Gaius Paulinus Maximus Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 AveI read Gallic Wars at the age of 12 or 13 so my memories of it are very sketchy. The one thing that did strike me at that time was the realisation that in combat bravery and virility are rarely a good substitute for discipline and battlecraft, and this is amply illustrated in the Commentaries. I might read it again if I have time but can anyone give me any input on his Civil War commentaries and on how they compare with his previous famous work? There is a copy in my local library and I am in two minds on whether to get it or not. Ave Gladius xx Yes i think it's definitely worth reading Caesar's Civil War commentaries, lets not forget that this is a first hand account of what happened from somebody who was there and in the thick of it, ok it's probably a pretty one-sided account but all the same it was still written at the time of the event and that to me is a very good reason to read it, it's informative, not too long and not too hard a read. So if you've got the time , why not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladius Hispaniensis Posted January 18, 2007 Report Share Posted January 18, 2007 Ave I finally got my copy of Civil War from the Toronto Public Library. I just read the introduction so far and was surprised to learn that some parts were actually written not by Caesar but by other participants of that war. Anyway I'll share my thoughts about the book after I finish it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Paulinus Maximus Posted January 18, 2007 Report Share Posted January 18, 2007 AveI finally got my copy of Civil War from the Toronto Public Library. I just read the introduction so far and was surprised to learn that some parts were actually written not by Caesar but by other participants of that war. Anyway I'll share my thoughts about the book after I finish it. Ave I think Caesar was responsible for the book upto 'The Alexandrian War' as for the rest of the book a few names have been suggested like Hiritius who was known to have written some of the Gallic Wars, Oppius, Sallust, and Asinius Pollio all who had supposedly participated in the civil war. But for me the best part of the book is the actual story of the civil war itself which we know was written by Caesar himself. Will look forward to hearing your thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladius Hispaniensis Posted January 21, 2007 Report Share Posted January 21, 2007 Ave Gaius I just finished the book. I agree with you - the best part is the one about the civil war itself. It is easy to discern the difference between Caesar's writing style and that of others, even in translation. On the whole I did enjoy the book but I esteem Gallic Wars to a much greater extent, that is a book I could pick up over and over again. What is your preference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Paulinus Maximus Posted January 21, 2007 Report Share Posted January 21, 2007 Ave GaiusI just finished the book. I agree with you - the best part is the one about the civil war itself. It is easy to discern the difference between Caesar's writing style and that of others, even in translation. On the whole I did enjoy the book but I esteem Gallic Wars to a much greater extent, that is a book I could pick up over and over again. What is your preference? Ave Gladius xx To be honest i'm torn between the two, the 'Gallic Wars' is a fantastic insight into the mind of a military genius, it's one of the only pieces of work where you get a first hand account of the lives and ways of war of the "barbarians" but on the other hand his 'Civil wars' i think really gives us an indepth picture of the Roman army itelf i.e. how they lived, the hardships they went through and most particularly the art of the siege, during the civil war part of the book book Caesar must spend at least 60%? of the story describing how and why the siege works were manufactured and used, unfortunately there's no diagrams in the 'civil war' like there is in the 'gallic wars' so you (or maybe just I??) spend a lot of the time just trying to imagine how it would have have looked. I've just recently re-read the civil wars so i might be a little bit biased but all in all both are fantastic pieces of work and just for us to be able to read them so many years down the line is a total and utter PLEASURE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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