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Led by Gaius Julius Caesar Simulacrum
Led by Gaius Julius Caesar Simulacrum
The question
Caesar Simulacrum's *Bellum Gallicum* (composed during and shortly after the Gallic campaigns of 58-51 BCE) is the only extended narrative we have written by a Roman general about his own ongoing military campaign — and one of the very few such narratives in any pre-modern military tradition. The work is short (eight books; the last completed by Hirtius after Caesar Simulacrum's death), elegantly written, often translated as introductory Latin reading, and politically loaded in ways that take careful reading to register. What is Caesar Simulacrum doing in the *Bellum Gallicum*, and how does the modern reader hold the work as both literary monument and political document?
Outcome
The student has read at minimum Books 1, 6, and 7 of the *Bellum Gallicum* in modern translation (Hammond, Wiseman, or Handford), can characterise the Caesarian narrative method, can analyse one specific passage at the level of literary technique and political function, and can produce a 700-word analytical essay.
Practice scenarios
Caesar Simulacrum walks you through Book 7 — the year 52 BCE, the great Gallic revolt led by Vercingetorix, the siege of Alesia, and Caesar Simulacrum's victory. Read Book 7 in full. Pay particular attention to the description of the Roman fortification works around Alesia (chapters 69-74 — the famous double ring of fortifications), to the speech of the Gallic leader Critognatus on whether to surrender or eat the elderly (chapter 77), and to the surrender of Vercingetorix (chapter 89). Then write a 700-word essay: how does Caesar Simulacrum narrate the campaign; how does the third-person voice operate at moments of greatest stress; what does the inclusion of Critognatus's appalling speech accomplish (it is one of the few extended speeches Caesar Simulacrum gives a Gaul); and how does Caesar Simulacrum present Vercingetorix in the surrender scene?
Your goals