Caesar’s Gallic War, Book VII

Book VII of Caesar’s Gallic War narrates the last stand of the Gauls against Roman expansion under the leadership of the Gallic chieftain Vercingetorix. He is, for Caesar, the Gallic Hannibal or Mithridates, a brilliant and charismatic leader who is able, for perhaps the first time, to fully marshal the latent strength of a united Gaul and oppose Caesar on something like equal footing. He rallies the Gauls with impassioned calls for lībertās, a value which Romans held dearly. Gallic War Book VII is an ideal text for students because it allows them to experience, in Latin, a pivotal moment in history from the complex perspective of one of its chief actors–a Roman conqueror who could sympathize with the Gallic longing for liberty, even as he waged a systematic and ruthless campaign to extinguish that liberty.

For many years the lack of an affordable and accessible student edition has largely kept this climactic phase of Caesar’s account out of Latin classrooms. This three-volume edition of Gallic War Book VII aims to change that. The volumes are modestly priced and free to download, and the commentary is tailored to a student audience, with same-page vocabulary and notes.