Julius Caesar: The Misread Statesman

by Elizabeth Legge

Julius Caesar: The Misread Statesman offers a fresh, accessible interpretation of one of history's most familiar figures. Rather than repeating the usual legends, this work begins with a simple question: What was Caesar actually like?

Written by a classical archaeologist specialising in the Julio-Claudian period, the book looks past hindsight and propaganda to consider Caesar as a rational, moderate, and often misunderstood man. It examines the political world he lived in, the intentions behind his actions, and the misreadings that shaped the final years of the Roman Republic.

This study approaches Caesar within the logic of the Roman world rather than through modern ideological lenses. It focuses on his political intentions, his institutional context, and the practical realities of the late Republic—avoiding anachronistic interpretations that treat antiquity as a reflection of contemporary debates.

Note on the Format: This is part of a study tht is evolving organically. Earlier editions remain permanently stable and fully citable, while future editions simply expand the work.

350 pages, Paperback

Published June 26, 2026

About the author

Elizabeth Legge is a classical (Roman focus) archaeologist, biologist, and Doctor of Medicine candidate. She has travelled in 65 countries on every continent since the age of 2 and lived in 17 of them. Since she was a teen, she has travelled solo across and between several continents, living in different countries along the way. Much of this was done for her postgraduate university studies and to perform research for her main historical novel series, whose research was also used for her archaeology master’s thesis, which achieved full grades and much commendation.

Her historical epic espionage mysteries are published under her pseudonym ELYSE DEBARRE. They can be found on this Goodreads profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show....

HER PUBLICATION LINKS:

You can find her Books2Read fiction author's page at:
books2read.com/RomaAquila_Books

And her scholarly nonfiction at:
books2read.com/RomaAquila_Scholar

You may follow her YouTube channel on ancient history, archaeology, world travel and my publications at:
https://www.youtube.com/@elyssa-vagab...

Her Facebook group for her writing is:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/49789...

Her Facebook group for fellow writers on ancient historical fiction and nonfiction is:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/99948...

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HER HISTORICAL ESPIONAGE EPIC FICTION includes the following works:

The Tower of Malatha: A Novel of Ancient Rome https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

The Oracle of Delphi: That Which is Hidden https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

The Oracle of Delphi: Prelude https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Rise of the Magi https://www.goodreads.com/series/1591...

COMING SOON:

Destiny's Tide: From Exile to Empire https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...