark D. Tew

4.0 out of 5 stars For those of us that were lousy at Latin
Terrific for those of us that had trouble with the original latin at school. Fluent commentary on Caesars exploits in Gaul. Read more

Published on May 22 2001 by Noel Molloy

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing First Hand Account
Many of the ancient works with which we are acustom were written by men far removed from the events which they were writing about, either by space or time. Read more

Published on Jan 1 2001 by T. Parry

5.0 out of 5 stars Caesar Speaks
It's fantastic to think that Caesar's words have passed to us virtually unchanged through 2000 years. A true glimpse into the events and strategies of the Gallic wars. Read more

Published on Dec 31 2000

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent narrative, thorough as the man himself
Caesar's Commentaries as they were suposed to be seen contrast markedly with say the "Histories" of Tacitus. How strong is this constrast, well we will see. Read more

Published on Nov 26 2000 by Frank Bierbrauer

3.0 out of 5 stars Conquest of Gaul
This translation chronicles Caesar's military adventures in Gaul (modern France), Germany and Britain. Read more

Published on Oct 21 2000 by Bob Dial

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece
This is a genuine historical treasure. Rarely are we fortunate enough to have historical accounts written by eyewitnesses. Read more

Published on Oct 9 2000 by AntiochAndy

5.0 out of 5 stars Important novel
This is a great book. Caesar description the traps that were put on the field at Alesia by the Romans and the stakes put in the Thames and near the Thames shows that landmines... Read more

Published on Sep 28 2000 by Jeremy Richmond

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