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The Gallic War: Seven Commentaries on The Gallic War with an Eighth Commentary by Aulus Hirtius (Paperback)

by Julius Caesar (Author), Carolyn Hammond (Translator) "(I) The whole of Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani another, and the third a people who..." (more)

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Product Details

Paperback: 260 pages
Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks; New edition edition (April 30 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0192835823
ISBN-13: 978-0192835826
Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.4 x 1.8 cm
Shipping Weight: 223 g

Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #370,704 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Review

I read Caesar with rather more reverence and respect than one feels in reading human works...the only thing to be said against him is that he speaks too sparingly of himself. Montaigne

Product Description

The Gallic War, published on the eve of the civil war which led to the end of the Roman Republic, is an autobiographical account written by one of the most famous figures of European history. On one level a straightforward narrative of the campaigns Caesar fought against the Gauls, Germans and Britons, it also serves a deeper political purpose, revealing him as a commander of breathtaking flair, courage and persistence - a man of the people, a man without rival. This new translation reflects the purity of Caesar's Latin while preserving the pace and flow of his momentous narrative of the conquest of Gaul and the first Roman invasions of Britain and Germany. The introduction includes a survey of Caesar's role and reputation in later thought, while detailed notes, maps, a table of dates, and glossary make this the most useful edition available.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
(I) The whole of Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani another, and the third a people who in their own language are called 'Celts', but in our, 'Gauls'. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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	69% buy the item featured on this page: The Gallic War: Seven Commentaries on The Gallic War with an Eighth Commentary by Aulus Hirtius 4.1 out of 5 stars (7)
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7 Reviews

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4 star:		(2)
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Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Great book and regarding another reviewer's comments, Jan 8 2003

By A Customer

The Gallic War is a wonderful resource that I first read in junior high (I'm a history nut) and I found that it really instilled in me the idea that the more things change, the more things stay the same. Policitians were as ambitious and arrogant, War as brutal, and Armies as powerful 2,000 years ago as they are today.

While I have not read this edition, and the factual errors that Mark Snegg pointed out in his review are inexcusable, Mr. Snegg should check his facts before criticizing the error of others. A catapult is a fieldpiece that uses counterweight, pulleys and lever action to hurl a large rock of pot of greek fire at the enemy. A weapon which hurls a large bolt or arrow with pulley action is a ballista.

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1.0 out of 5 stars A poor translation of a famous book, Mar 25 2002

By	Mark Snegg (Boone, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an unexpectedly poor translation of Caesar's great work, especially for an Oxford Classics edition. I found several obvious mistranslations, including at least one major error. The English is often awkward and unnatural, and fails to convey the lucid elegance of Caesar's Latin. Strangely enough, the book doesn't have a map of the whole of Gaul. There are a few larger scale maps, but it's not particularly clear how they fit together or even which parts of Gaul are being shown. The notes are at the back of the book, rather than in footnotes, so that the reader has to constantly flip back and forth to read them.

The worst error I came across was in the translation of the well-known incident in 2.25 where Caesar grabs a shield and personally runs forward into the front line of battle, saving a critical situation. Hammond's translation has the chief centurion Baculus doing this, rather than Caesar. Since Baculus is described only two lines earlier as being so seriously wounded that he is unable to stand, this reading defies not only Latin grammar, but also common sense. No justification is offered for this weird interpretation.

Throughout the book there is a certain lack of insight in translating military words. For example, in 4.25 Hammond twice translates 'tormenta' as 'missiles', although in fact it means 'catapults' (that is, bolt-firing machines like large crossbows). In the next paragraph 'speculatoria navigia' is translated as 'spy vessels', when 'scout ships' would be both more accurate and more natural English.

These examples are just the very tip of the iceberg. In general this translation is feeble and riddled with inaccuracies. Most of it is is very stilted English. The publisher's blurb about how it reflects the purity of Caesar's Latin is completely untrue.

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4.0 out of 5 stars "A First-Hand Account from a First-Rate General and Author", Feb 17 2002

By	Johannes Platonicus (South Bend, Indiana) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

If there were anything Caesar was as skillful at other than the arts of war, it would have to be his ability as an author. Caesar's first-hand account of his campaigns is very sincere and to the point, yet strikingly authoritative and deep at the same time. Not a hint of arrogance or prejudice is found in his narrative as well. His prose is eloquent, and certainly rivals some of the greater Latin authors of his age. Of his ten commentaries extant, seven are contained here in his account of the Gallic Wars. An additional eighth book was written by Aulus Hirtius in order to bridge the gap between the pacification of Gaul, through the Civil Wars, until finally Caesar himself resumes his narrative with his last three commentaries on the Alexandian, African, and Spanish Wars. The work itself, of course, deals with Caesar's campaigns and relations with the Celtic and German tribes, the Celts in Gaul, and the German's east of the Rhine. Although war is not the only issue Caesar records. His interest in Celtic and Germanic culture is apparent since he provides much important evidence about the diverse tribes' way of life. This information is treasured since the Celts, though literate, were forbidden by the druids to write, and also the Germans provided no single indigenous historian until Jordanes in the middle of the sixth century. Overall, the commentaries of the Gallic Wars are a valuable source for the times and a definite work of profound literary merit.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars On the Gallic Commentaries
Caesar has always been a hero to me, not the power driven, egotistical monster that many see him as today. Read more

Published on May 26 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars On the Gallic Commentaries
Caesar has always been a hero to me, not the power driven, egotistical monster that many see him as today. Read more

Published on May 26 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Can We count the Years
It might be prudent for me to say that the first century a.d. and the 1st b.c. are the same year. there is not year zero. As for the book, I found it very good. Read more

Published on Feb 29 2000 by enabran

5.0 out of 5 stars Seven Commentaries on the Gallic War
In response to the reviewer from Lakeland: while the reviewer you critique obviously doesn't have the knowledge to comment on this book, Caesar did live in the first century B. Read more

Published on Feb 2 2000 by Richard Mark Craven II