In sections 21 and 22 of book i, caesar receives valuable information and acts immediately to gain a favorable battle position. Books i and ii aris and phillips classical texts bk. Caesars gallic wars essays chronicle the history of his military engagements during the years 5851 b. After crassus death, only pompey and caesar remained, and the senate feared a civil war from which a king would arise.
The civil war is caesars masterly account of the celebrated war between himself and his great rival pompey, from the crossing of the rubicon in january 49 b. This volume contains caesars commentary on the civil war and three continuations. Caesar, imagining that the war would be protracted to too great a length, and despairing of his convoys from italy, because all the coasts were guarded with great diligence by pompeys adherents. The civil war written by gaius julius caesar and three of his followers recounts the events of the civil war between the caesar and pompey the great, including the latters defeat and the subsequent moppingup of his partisans in egypt, pontus. Instead, it illustrates how panic and subjective reporting on the part of only one person can turn the fortunes of war. The descriptions of the lay of the land as related to strategic advantages for battle were interesting. The books cover a twoyear period discussing the roman civil war during 49 and 48 bc. This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. Caesar marched on rome and pompey fled rome to central italy.
A tale of julius caesar a book by anne spackman page 1. Learn about the origins of this fighting and how it changed the roman. When caesar held elections in his capacity as dictator, julius caesar and publius servilius were elected consuls, this being the year in which it was legally permissible for caesar to be consul. David brown caesar destroys the quarter of the helvetian force by surprising them while they are crossing a river ceasars legions finally meet the helvetians in an open battle on a mountain in the aedui territory. The civil war is caesar s masterly account of the celebrated war between himself and his great rival pompey, from the crossing of the rubicon in january 49 b. Moberly this work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of. Caesar heads on to alexandria, where he involves himself in the struggle for power between the boy ptolemy xiii and his sister cleopatra. Civil wars book 1 ebook by julius caesar rakuten kobo. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
He played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the roman republic and the rise of the roman empire. Gaius julius caesar was a roman statesman, general and notable author of latin prose. While this was going on in spain, caesars officer gaius trebonius, who had been left behind for the assault on marseilles, began to deploy a siege ramp, screens, and towers against the city from two sides. Civil war, book 1 by gaius julius caesar goodreads. They are records of his own campaigns with occasional digressions in vigorous, direct, clear, unemotional style and in the third person, the account of the civil war. Imagine the chains, imagine the cross reserved for caesar, my head set on the rostrum, limbs unburied. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the civil war. This is a short story about caesar s civil war that began in 49 b. Various events in the war between caesar and the helvetii. In the first 10 minutes i provide 5 campaignbattle maps which are directly related to the events in book 1 58 b. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Oct 18, 2002 in essence, the author provides a nice conclusion to the civil war and shows how octavian, a. Where caesars own account leaves off in 48 bc, his lieutenants take up the history, describing the vital battles of munda, spain and. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc.
Where caesars own account leaves off in 48 bc, his lieutenants take up the history, describing the vital battles of munda, spain and thapsus, and. It is an easy read and one of the better volumes in the essential histories series. During the story, the two generals meet at the battle of pharsalus in 48 b. Political tensions between caesar and the greater part of the roman senate have been building for quite some time. The campaign of ilerda and defeat of afranius and petreius. Shorter than its counterpart on the gallic war, only three books long, and possibly unfinished, it covers the events of 4948 bc. At the bottom of each page below the text, each latin word is completely parsed and the commentary includes useful references to the revised grammars of bennett. I will now say nothing concerning the absurd opinion of those who assert that the following commentaries on the civil war were not written by caesar himself. The national endowment for the humanities provided support for entering this text. An eighth book carries the story to the outbreak of the civil war i. Book 2 1 introduction of the next round of civil strife, which appian dates to the late sixties, after pompey has finished the pirate war and the war against mithradates, and after caesar has entered public life and impoverished himself in the process. It began as a series of political and military confrontations, between julius caesar. A military leader of legendary genius, caesar was also a great writer, recording the events of his life with incomparable immediacy and power. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3.
The civil war is a masterful retelling of the war that eventually led to his dictatorship. Although incomplete, it is often considered the greatest epic poem of the silver age of latin literature, and it tells the story of the civil war between julius caesar. The supplement of dionysius vossius to caesars first book of the civil war. As for the battle narrative itself, it concerns an early revolt of several tribes, quelled by caesar and labienus. The first triumvirate overseers of the last days of the roman republic has disintegrated.
