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Caesar: Politician and Statesman
In 1912 a young scholar published a slim volume investigating the social structure of the late Roman Republic, which was in due course to transform the study of Roman history. The author, Professor Gelzer, went on to hold the Chair of Ancient History at Frankfurt and to become the greatest German-speaking historian of the Roman Republic since Mommsen. In 1921 he published his Caesar , which has by now gone through six editions in Germany and is still the standard account, in any language, of Caesar and his age. It amply fulfills the author's intent "to give the educated public a lively picture of the complete political career of one of the great statesmen of the past." Based on a conscientious evaluation of the abundant source materials--primarily the writings of Caesar and his contemporaries--Professor Gelzer's portrait renders Caesar in heroic proportions, destined and determined from the beginning to overthrow a corrupt aristocracy. The sixth edition (1960), brought up to date and provided with full annotations by the author, is the basis of this translation, which for the first time makes the work available in English. With Professor Gelzer's approval, some minor errors have been corrected, both in the text and in the chronological table and the map at the end of the book, and an analytical index of names has been added.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1968
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 19, 2007
If Gelzer fails, it is in his unchecked adoration for Caesar - he will bring the issues to light but fail to pass judgment on them. Nevertheless, there is a reason why Gelzer's work has continued to amaze: his analysis, style and brevity make him a true delight for the interested student. The book follows a good outline, spending most of the book concerning his consulship, the proconsulship and the civil war. Gelzer tries to keep things as objective as possible, but cannot help from pronouncing judgments on Caesar's actions, in particular his command decisions and how he plays the senators in Rome. I have always been in awe of Caesar and the book doesn't fail to show his ugly side, following his victories over the rebels and his continual stockpiling of powers and privileges leading up to his death in 44. A well-reasoned, comprehensive and concise book on one of history's great politicians and generals. A must-read.
February 27, 2017
Three things I found outstanding in this biography of Caesar:
- First, the attention paid to his early career and to his consulate, which is very interesting as most people focus on the triumvirate, the conquest of Gaul and the Civil War.
- Secondly, the excellent description of Caesar's interactions with the existing establishment, which is essential to understand why things happened the way they did. One tends to personify the establishment in Cato and Pompey, with Cicero as a concerned observer, but the reality is much more complicated.
- Thirdly, the explanation of who were Caesar's supporters at each phase in his career, and especially the mentions, minimalistic but there, of the disenfranchised aristocrats that had been Sullan antagonists, had survived the proscriptions and rallied under Catiline, briefly, before joining Caesar's standards in the hope of recovering their privileges. This explained quite a few things I had never properly understood before.
Gelzer remains sympathetic but objective until the Civil War, when he jumps overboard and openly joins Caesar's side. However, this does not prevent him from reporting faithfully on the progressive excesses in the honours granted to (and power taken directly by) Caesar until discontent explodes into assassination.
The book follows Caesar's military campaigns more dutifully than anything else, reserving the serious analysis to his political decisions and strategies, and in this I believe it to be still unsurpassed. The footnotes are mostly in Latin due to the quotes of ancient authors in the original, which will not deter serious scholars, but are not necessary to understand the main text, which is extremely readable.
- First, the attention paid to his early career and to his consulate, which is very interesting as most people focus on the triumvirate, the conquest of Gaul and the Civil War.
- Secondly, the excellent description of Caesar's interactions with the existing establishment, which is essential to understand why things happened the way they did. One tends to personify the establishment in Cato and Pompey, with Cicero as a concerned observer, but the reality is much more complicated.
- Thirdly, the explanation of who were Caesar's supporters at each phase in his career, and especially the mentions, minimalistic but there, of the disenfranchised aristocrats that had been Sullan antagonists, had survived the proscriptions and rallied under Catiline, briefly, before joining Caesar's standards in the hope of recovering their privileges. This explained quite a few things I had never properly understood before.
Gelzer remains sympathetic but objective until the Civil War, when he jumps overboard and openly joins Caesar's side. However, this does not prevent him from reporting faithfully on the progressive excesses in the honours granted to (and power taken directly by) Caesar until discontent explodes into assassination.
The book follows Caesar's military campaigns more dutifully than anything else, reserving the serious analysis to his political decisions and strategies, and in this I believe it to be still unsurpassed. The footnotes are mostly in Latin due to the quotes of ancient authors in the original, which will not deter serious scholars, but are not necessary to understand the main text, which is extremely readable.
March 4, 2007
The first "classic" modern biography of Caesar, Gelzer takes the old party line that Caesar was both a military genius and political maverick, a new type of Roman who was able to remove himself from the stale politics of the Late Republic and critically evaluate his place in it. It's straightforward and comprehensive, and while Gelzer clearly sees Caesar as a remarkable man, he acknowledges the gross propagandist overtones of Caesar's legislative and literary works. A nice, succint read if you're looking for a no-frills bio on Caesar (also, considerably shorter than Meier!).
March 15, 2014
This book is rightfully considered essential in any study of Caesar. Gelzer was ahead of his time in his analysis of Caesar's life as a politician and statesman since he approached his subject from a viewpoint within Caesar's culture and social environment (as much as is possible). Gelzer did not attempt to analyze Caesar's behavior from 20th century perspectives. The result is a brilliant exposition of Caesar and his times and clearly shows Caesar's unmatched genius.
May 21, 2007
I thought this was a very interesting book about Caesar's life. While it is outdated, and takes as fact some of the more outlandish stories of Caesar's life found in some of the less reliable ancient sources, it does do a very good job looking at Caesar's life. Even if you are not the biggest fan of Caesar, you find yourself being drawn into his personality, and the book deserves credit for making the reader feel the powerful sway that Caesar held over people. This is the classic and standard biography of C. Julius Caesar, and worth a read (it also does a very good job of summarizing Caesar's works "Conquest of Gaul" and "Civil War" into shorter and more exciting accounts).
August 14, 2007
"pour etre un grand homme, il faut savoir profiter de tout sa fortune!" itu kata2 di buku ini yang paling gw suka...kalo nganalisa caesar...dia itu ibarat Bung Karno, dan agustus kayak pak Harto...ni buku agak panjang...jadi gw gak baca dengan tuntas
April 5, 2017
A classic.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews