Audiobooks by Julius Caesar

Civil War in the Roman Republic, 106 to 44BCE: A time of great civil, military and political strife

IntroductionWhile compiling and narrating these speeches, I've often been struck by how easily they could be translated into a modern day context. Frequently, a speech has reminded me of the news of the day, somewhere in the world. Nowhere has this been more evident than in these speeches. Given over two thousand years ago, every single one could be applied to situations and people today with barely any revision. The late republic (from about 133BCE) was characterized by civil discontent, with three Servile Wars, two attempted coups, a Social War between Rome and Italian allies, and endless conflict. We begin in 110-106BCE with two speeches railing against the fixed social order and corruption of the highborn, as well as the scorn poured on those of lower birth. We then jump to the Cataline Conspiracy in 63 BCE, an attempt to overthrow the Senate that was only defeated at great cost, and continued to be a symbol of Rome’s troubles. Here we see Cataline exhorting his troops, Cato arguing for harsh punishment, C icero calling Cataline every contemptible name under the sun, and the only known speech of Julius Caesar, in which he argues for a sensible and jurisprudential response to this great crime. Cicero’s leadership of Rome is then documented, covering the beliefs and actions that saw him exiled and then returned to power by the Senate. Finally, we have Mark Antony’s hagiographic oration of Julius Caesar, and then two speeches of Cicero’s railing against the perversion of Caesar’s legacy that Mark Antony was putting into practice, and the need to hold onto tradition for the right reasons, not simply to cover the misdeeds of politicians. Antony became Consul in this time, and Cicero saw in him the final downfall of the republic, which lasted for only seventeen years after this moment before becoming an Empire.

Caius Marius, Caius Memmius, Catiline, Cato The Younger, Cicero, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony (Author), Charles Featherstone (Narrator)

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The Gallic War

Julius Caesar is one of the most famous figures of the ancient Roman world. A skilful general and leading politician of the late Roman Republic, he secured a 10-year proconsular command in the province of Gaul, during which he accumulated both wealth and power. A core text in the teaching of Latin in schools, The Gallic War gives a unique insight into this remarkable man, as well as military strategy and practice of the day. Seven of the work’s eight books were written by Caesar himself. They paint an unsurprisingly flattering self-portrait as he campaigns against both the Germans and the Gauls. This recording features Carolyn Hammond’s well-paced recent translation, published by Oxford University Press.

Carolyn Hammond, Julius Caesar (Author), David Timson (Narrator)

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The Spanish Wars

The Spanish Wars, a series of military campaigns led by Julius Caesar, encompassed a breadth of engagements in the Iberian Peninsula between 59 and 45 BC. These wars are notable for their significant contribution to Roman imperial expansion, as they enabled the subjugation and conquest of Hispania under Roman authority. Furthermore, the Spanish Wars were preeminent in Caesar's career as a general, providing ample opportunities to demonstrate his tactical acumen and superior leadership capabilities. Read in English, unabridged.

Julius Caesar (Author), Oliver Adams (Narrator)

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The African Wars

Julius Caesar's African Wars were a series of military campaigns waged by the Roman general and statesman Julius Caesar between 58 and 50 BC in order to expand the Roman Republic's sphere of influence and gain control of the Mediterranean region. During this time, Caesar clashed with several prominent enemies such as King Juba I of Numidia, King Bocchus III of Mauretania, and the forces of Pharnaces II of Pontus. Read in English, unabridged.

Julius Caesar (Author), Oliver Adams (Narrator)

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The Alexandrian Wars

The Alexandrian Wars, fought by Julius Caesar between 48 and 47 BCE, are of immense historical significance. They marked the culmination of Caesar's time in Egypt, as well as a shift in the Roman Empire's relations with the region. The Alexandrian Wars saw an impressive display of military prowess by Caesar and his legions, who were ultimately successful in their mission to annex Alexandria and its surrounding territories into the growing Roman Empire. Read in English, unabridged.

Julius Caesar (Author), Oliver Adams (Narrator)

