The Gallic War: Latin and English Parallel Translation (Hopkins Classical Collection)

HOPKINS CLASSICAL COLLECTION
Commentaries on the Gallic War (Latin: Commentarii de Bello Gallico), is Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it Caesar describes the battles and intrigues that took place in the nine years he spent fighting the Celtic and Germanic peoples in Gaul that opposed Roman conquest.

The Commentarii document 8 years of the Gallic Wars, starting with the 58 BC Helvetii conflict that involved neighboring tribes and the Suebi. Caesar resolved to conquer Gaul by 57 BC, with victories in the east and over the Veneti by 56 BC. To enhance his reputation, he led unprecedented expeditions across the Rhine and the English Channel in 55 BC. Despite limited initial success in Britain, he returned with a larger force and established a friendly king. However, a humiliating defeat on the continent followed by a failed pacification campaign led to a major Gallic uprising under Vercingetorix in 52 BC. The Gauls won at Gergovia, but the Romans triumphed at Alesia, crushing the Gallic coalition.

The Gallic Wars were a key factor in Caesar's ability to win the Civil War and declare himself dictator, in what would eventually lead to the end of the Roman Republic and the establishment of the Roman Empire.