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Julius Caesar, the first Caesar and founder of the Roman Empire, reformed the Roman calendar. He changed the name of the fifth month of the ancient Roman calendar from Quintilis (which meant, literally, the fifth month) to July. Why the fifth month…because Caesar was born on the twelfth day of that month.
In commemoration, we are profiling various books in the collection about Julius Caesar and Ancient Rome.
Caesar: Life of a Colossus by Adrian Goldsworthy, 2006 (92 C128)
This easy reading history of the dramatic life of Caesar focuses on what Caesar did, and on understanding why and how he did it. The book is divided into three sections. The first section focuses on Caesar’s rise to the consularship (100-59 BC); the second covers the military campaigns in the British and German expeditions up to the point when all Gaul was conquered (58-50BC); and the third, entitled ‘Civil War and Dictatorship’, examines the various campaigns when Caesar was dictator (49-44 BC). He treats his subject as a politician and a general in equal detail. The book includes a useful glossary and bibliography of works cited, plus a detailed note section for each chapter.
The Assassination of Julius Caesar: a People's History of Ancient Rome by Michael Parenti, 2003 (937 P228)
The author presents a story of popular resistance against entrenched power and wealth. Parenti questions why a group of Roman senators gathered on March 15, 44 B.C., to kill Julius Caesar. Was it their fear of Caesar's tyrannical power? Were they worried that Caesar's land reforms and leanings toward democracy to improve the condition of the poor farmers would upset and threaten the landed aristocracy’s power and control over the Roman Republic? Parenti demonstrates that Caesar's death was the culmination of growing class conflict, economic disparity and political corruption. He reconstructs the history of these crucial years from the perspective of the Roman people, the masses of slaves and farmers with no political power.
Ancient Rome: From Romulus to Justinian by Thomas R. Martin, 2012 (937.63 M383)
Martin tells the remarkable story of how a tiny, poor, and threatened settlement grew to become the dominant power in the Mediterranean world for 500 years. The author’s perspective on the Romans and their civilization encompasses the period from Rome's founding in the eighth century B.C. to Justinian's rule in the sixth century A.D. He interweaves social, political, religious, and cultural history. Martin interprets the successes and failures of the Romans in war, political organization, quest for personal status, and in the integration of religious beliefs and practices with government, from monarchy to republic to empire. This comprehensive work provides an insightful overview of Rome and its changing fortunes.
Julius Caesar: the Life and Times of the People's Dictator by Luciano Canfora, 2007 (92 C128c)
First published in Italian, this English translation discusses how Julius Caesar played a leading role in the culture and politics of a world empire. He dwarfed his contemporaries in achievement. Canfora focuses on what is actually known about Caesar, as a man of politics and war. The structure of the text is loosely chronological, based on the events in Caesar's life, and organized into four major sections each dealing with a specific period in his life. However, the book is comprised of over forty actual chapters, some of them only a few pages in length. Overall, the author brings to life a detailed portrait of this complex man, presenting his accomplishments and impact on history.
