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Caesar: Selections from his Commentarii De Bello Gallico
This text provides unadapted Latin passages from the Commentarii De Bello Book 1.1 7; Book 4.24 35 and the first sentence of Chapter 36; Book 5.24 48; Book 6.13 20 and the English of Books 1, 6, and 7 It includes all the required English and Latin selections from Caesar's De Bello Gallico for the 2012-2013 AP* Curriculum. Introduction includes historical context, an overview of the Roman army, and Caesar as General, Politician, and Writer Latin text accompanied by same-page notes (grammatical, literary, historical, contextual) Same-page running vocabulary Pull-out vocabulary Complete Latin-English glossary Online grammatical appendix Select bibliography Eight newly-created maps 19 black-and-white illustrations Figures of Speech
414 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2012
4 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Gaius Julius Caesar
2,022 books548 followersborn 12 July 100 BC
died 15 March 44 BC
Statesman and historian Julius Caesar, fully named Gaius Julius Caesar, general, invaded Britain in 55 BC, crushed the army of the politician Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in 48 BC, pursued other enemies to Egypt, installed Cleopatra as queen in 47 BC, and returned to Rome, and the people in 45 BC gave him a mandate to rule as dictator for life; Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus feared that he intended to establish a monarchy and led a group of republicans, who on 15 March 44 BC murdered him.
Marcus Licinius Crassus joined Caesar and Pompey in the first triumvirate to challenge the power of the senate in 60 BC.
Pompey with Caesar and Crassus formed a ruling triumvirate from 60 BC to 53 BC, but Caesar later defeated Pompey.
Caesar conquered Iberian peoples of Aquitania in 56 BC.
Cassius led members of the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar.
Brutus conspired to assassinate Caesar.
After his assassination, Gaius Octavius, his grandnephew, in 44 BC took the name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, to whom English texts often refer simply as Octavian.
He notably authored Latin prose. He played a critical role in the events to the demise and the rise of the empire.
In 60 BC, Caesar and Marcus Licinius Crassus formed an alliance that dominated for several years. Marcus Porcius Cato the Younger with the frequent support of Marcus Tullius Cicero among the Optimates within the senate opposed their attempts to amass power as Populares.
Victories of Caesar in the Gallic wars, completed before 51 BC, extended territory to the English Channel and the Rhine. Caesar first then built a bridge across the Rhine and crossed the channel.
After the death of Crassus in 53 BC, his rival realigned with the senate, but these achievements granted him unmatched military power and threatened to eclipse the standing. With the Gallic wars concluded, the senate ordered Caesar to step from his military.
Caesar refused the order and instead crossed the Rubicon with the thirteenth legion, left his province, and illegally entered Italy under arms to mark his defiance in 49 BC. Civil war resulted, and victory put Caesar him in an unrivalled position of power and influence.
Julius Caesar assumed control of government and afterward began a program of social reforms, including the creation of the calendar. He centralized the bureaucracy, and proclamation "in perpetuity" eventually gave him additional authority. Nevertheless, people resolved not the underlying conflicts, and on the ides, 15 March 44 BC, rebellious senators assassinated Caesar.
We know much from own accounts of military campaigns of Caesar and from other contemporary sources, mainly the letters and speeches of Cicero and the writings of Gaius Sallustius Crispus. Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus and Mestrius Plutarchus wrote the later biographies, also major sources. Many people consider supreme military greatness of Caesar.
People regarded Caesar during his time of the best orators and prose authors in Latin; even Cicero spoke highly of his rhetoric and style. Only war commentaries of Caesar survived. From other works, other authors quote a few sentences. He wrote his funeral oration for Julia, his paternal aunt, among his lost works. Cicero published praise; in response, he wrote Anticato , a document, to defame Cato. Ancient sources also mention poems of Julius Caesar.
A new series of civil wars broke, and people never restored the constitutional government. Octavian, adopted heir of Gaius Julius Caesar, defeated his opponents in the civil war and afterward rose to sole power as Augustus. Octavian set about solidifying his power, and the era of the empire began.
died 15 March 44 BC
Statesman and historian Julius Caesar, fully named Gaius Julius Caesar, general, invaded Britain in 55 BC, crushed the army of the politician Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in 48 BC, pursued other enemies to Egypt, installed Cleopatra as queen in 47 BC, and returned to Rome, and the people in 45 BC gave him a mandate to rule as dictator for life; Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus feared that he intended to establish a monarchy and led a group of republicans, who on 15 March 44 BC murdered him.
Marcus Licinius Crassus joined Caesar and Pompey in the first triumvirate to challenge the power of the senate in 60 BC.
Pompey with Caesar and Crassus formed a ruling triumvirate from 60 BC to 53 BC, but Caesar later defeated Pompey.
Caesar conquered Iberian peoples of Aquitania in 56 BC.
Cassius led members of the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar.
Brutus conspired to assassinate Caesar.
After his assassination, Gaius Octavius, his grandnephew, in 44 BC took the name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, to whom English texts often refer simply as Octavian.
He notably authored Latin prose. He played a critical role in the events to the demise and the rise of the empire.
