Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Civili [Commentaries on the Civil War]

Thomas Reginald Stevenson (University of Queensland)

Ed. by William John Dominik, University of Otago
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.2: Ancient Roman Writing and Culture (Republic and Empire), -750-476.
Vol. editors: William John Dominik (University of Otago), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Thomas Habinek (University of Southern California), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Sophia Papaioannou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Jula Wildberger (American University of Paris)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. -50

Places

Ancient Rome (Republic & Empire) (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Historical

Resources

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Recommended Reading

The

Bellum Civile

(

) is an account of the civil war between Caesar and Pompey from the collapse of their relationship in 50 to the decisive battle of Pharsalus in 48 BCE and succeeding events which resulted in the siege of Alexandria and Caesar’s support for Cleopatra. The work is composed of three books, whose contents may be summarized as follows:

Book 1 (50-49 BCE): Caesar opens with a short account of the outbreak of the civil war; he emphasizes the unwillingness of his optimate enemies to respect his dignitas (‘rank’ or ‘standing’) and the threats they made against tribunes of the plebs. In response, he rapidly overruns Italy, and chases Pompey to Brundisium. Unfortunately for Caesar, Pompey escapes across the Adriatic to Epirus in north-western Greece. Caesar is

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1977 words

Citation: Stevenson, Thomas Reginald. "Commentarii de Bello Civili". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 July 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=25862, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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