Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War

301 pp. "Julius Caesar (100 BCE – 44 BCE), the famous Roman politician and soldier, rose to fame and power in his conquest of the Celts of western Europe. His book Commentarii de Bello Gallico (Commentaries on the Gallic War, often called The Conquest of Gaul), was a propaganda piece (written in 53 BCE) justifying his military and political actions during a nine year campaign in Gaul (and a short jaunt into Britain). Although he clearly had much first-hand contact with Celts, some scholars believe that he also drew upon Posidonius. He was not interested in Celtic ethnography per se, but rather on the political and social matters of the élite which were relevant for Roman imperial interests. As Rankin has observed, “Caesar was not a historian: he was a political war-lord in need of good public relations material to confuse both friends and enemies in Rome about the true nature of his activities in Gaul.”" - Exploring Celtic Civilizations