Caesar's Campaigns
Primary Sources for the Campaigns/ Roman Military History/Caesar and his Contemporaries through the Eyes of Other Romans / Julius Caesar - General Historical Information/
Encyclopedias, Dictionaries and Index/ Web Sites

"Vercingetorix Throws his Arms at Caesar's Feet" painting by Lionel-Noel Royer, 1899.
Caesar - A Chronology
Caesar left his own accounts of the wars he fought after he had become consul for the first time. While they are wonderful sources for the study of Caesar and Roman Warfare, they are also propagandistic and sometimes less than truthful in the presentation of other races, individuals and events. Where possible the Loeb edition has been cited as the prefered source.
Caesar, Gaius Julius. The Alexandrian, African and Spanish Wars
- Caesar's own account of his campains against the survivors of the Battle of Pharsalus. His installation of Cleopatra on the throne of Egypt and his defeat of Cato in Africa , Labienus and the sons of Pompey in Spain are included in these works. Several chapters have been attributed to Aulus Hirtius.
Caesar, Gaius Julius. The Gallic and Civil Wars
- The Gallic War is the most famous of Caesar's campaign reports. His history of Gaul, the Celtic peoples and his campaigns in Gaul and invasion of Britain are contained within. Caesar's account of his struggle against the senate and Pompey in Spain, Italy and Greece are described in the Civil Wars.
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Ambramson, E.Roman Legionarries at the Time of Julius CaesarLondon.1979.
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Adcock, F.E. The Roman Art of War under the Republic
- Describes the evolution from the hoplite style of armies and the reforms of Servius Tullius through the changes brought about by Marius. Concludes with Caesarian troop types and notes on the beginning of Augustan military systems.
Brogan, O. and E. Desforges."Gergovia"Arch. J. xcvii (1940)1-36.
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Brunt, P.A."The Army and the Land in the Roman Revolution."JRSlii (1962)69-86.
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Cuff, P.J."Caesar the Soldier."Greece and Romen.s. iv (1957)29-35.
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Dando-Collins, Stephen.Caesar's Legion : The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion and the Armies of Rome
- Roman warfare through tracing the exploits of a single Roman Legion>
Dixon, Karen R and Pat Southern. The Roman Cavalry
- A survey of Roman cavaly use, training equipment, salary ect. from Late Republican through Imperial times. The definitive source for understanding the workings of Roman cavalry.
Ellis, Peter Beresford.Caesar's Invasion of BritainLondon.1978.
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Erdkamp, Paul. Hunger and the Sword:Warfare and Food Supply in the Roman Republican Wars (264-30 BC)
- This work places Roman warfare in the context of the natural and human envioronment. The food supply of the army and the impact of war on the civilian populace are discussed.
Jimenez, Ramon L.Caesar Against the Celts
- traces the Gallic wars in a nicely readable format paying specific attention to the campaigns in mainland Europe especially the seige at Allesium. This book like many of its kind, the celtic perspective is neglected.
Judson, H.P.Caesar's ArmyBoston. 1818.
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Keppie, Lawrence. The Making of the Roman Army
- Traces the evolution and growth of the Roman army from the reforms of Servius Tullius through the early empire. Archaeological materials are frequently used to suppliment the surviving text. Comprehensive guide with maps.
Lucas, F.L."The Battlefield of Pharsalus."ABSAxxiv (1919-21)34-53.
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McCall, Jeremiah.The Cavalry of the Roman Republic Routledge
- In this original and revealing work, Jeremiah B. McCall challenges the generally accepted view of the Roman cavalry and explores the fundamental connections between war and society in republican Rome, c.300-100 BC. McCall describes the citizen cavalry's equipment, tactics, and motivation in battle, and argues for its devastating effectiveness in the field. This success is proof that it cannot finally have been disbanded due to militaristic incompetence, but rather, he shows that victories in the law-courts and lavish displays of wealth came to supersede cavalry service as a way of building the reputations of the Roman elite. The clear structure and fresh approach of the book, combining insights from both Roman military and social history, will be useful to readers at all levels of classics study.
Parker, H.M.D. The Roman Legion.Oxford. 1928
- The first major work in English to study the Roman Legions from the Marian through the Severan periods. This work includes information about the internal organization of the legions as well as recruitment and discharge policies.
Pelling, C.B.R."Pharsalus"Historiaxxii (1973)249-59.
