In ancient Rome, military leaders had certain expectations placed on them from society and the government. The Gallic War, was used as propaganda for Caesar as a military leader, but also gives readers insight into Roman culture. The Gallic War chronicles Julius Caesar’s campaigns from 58-51 BCE. He was later assassinated by his alleged friends in 44 BCE. He had an alliance with Pompey and Crassus called the First Triumvirate, which controlled Roman government over the span of numerous years. His military victories expanded Rome’s territory and helped trigger the transition of Rome being a republic to an empire. His book is written in third person and is divided into seven commentaries. He began the book by giving the reader some background
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He used the third person point of view to make it sound like someone else writing a story about him. Maybe he used this tactic so it didn’t sound like he was bragging about his accomplishments, but rather just giving the facts about the story. However, does the reader get the whole story from his point of view? It would be interesting to read a book from one of the Gallic or German leaders’ perspectives. For example, he describes the Germans as uncivilized and brutal. This makes the Romans sound better for defeating such a rugged and ruthless tribe. One may wonder how big of a threat the tribes Caesar defeated actually were, and how much his writing contributed to their image. He adds in certain details about the privileges he received for his victories: “Because of these achievements reported in a letter from Caesar, a thanksgiving of fifteen days was decreed. This had never been granted to anyone before.” (Caesar, pg. 53) For his later battles, he received the honor of having two more twenty-day thanksgivings. He used details like these as propaganda for himself as a military commander, but it ultimately led to his demise when he was assassinated by his colleagues for being seen as an untraditional
He used the third person point of view to make it sound like someone else writing a story about him. Maybe he used this tactic so it didn’t sound like he was bragging about his accomplishments, but rather just giving the facts about the story. However, does the reader get the whole story from his point of view? It would be interesting to read a book from one of the Gallic or German leaders’ perspectives. For example, he describes the Germans as uncivilized and brutal. This makes the Romans sound better for defeating such a rugged and ruthless tribe. One may wonder how big of a threat the tribes Caesar defeated actually were, and how much his writing contributed to their image. He adds in certain details about the privileges he received for his victories: “Because of these achievements reported in a letter from Caesar, a thanksgiving of fifteen days was decreed. This had never been granted to anyone before.” (Caesar, pg. 53) For his later battles, he received the honor of having two more twenty-day thanksgivings. He used details like these as propaganda for himself as a military commander, but it ultimately led to his demise when he was assassinated by his colleagues for being seen as an untraditional