Though probably not from the fair hand of the great man himself, but compiled by his military secretary, this is a clear and iconic military campaign book, probably earlier than any other roman military treatise. ( )

There’s much to value in Julius Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War; it is lucidly and elegantly written, and Caesar’s august style makes it a rare reading experience. Being (at least in part) intended as source material for others, the narrative is straightforward and transparent, and there’s not a word too many. This is easily the best account of a military campaign I have ever read. The detailed descriptions of battle tactics, siegeworks, troop movements (on both sides), logistics, etc, gives an unique view of the different battles as well as the practical (and psychological) mechanisms of ancient warfare. Except for the occasional depreciating remark about Gauls in general, I was little bothered about the purported propaganda aspect of this work, also because it clearly shows what a formidable foe the combined forces of the Gallic tribes actually were. At the outset, I didn't expect to like it as much as I actually did, but I come out of this with a newfound respect for both the military commander and the author, as well as the man, Gaius Julius Caesar.
I read the excellent translation by S. A. Handford, revised and with a new introduction by J. F. Gardner; much of the introduction is however rather jumbled and stands in stark contrast to Caesar’s own clear and well-organized account. The maps are good and invaluable for being able to follow the troop movements throughout Gaul.




This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. ( )

Cayo Julio César, que es uno de los tres más grandes capitanesde la Historia con Alejandro Magno y con Napoleón, es también unode los tres más considerables historiadores latinos, con Cayo CrispoSalustio y con Tito Livio, formando el ejemplar triunvirato del períodoclásico por excelencia, período verdaderamente «áureo» de las letraslatinas. Y Julio César es todo esto, tiene tal significación,precisamente como historiador de sí mismo, narrador de sus propiashazañas guerreras y de su política.Había en él, además de un excepcional militar y un no menosextraordinario estadista y gobernante, un admirable literato, másplural o polifacético de lo que, por lo común, suele saberse; unliterato al que, por haberse perdido varias de sus obras ajenas algénero histórico, no podemos juzgar en su integridad y de mododirecto, pero sin duda no muy inferior al historiador en el cultivo deotras manifestaciones literarias, distintas a lo histórico; un literato, enfin, autor del poema El viaje, de la tragedia Edipo y de otrascreaciones poéticas, del Anti-Catón, de una astronomía De astris y deun tratado acerca de los augures y los auspicios.Con todo, le bastan sus obras de carácter histórico, sobre lahistoria que él mismo vivió e hizo, protagonizándola, para que lejuzguemos conforme se dice al principio de estas líneas; obrasevidentemente originales, redactadas sin asistencia de personaalguna, en las que, lejos de imitar, se haría digno de imitación,afirmando notables cualidades y condiciones de historiador, demaestro de la historia narrativa. Sobrio y preciso, claro y metódico,brillante y colorista sin alardes, de acuerdo con la austeridad y laseveridad propias del género en sus más dignas concepciones..., asíes Julio César, historiador de sí mismo.

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. ( )

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