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Rice Homes, T.Caesar's Conquest of GaulOxford. 1911.
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Wiseman, A. and P.Julius Caesar: The Battle for Gaul"London. 1980.
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Casius Dio. Roman History
- Dio Cassius, a third century senator, wrote a comprehensive history of Rome. The books detailing from 68-10 BC have survived. He is not always reliable for information on the Republic but his insights into politics, as a senator, can be valuable.
Catullus, Gaius Valerius. Poems
- One of Caesar's contemporaries, the poet Catullus composed several diatribes against Caesar and members of his faction. An excellent source for illustrating the controversy that surrounded Caesar and his actions, political and military.
Lucan Pharsalia
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Plutarch, Mestrius. Lives
- Biographies of the great leaders of Greece and Rome compiled by the first century AD philosopher and biographer. Includes lives of Caesar, Pompey, Cicero, Antony and others that shaped the last days of the Republic and set the foundations for an empire. vol. V, VII,VIII.
Sallustius Crispus. The Catalinian Conspiracy
- Sallust, a member of the senate at the end of the Republic served as one of Caesar's officers after the civil war. His account of an event before Caesar reached the senior magistracies is especially valuable; although unknown, Sallust's writings may be a first hand account.
Suetonius, Gaius Tranquillus. Lives of the Twelve Caesars
- A first century AD scholar, Suetonius was probably a member of Caligula's court and was a friend of Pliny the Younger. Suetonius seems to have drawn on the works of others and some primary sources such as letters,; he aften includes scandalous information in his writings. His biographies of the Caesars may be compared to the near contemporary lives of Plutarch.
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Adcock, F.E."The Legal Term of Caesar's Governership in Gaul"CQ26 (1932)14-26.
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_____. Caesar as a Man of Letters Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 1956.
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Birch, C.M. Concordance and Index to Caesar New York: Hildesheim, 1988.
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Butler, Shane.The Hand of Cicero Routledge, 2002.
- Hundreds perished in Rome's Second Proscription, but one victim is remembered above all others-Cicero. Charting a course through Cicero's celebrated career, Shane Butler examines two principal relationships between speech and writing in Roman oratory: the use of documentary evidence by orators and the "publication" of both delivered and undelivered speeches. He presents this fascinating theory that the success of Rome's greatest orator depended as much on writing as speaking; he also argues against the conventional wisdom that Rome was an oral society, in which writing was rare and served only practical, secondary purposes.
Cary, M. "The Land Legislation of Caesar's First Consulship."JP35 (1920)174-190.
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_____."Notes on the Legislation of Julius Caesar."JRS19 (1929)113-119.
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Collins, John H. "Caesar and the Corruption of Power." Historia iv (1955).
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Crawford, Michael. The Roman Republic.
- An excellent introduction to the expansion of the Roman state and the structure of Rome's political system. Crawford's book is especially valuable for his presentation on the nature of Roman oligarchy and the relation of Rome to the rest of Italy and its provinces.
Cuff, P.J."The Terminal Date of Caesar's Gallic Command."Historia7 (1958)445-471.
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Dodge, T.A. Caesar Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1892.
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Deutsch, Monroe. "The Apparatus of Caesar's Triumph." Philological Quarterly iii (1928).
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Elton, G.R."The Terminal Date of Caesar's Gallic Proconsulate."JRS36 (1946) 18-42.
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Frederiksen, M.W."Caesar, Cicero and the Problem of Debt"JRS56 (1966)128-141.
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Fuller, J.F.C. Julius Caesar: Man, Soldier and Tyrant Minerva Press, 1965.
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Gelzer, Matthias. Caesar:Politician and Statesman. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1968 ed.
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Grant, Michael. Julius Caesar. New York: McGraw Hill, 1969.
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Gruen, Erich S. The Last Generation of the Roman Republic
- Possibly the most valuable book on the end of the Republic written to date. Gruen examines Roman politics far beyond the traditional division of popularis and boni. Presents important challanges to long held ideas about the collapse of the Republic.
Hastrup, T. "On the Date of Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War." Classica et Mediaevalia xviii (1957).
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Hawkes, C.F.C. Britain and Julius Caesar. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1978 ed.
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Kahn, A.D. The Education of Julius Caesar. New York:Shocken
Books, 1986.
