Ryan Reeder
History 307/Cl Cv 307 Roman History
Eric D. Huntsman
December 19, 2000
Following the formation of the First Triumvirate, the Lex Vatinia granted to Caesar the provinces of Cisalpine Gaul, to which was later added Transalpine Gaul, and gave him possession of an army. (1) For the next several years, he fought and seemingly conquered Gaul. In the passage under consideration, Caesar describes a young man named Vercingetorix who in 52 B.C. agitated those around him. His father, Celtillus the Arvernian, had been a chieftain of all Gaul, and was executed for attempting to establish a kingdom. Against the warnings of his uncle Gobannitio and over his banishment from his hometown Gergovia, he raised an army of desperadoes whom he "exhorted to take up arms in behalf of the general freedom." Then upon recapturing his homeland, he was declared king by his followers. He sent out messengers throughout Gaul, and allied with several other tribes in the region. After the tribes gave him the supreme command, he strengthened his army by ordering soldiers, arms, and horses from each state. He then ensured the allegiance of waverers by employing Machiavellian techniques of death and mutilation for greater and lesser crimes and offences. In this manner, he prepared his people to combat Julius Caesar (Caes. B Gall. VII.4).
Gaius Julius Caesar was born in about 100 B.C. and was assassinated on the Ides of March, 44 B.C. He was a very ambitious man, and acquired great authority, beginning with Pontifex Maximus, and ending with his being proclaimed dictator perpetuis. Posthumously he was declared a deity. His views and purposes were largely calculated as self-propaganda for his own aggrandizement, at which he largely succeeded, until he misinterpreted the intentions of the Senate that assassinated him. His Bellum Gallicum or Gallic Wars were a compilation of dispatches that he sent from Rome, commenting on the state of affairs in Gaul. His style is generally straightforward and factual, serving his purposes by telling history with "masterful depictions of warfare" and without rhetoric (2). His Gallic Wars are invaluable as historical records.
The Bellum Gallicum consist of the reports that Caesar as a general sent to Rome from his posts in Gaul. As military dispatches, they were official, detailed, and complete. In addition, Caesar's personal ambitions motivated him to be mindful of the way in which he presented himself. Caesar writes clearly, puts himself in a good light with his successes, distances himself from failures, and does it while making his work appear as a "bare, unbiased account of the events" (3). Thus, he enhanced his public image and prepared himself for future conquests.
This passage in which Caesar introduces Vercingetorix and explains some of his initial actions in his rise to power is quite reliable as a historical source. Caesar didn't paint his opponents in a bad light. He expresses Vercingetorix's motivation as being for "the sake of the general liberty,"-a very noble cause. He depicts what might be considered as Vercingetorix's cruelty as he "put to death with fire and all manner of tortures" or "sent a man home with his ears cut off or one eye gouged out" matter-of-factly, showing an understanding of why Vercingetorix behaved this way. "To the utmost vigilance, he added the utmost rigor of authority" in order to bring waverers to the cause of freedom. Some saw these actions as pointing out a moral. Others were simply terrified by the severity of the penalties. Both responses served his purposes. And Caesar depicts an accurate portrayal of the entire picture. In addition, Caesar's personal absence from this particular passage invites even less personal prejudice on the matter. From this passage alone, we learn who Vercingetorix is, why he battled Caesar, what kind of a leader he was, and how he raised an army sufficient to challenge Caesar for the next two years. This generosity of character depiction reflects on Caesar as a man. It shows that Caesar was fair, and probably held a high opinion of himself. It also alludes to Caesar's practice of clemency with regard to vanquished foes. This aids us in comprehending ultimately how Caesar was able to take power with popular support of one of the greatest states in the world.
Bellum Gallicum are the "only [secular] surviving account of ancient military operations by a battlefield commander," (4) (Coincidentally, they are contemporaneous with the Nephite-Lamanite wars of Alma 43-62 (74-60 B.C.)). As such, their value is unique and enormous. Caesar's unbiased approach, while serving as a propaganda tool in his day, makes his work unparalleled for accuracy in ours. Chilver comments that "their style is lucid and compressed, entirely free from rhetoric, and the diction is simple but brilliantly chosen" (5) (Chilver, 154). The value of this source also lies in its presentation of the author, both implicitly and explicitly, allowing us to understand more of his motivations and goals in gaining power in Rome. Through this passage, we understand Caesar's foe, Vercingetorix, we understand Caesar, and we understand more of Roman society.
Translations of Source Used
Caesar, Julius The Gallic Wars VII.4.
Edwards, H. J. Harvard University Press: London, 386-7;
McDevitte, W. A., W. S. Bohn
1. Guy Edward Farquhar Chilver, "Caesar (1)," OED, 153.
2. Chilver, 154.
3. Ronald Mellor, "The Historians of Ancient Rome," Routledge: New York, 113.
4. Mellor, 114-115.
5. Chilver, 154.
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