This book provides a very good introduction to the life of Julius Caesar, particularly by framing him in the cultural, historical and political scene of the Late Roman Republic, and aims to explain his figure in that context. As S. states at the end of Chapter 1, his main audience is general readers or students approaching the subject for the first time, as throughout S. offers a clear explanation of the historical background and tackles difficult processes with remarkable clarity.
The volume is divided into twelve chapters, covering Caesar's lifespan through the main phases of his career. The first chapter gives an overview of his legacy, of the main features of the ‘idea’ of Julius Caesar that has endured over time and yet has generated very different and sometimes opposite reactions towards him; it also provides a very useful review of the main ancient and modern (these almost solely limited to scholarship in English) sources relating to Caesar, highlighting the main lines of interpretation and underlining their causes and implications for history and historiography.
The second chapter sets the scene for the rise of Julius Caesar: the social, economic and political situation of Rome and its territories are outlined, with particular emphasis on the tensions and issues caused by the expansion of the Republic during the second century b.c. Some of the key vocabulary and concepts of Roman society, culture and politics are clearly explained, and there is constant reference to some long-established theories in contrast to the views elaborated in the latest historiography, which tend to look at the processes of the Late Republic as less revolutionary, and which S. follows in his interpretation.
In relation to the figure of Caesar, S. adopts current trends of interpretation, criticising those views that judge him in the light of his successive achievements or as a ‘superhuman figure’. In this perspective, Chapter 3 is of value, since it analyses Julius Caesar's life before his first magistracy – a topic which, because of the scant (and heavily biased) evidence, is not often investigated. S. rightly points out that Caesar's family, albeit patrician, could count few consuls in their number, and that, even if his grandfather had succeeded in arranging important marriages for his own children, the future dictator's perspectives seemed fairly limited. The attention given to the female component of the gens Iulia is a thought-provoking characteristic of this chapter, with S. noting how Caesar had, apart from his father (who died when Caesar was only fifteen years old), no other leading male figure in his family to look to.
S. then investigates the main events of Caesar's life before the consulship of Pompey and Crassus in 70 b.c., underlining that his rise to the quaestura was not different from that of other young nobles at that time, and that the signs of predestination to absolute power observed by the ancient sources are evidently a projection of his following successes back in time. Caesar's first stages through the cursus honorum are then analysed in Chapter 4, where S. views Caesar's greatest achievement between 69 and 64 b.c. as his election as pontifex maximus; in those years he successfully built the basis for that result although, again, S. stresses that while we see great drive in Caesar, no signs of monarchic ambition are evident; indeed, this was a time when Caesar could not yet hope to compete with the power of Pompey or Crassus.
The following chapter discusses the motives for and implications of Caesar's election to the pontificate, his possible involvement in the Catiline Conspiracy and the last two stages of Caesar's rise up the cursus honorum, namely the praetorship and consulship. Analysis is also offered of the events that led to the formation of the first triumvirate. This prepares the ground for Chapters 6 and 7, centred on the Gallic Wars (58–50 b.c.), but offering some coverage too of events unfolding then in Rome. Additional background (for readers new to the field) comes in the brief overview of the situation in Gaul before Caesar's intervention and of the structure and organisation of a Late Republican Roman legion. Alongside the description of the Gallic campaigns, the extraordinary consequences of the Roman victory are analysed, and the great ability of Caesar as a general emphasised. Again, S. underlines that the future dictator could not have thought of monarchic aspiration at that stage of his career (therefore criticising Badian's view), particularly because, while having great trust in his own and his army's abilities, Caesar could not take the outcome of the war in Gaul for granted. Yet, S. underlines how we must recognise the ‘personal genius’ and charisma of Caesar in creating around himself a personality cult.
Chapter 8 discusses the events that led to the outbreak of the Civil War. S. points out that the relationship between Caesar and Pompey was working until 50 b.c., and highlights the responsibility of both parties for the deterioration of the situation. The narrative of the civil conflict is developed in the following chapter, where S. emphasises that the major difficulties that Caesar faced might signify that civil war was not his primary plan; furthermore, his ultimate success was mainly due to his abilities and aura and was not certain until the end.
S. dedicates Chapter 10 to the concept of clementia exercised by Caesar, of his reforms and of the honours bestowed on him by the Senate. Attention is drawn to a possible connection between these honours and Caesar's clementia on the basis of specific characteristics of Roman religion; S. eventually argues that, if the dictator had not died so soon, he would have been deified while alive. Negative reactions to the dictator's power were not lacking though, and Chapter 11 examines them, identifying Caesar's dictatorship as one of the main reasons for his assassination. The last chapter provides an assessment of Caesar, and analyses both the ancient and the modern explanations for the fall of the Roman Republic.
Throughout S. consistently points to Caesar's efforts to find compromises and to maintain a stance of collaboration and mutual agreement with the Senate; he also highlights the great importance given to public religion by Caesar, and he argues that Caesar had not been driven by the pursuit of monarchy. The fact that Caesar ultimately acted following the traditional moral code of the Roman Republic is also emphasised.
A biography does not always require much visual support, but some useful monochrome photos and plans are provided to add to a clear text. Given the book's target audience, there are good and current suggestions for further reading on the principal themes at the end of each chapter, as well as a table of events, an index with explanations of ancient figures and a small glossary of Latin words and phrases at the end of the book, prior to a full and up-to-date bibliography.