In 60 BC, Caesar and Marcus Licinius Crassus formed an alliance that dominated for several years. Marcus Porcius Cato the Younger with the frequent support of Marcus Tullius Cicero among the Optimates within the senate opposed their attempts to amass power as Populares.
Victories of Caesar in the Gallic wars, completed before 51 BC, extended territory to the English Channel and the Rhine. Caesar first then built a bridge across the Rhine and crossed the channel.
After the death of Crassus in 53 BC, his rival realigned with the senate, but these achievements granted him unmatched military power and threatened to eclipse the standing. With the Gallic wars concluded, the senate ordered Caesar to step from his military.
Caesar refused the order and instead crossed the Rubicon with the thirteenth legion, left his province, and illegally entered Italy under arms to mark his defiance in 49 BC. Civil war resulted, and victory put Caesar him in an unrivalled position of power and influence.
Julius Caesar assumed control of government and afterward began a program of social reforms, including the creation of the calendar. He centralized the bureaucracy, and proclamation "in perpetuity" eventually gave him additional authority. Nevertheless, people resolved not the underlying conflicts, and on the ides, 15 March 44 BC, rebellious senators assassinated Caesar.
We know much from own accounts of military campaigns of Caesar and from other contemporary sources, mainly the letters and speeches of Cicero and the writings of Gaius Sallustius Crispus. Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus and Mestrius Plutarchus wrote the later biographies, also major sources. Many people consider supreme military greatness of Caesar.
People regarded Caesar during his time of the best orators and prose authors in Latin; even Cicero spoke highly of his rhetoric and style. Only war commentaries of Caesar survived. From other works, other authors quote a few sentences. He wrote his funeral oration for Julia, his paternal aunt, among his lost works. Cicero published praise; in response, he wrote Anticato , a document, to defame Cato. Ancient sources also mention poems of Julius Caesar.
A new series of civil wars broke, and people never restored the constitutional government. Octavian, adopted heir of Gaius Julius Caesar, defeated his opponents in the civil war and afterward rose to sole power as Augustus. Octavian set about solidifying his power, and the era of the empire began.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 3, 2023
Dang I was rooting for the Gauls😔
August 9, 2017
A solid student book for the AP. I know some find Caesar boring, but the AP selections are actually pretty interesting in that they showcase Caesar's ability to spin events in his favor and perform damage control to protect his military reputation. Given that shifting blame seems to be more common than ever in global politics today, having students analyze a relatively remote (and therefore emotionally distant) figure is also helpful. The passages also raise the issue of tactics, trust, pretext for action, cultural differences and the representation of different cultures, etc.
Pros:
-Solid introduction that also discusses the Roman military, which is very important for understanding the text (obviously)
-Good maps placed throughout the Latin text
-On-page commentary and vocabulary with pull-out vocabulary at the back
-Generally solid commentary
-Plaintext at the end along with translations of the books in English covered by the AP
Cons:
-There are some inaccuracies in the commentary (e.g. misidentifying odd conditions and conditions in indirect discourse)
-Occasionally, tricky grammar remains unexplained and weird case uses (e.g. epexegetical genitive) are ignored, which does not make sense, given that those are probably what students need the most help with
Pros:
-Solid introduction that also discusses the Roman military, which is very important for understanding the text (obviously)
-Good maps placed throughout the Latin text
-On-page commentary and vocabulary with pull-out vocabulary at the back
-Generally solid commentary
-Plaintext at the end along with translations of the books in English covered by the AP
Cons:
-There are some inaccuracies in the commentary (e.g. misidentifying odd conditions and conditions in indirect discourse)
-Occasionally, tricky grammar remains unexplained and weird case uses (e.g. epexegetical genitive) are ignored, which does not make sense, given that those are probably what students need the most help with
June 12, 2017
I came, I saw, I snoozed.
I suppose there is a certain type of person who would really want to trudge through Caesar's circle-jerk of a commentary chronicling his journey of discovering, describing, and destroying Gallic peoples, but I don't think I'd ever want to meet them. Caesar's Latin is equal parts perfectly grammatical and frustratingly overcomplicated, and it's all about as interesting as a several-thousand year old reckoning of a war by the guy who waged the war sounds.
This specific book is done well enough, though. It's helpful for a student studying the AP course and has appropriate commentary for a high-school audience.
I suppose there is a certain type of person who would really want to trudge through Caesar's circle-jerk of a commentary chronicling his journey of discovering, describing, and destroying Gallic peoples, but I don't think I'd ever want to meet them. Caesar's Latin is equal parts perfectly grammatical and frustratingly overcomplicated, and it's all about as interesting as a several-thousand year old reckoning of a war by the guy who waged the war sounds.
This specific book is done well enough, though. It's helpful for a student studying the AP course and has appropriate commentary for a high-school audience.
May 8, 2017
IT'S DONE. HALLELUJAH.
January 14, 2022
Comparing certain modern American politicians to this guy is kind of crazy
January 23, 2022
hellish
July 15, 2025
One of the greatest third-person self-referencers to ever do it, performing at his peak! Shoutout piety. Shoutout the standard. Shoutout the tenth legion. Ugh I could go on forever.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews