Caesar in Gaul and Rome

Archival Summary & Scope

Winner of the 2006 AAP/PSP Award for Excellence in Classics and Ancient History, Andrew Riggsby's groundbreaking analysis reinterprets Julius Caesar's *De Bello Gallico*. Riggsby explores Caesar's strategic intentions, writing methods, and the historical impact of his commentaries on the Roman public. Employing contemporary literary methods, he reveals how Caesar crafted Roman identity in relation to non-Romans, envisioning a political future under a unified leader. Riggsby further examines Caesar's political self-fashioning, demonstrating his portrayal of himself as a novel general deserving credit for both his own and his soldiers' virtues. Through focused case studies (spatial representation, ethnography, *virtus*, technology, genre, just war) and evidence from other classical texts, this study offers a broad examination of national identity and Caesar's strategic self-presentation.