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Der Gallische Krieg

Julius Caesar beschrieb die Gallischen Kriege in seinem Buch “Commentarii de Bello Gallico”. Dem Hörbuch liegt die Übersetzung von Viktor Stegemann zu Grunde. “Der Gallische Krieg” ist die Hauptquelle für den großen Konflikt zwischen den Römern und den verschiedenen Völkern Galliens, aber moderne Historiker halten es für anfällig für Übertreibungen. Trotzdem ermöglicht das Werk Caesars Einblicke in die Kriegsführung der Römer, die Funktionsweise des römischen Imperiums sowie die Sitten und Bräuche der Gallier und Germanen. Die Gallischen Kriege wurden zwischen 58 und 50 v. Chr. vom römischen Feldherrn Julius Cäsar gegen die keltischen Völker Galliens (das heutige Frankreich, die Schweiz, Belgien, Deutschland und Großbritannien) geführt. Gallische, germanische und britische Stämme kämpften, um ihre Heimatgebiete gegen einen aggressiven römischen Feldzug zu verteidigen. Die Kriege gipfelten 52 v. Chr. in der entscheidenden Schlacht von Alesia, in der ein vollständiger römischer Sieg zur Ausdehnung der Römischen Republik über ganz Gallien führte. Obwohl das gallische Militär so stark war wie die Römer, erleichterten die internen Spaltungen der gallischen Stämme Caesar den Sieg. Der gallische Häuptling Vercingetorix versuchte, die Gallier zu vereinen, dieser Versuch kam aber zu spät. Caesar stellte die Invasion als Präventiv- und Verteidigungsmaßnahme dar, aber Historiker sind sich einig, dass er die Kriege hauptsächlich geführt hat, um seine politische Karriere anzukurbeln und seine Schulden zu begleichen. Dennoch war Gallien für die Römer von erheblicher militärischer Bedeutung. Einheimische Stämme in der Region, sowohl gallische als auch germanische, hatten Rom mehrfach angegriffen. Die Eroberung Galliens ermöglichte es Rom, die natürliche Grenze des Rheins zu sichern.

Julius Caesar, Viktor Stegemann (Author), Jan Peter Richter (Narrator)

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Strategy Masters: The Prince, The Art of War, and The Gallic Wars

Learn from the best military strategists of history how best to fight your battles in Strategy Masters. This collection includes three major military and political strategy texts: The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, and The Gallic Wars by Julius Caesar. These three books, though written specifically about military and political strategies, are frequently cited by modern business strategists as insightful looks at human nature and philosophy. The Prince – The main philosophy in The Prince is that a good ruler is one that always works for the benefit of the state, even when this requires acting immorally or unethically. Basically, the ends justify the means, even if the means are killing innocent people, blackmailing, and being deceitful. Whether this key idea is agreed with or not, its impact on political thought cannot be denied. The Art of War - Sun Tzu’s The Art of War is one of the most well-known works of military tactical writing in the world. Written in 500 B.C. in China, this book presents military strategies and wisdom that has been enjoyed for over 2000 years. Leaders across generations have been inspired the ideas of Sun Tzu – his management philosophies can apply to both a battlefield and a board room. The Gallic Wars - During Julius Caesar’s reign over Rome, he fought and led in several large battles across the continent, seeking to expand the empire and unite the continent into one large dominion. For 9 years, his conquests took place against Germanic and Celtic people who opposed the Roman Empire. The Gallic Wars is his narrative retelling of this conquest. It is often studied by students of the Latin language for its clarity and for its representation of the important political and historical issues of the Roman Empire’s inhabitants.

Julius Caesar, Niccolo Machiavelli, Sun Tzu (Author), Robert Brinkman, Seth Thompson (Narrator)

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The Gallic Wars

During Julius Caesar’s reign over Rome, he fought and led in a number of large battles across the continent, seeking to expand the empire and unite the continent into one large dominion. For 9 years, his conquests took place against Germanic and Celtic people who opposed the Roman Empire. These battles were hard-fought and memorable, and Caesar took great effort to share the stories with the world by writing The Gallic Wars. Throughout the book, Caesar delves into the details of his various conquests over a decade, and introduces the listener to many of the important rulers and fighters from the oppositional forces he encountered in Britain and Germany. Caesar wrote these stories in an effort to convey his military knowledge and intelligence to the plebeians of Rome in order to gain their support and honor, and prevent the upper class from rising against him to strip his power. This narrative is important not only for its recounting of some of the important battles of the Roman Empire’s conquests, but because it was written in clearly styled Latin, and is one of the best works in the language that remains to this day. It is often studied by students of the Latin language for its clarity and for its representation of the important political and historical issues of the Roman Empire’s inhabitants.

Julius Caesar (Author), Robert Brinkman (Narrator)

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The Civil War

The Civil War is Julius Caesar's personal account of his war with Pompey the Great'the war that destroyed the five-hundred-year-old Roman Republic. Caesar the victor became Caesar the dictator. In three short books, Caesar describes how, in order to defend his honor and the freedom of both himself and the Roman people, he marched on Rome and defeated the forces of Pompey and the Senate in Italy, Spain, and Greece. Julius Caesar himself was one of the most eminent writers of the age in which he lived. His 'Commentaries' offer a unique opportunity to read the victor's version of events. Translated by the Rev. F. P. Long, MA

Julius Caesar (Author), Robin Field (Narrator)

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The Civil War

The Civil War is Julius Caesar's personal account of his war with Pompey the Great-the war that destroyed the five-hundred-year-old Roman Republic. Caesar the victor became Caesar the dictator. In three short books, Caesar describes how, in order to defend his honor and the freedom of both himself and the Roman people, he marched on Rome and defeated the forces of Pompey and the Senate in Italy, Spain, and Greece. Julius Caesar himself was one of the most eminent writers of the age in which he lived. His "commentaries" offer a unique opportunity to read the victor's version of events.

Julius Caesar (Author), Robin Field (Narrator)

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The Civil War: 50-48 BC

Julius Caesar (Author), Larry McKeever (Narrator)

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