The civil warintroduction historical background caesar the man and his aims the civil war and the continuations. Caesars commentaries contains all eight of caesars books. I think it needless to say any thing here, in opposition to those who pretend, that the following commentaries, concerning the civil war, were not penned by caesar himself. When caesar s works were nearly half finished, and after nine days were spent in them, the ships which had conveyed the first division of the army to dyrrachium being sent back by the consuls, returned to brundusium. Think of sullas crime, the butchery in the saeptas pound on the campus martius. Book vi, the shortest of the hooks in the gallic wars, relates caesar s adventures during 53 b. Gaius julius caesar july 100 15 march 44 bce, roman statesman, general, author, famous for the conquest of gaul modern france and belgium and. Julius caesar, in full gaius julius caesar, born july 12, 100. The setting is a meeting of the senate on january 1, 49, under the new consuls lucius cornelius lentulus and gaius claudius marcellus, both enemies of caesar.
Learn about the origins of this fighting and how it changed the. The civil war written by gaius julius caesar and three of his followers recounts the events of the civil war between the caesar and pompey the great, including the latters defeat and the subsequent moppingup of his partisans in egypt, pontus, north africa and spain. David brown caesar destroys the quarter of the helvetian force by surprising them while they are crossing a river ceasars legions finally meet the helvetians in. Even without the authority of suetonius, the diction itself would be sufficient to convince the most skeptical that caesar. Jan 17, 20 in the first 10 minutes i provide 5 campaignbattle maps which are directly related to the events in book 1 58 b. The internet classics archive the civil wars by julius caesar. The civil wars has been divided into the following sections. Feb 05, 2004 the civil war ebook written by julius caesar. When caesar s dispatch had been handed to the consuls, the tribunes, with difficulty and after much wrangling, gained their permission for it to be read in the senate. A military leader of legendary genius, caesar was also a great write. The great roman civil war 4945 bc, also known as caesar s civil war, was one of the last politicomilitary conflicts in the roman republic before the establishment of the roman empire. I was surprised at caesar leniency toward the defeated solders. Even without the authority of suetonius, the diction itself would be sufficient to convince the most skeptical that caesar and no other was the author.
The rest of the campaigns are written by either eyewitnesses to the accounts or second hand informed ones who manage to carry their narrative well,except for the difficult. I will now say nothing concerning the absurd opinion of those who assert that the following commentaries on the civil war were not written by caesar. Read civil wars book 1 by julius caesar available from rakuten kobo. The civil war is a tense and gripping depiction of his struggle with pompey over the leadership of republican rome a conflict that spanned the entire roman world, from gaul and spain to asia and africa. Gaius julius caesar july 100 bc 15 march 44 bc, known as julius caesar, was a roman politician, general, and notable author of latin prose. Caesar, though fully satisfied of the truth of curios report, resolved to sacrifice all other considerations to the public tranquillity, that no man might justly charge him with being the author of a civil war. This episode might have resulted in a telling victory. Caesar s civil war resulted from the long political subversion of the roman governments institutions, begun with the career of tiberius gracchus, continuing with the marian reforms of the legions, the bloody dictatorship of lucius cornelius sulla, and completed by the first triumvirate over rome. Julius caesar, commentaries on the civil war, caesars. It began as a series of political and military confrontations, between julius caesar 10044 bc, his political supporters broadly known as populares, and his legions, against the optimates or boni. This is a detailed discription of the war campaigns of julius caesar, starting from the time that he was in charge of the roman forces in france gaul.
Julius caesars war commentaries marquette university. Chapter 1 when caesars letter was delivered to the consuls, they were with great difficulty, and a hard struggle of the tribunes, prevailed on to suffer it to be read in the senate. The pharsalia details the civil war between julius caesar left and pompey the great right. This is a short story about caesars civil war that began in 49 b.
Even without the authority of suetonius, the diction itself would be sufficient to convince the most skeptical that caesar and no other was the. Pompei has left rome with his army in order to intercept and detain two of. Published on dec 28, 2017 julius caesar war commentaries, book 1, descriptions of gaul, 58 b. It consists of three books covering the events of 4948 bc, from shortly before caesar. The civil war of caesar penguin classics 9780140441871. After a brief introduction lamenting the idea of romans fighting romans and an ostensibly flattering dedication to nero, the narrative summarizes background material leading up to the present war and introduces caesar in northern italy. Moberly this work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. The internet classics archive the civil wars by julius. Civil war caesar, cynthia damon harvard university press. Julius caesar launched a civil war in ancient rome in order to take control of the government as the most powerful leader. Instead, it illustrates how panic and subjective reporting on the part of only one person can turn the fortunes of war, though in this instance the consequences.
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