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Keaveney, Arthur.Sulla Routledge. 2005
- This is a new edition of a biography of one of the most controversial figures of antiquity. Sulla was the great general who became dictator of Rome and ushered in the period of the Civil Wars.
Jameson, S."The Intended Date of Caesar's Return from Gaul."Latomus29 (1970)539-560.
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Lord, L.E. :The Date of Julius Caesar's Departure from Alexandria." JRS xxvii (1938).
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Meier, Christien Caesar
- A complete examination of Caesar and his life.
Mitchell, Stephen. "Cornish Tin, Iulius Caesar, and the Invasion of Britain." in Studies in Latin Literature and Roman History. Collection Latomus, clxxx (1983).
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Salmon, E.T."Cataline, Crassus and Caesar."AJP56 (1935)302-316.
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_____."Caesar and the Consulship for 49 BC."CJ34 (1939)388-395.
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sander, H.A."The So-Called First Triumvirate."Mem. Am. Acad. Rome.10 (1932)55-68.
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Stevens, C.E."The Terminal Date of Caesar's Command."AJP59 (1938)169-208.
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_____."55BC and 54BC." Antiquity xxi (1947).
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_____."The 'Bellum Gallicum' as a Work of Propaganda." Latomus xi (1952).
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_____."Julius Caesar's Elephant." History Today ix (1959).
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Stocker, A.F."The Legis Dies of Caesar's Command in Gaul."CJ56 (1961)242-248.
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Sumner, G.V."The Lex Annalis under Caesar."Phoenix2 (1971)246-271, 357-371.
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Syme, R."Caesar, the Senate and Italy."CQ26 (1932)14-26.
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Taylor, L.R."Caesar's Early Career."CP36 (1941)113-132.
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_____."Caesar's Colleagues in the Pontifical College."AJP63 (1942)385-412.
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_____."Caesar and the Roman Nobility."TAPA73 (1942)1-24.
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_____. Party Politics in the Age of Caesar. Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1949.
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_____."The Date and Meaning of the Vettius Affair."Historia1 (1950)45-51.
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_____."Caesar's Agrarian Legislation and his Municipal Policy."Studies in Roman Economic and Social History in Honor of Allan Chester Johnson(1951)68-77.
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_____."On the Chronology of Caesar's First Consulship."CQ26 (1932)14-26.
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_____."The Dating of Major Legislation and Elections in Caesar's First Consulship."CQ26 (1932)14-26.
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Vishnia, Rachel Feig.State, Society and Leaders in Mid-Republic Rome 241-167 BC. Routledge. 1996
- State, Society and Popular Leaders deals with the incorporation of the lower classes into the governing system of ancient Rome. In 287, the Hortensian law made the decisions of the plebs binding on the whole people. This event is often referred to as the great plebeian victory, a landmark in Roman history. In this original study, Rachel Feig Vishnia maintains that the real turning point in the relations between the plebs and the patricians can be found eighty years earlier. Based on the works of Livy and the most recent scholarship, this book provides a new and controversial view of one of the most exciting periods in Roman history.
Walters, K.H."Cicero, Sallust and Caesar"Historia19 (1970)195-215.
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Wiseman, T.P. Catullus and his World. Cambridge University Press. 1985.
- A re-evaluation of the social world of Rome in the closing decades of the Republic. Wiseman explores how the Roman's viewed violence, sex and politics and then relates the works of Catullus to the stormy years during which Caesar rose to power.
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Cambridge Ancient History
Comprehensive guide to antiquity in several volumes. Articles on the late republic and Caesar are the best starting piont for someone unfamiliar with the broad historical and politcal developments of Rome. Ref D57.C252
Pauly-Wissowa Real Encyclopedia der Classischen Altertums-Wissenschaft
The first source for everything classical. Short authoritative articles on nearly all aspects of antiquity. DE5.P33
L'Annee Philologique
Index of publications from around the world in all fields of classical studies. Issued annually. Z7016.M2
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Maps and Images
- Map - The Gallic Tribes
- A map of the Gallic Tribes during the time of Caesar.
- Map -Caesar's Campaigns in Gaul
- Caesar's Campaign routes in Gaul.
Alesia
Site on Alesia by the German Archaeological Institute.
The British Campaign
A good summary of the British Campaign with maps.
The Gallic Wars
A good summary of the Gallic campaign with maps.
General Guide to Ancient Military History
An excellent guide to Roman warfare, including a large bibliography.
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