Introduction

The substantial introduction orients the reader to the historical and literary context of The Gallic War as well as to the complicated political and authorial career of Julius Caesar. The first section outlines Caesar’s early life, and his burgeoning political career. It then describes the background to the Gallic War, explaining that was not a single protracted war, but a series of conflicts and campaigns of varying magnitude, as well as later events involving the Triumvirate. The second section addresses Caesar as author, his output, style and the composition, purpose and publication of The Gallic War. A final section describes the events, themes and geography and ethnography of Books V and VI .