The Conquest of Gaul (58–51 bc)
The Conquest of Gaul (58–51 bc)
- Chapter:
-
(p.98)
Chapter 14 The Conquest of Gaul (58–51 BC)
- Source:
- Julius Caesar
- Author(s):
- Luciano Canfora, Julian Stringer
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
DOI:10.3366/edinburgh/9780748619368.003.0014
When he departed for Gaul in the spring of 58 bc, Caesar had a clear idea of the movements of the peoples and their tensions; in particular, the German pressure on Gaul. He conceived a long-term strategic plan using up-to-date ethnographic knowledge to which he himself contributed with his Commentaries. This is but one example of the way he combined scientific study with imperialism. The Gallic campaign was conducted on two levels: Caesar's own favourable assessment of sometimes dubious victories; and the reality of an extremely difficult war with an outcome that was uncertain, given the threat constantly posed by the fiercely independent Celtic tribes. The dichotomy (especially in the first two years, 58–57 bc) shows clearly in the disparity between the political and military position and the reactions in Rome to Caesar's skilled reporting of them.
Keywords:
Julius Caesar, Gaul, imperialism, Germans, war, Celtic tribes
Edinburgh Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our
FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please
contact us.
