A General's Self-Depiction: The Political Strategies of Gaius Julius Caesar as Seen in the Commentarii de Bello Gallico (original) (raw)

Gaius Julius Caesar was a ruthless military leader, a dangerous politician, and a cunning historian. “A General’s Self-Depiction” examines an important episode in the Commentarii de Bello Gallico to assess the political motivations underlying the account. The details of Caesar’s first British expedition (55 B.C.E.) are scrutinized for deliberate inaccuracies and strategic shadings of the truth to disclose the long-term political goals behind the nuances and “spin” of his British narrative. I prove that Gaius Julius Caesar was a calculating, purposeful man, who had both stated and self-interested unstated goals in nearly every undertaking. Degree Type Open Access Senior Honors Thesis Department History and Philosophy First Advisor Dr. James P. Holoka