Learned about this recently, strongly considering picking it up. Anything that I should read as primer beforehand, to perhaps familiarize myself with the events of the time?
[[epic /lit/ memes intensify]]
>>7642727
>>7642732
>>7642733
I don't understand these memes
Please no corn father
>>7642713
Read it in Latin, the prose is fairly easy, Caesar writes simply.
>>7642769
Apparently a surprising amount of the text is dedicated to military logistics, most prominently including the maintenance of corn (grain) supplies for Caesar's troops.
Anyway, what's your goal in reading about the Gallic war? If it's "just because," you don't really need anything else; I could be wrong, but I'm 99% sure it's going to be just another account of just another war, if you're not paying attention to the broader influence it had soon after (i.e., leading to Caesar's grab for power). If you want to learn about the character of Caesar, or why the Gallic war actually matters, you'll probably want to couple it with his "Civil War," although at that point you may be better off starting with a secondary source, considering that Caesar may present a biased account.
I wish I could be more helpful, as I'm actually only about a week away from reading Caesar, myself; first I'm reading Appian's history so I can tell if Caesar was bullshitting anything in his "Civil War."
>>7642947
There is a little about maintaining grain supplies, but more so it concentrates on diplomacy among the tribes of Gaul. In terms of military logistics raising armies, winter lodging and military engineering such as producing temporary bridges and fortifications all receive discussion as well as quite a bit about how and when to deploy cavalry.
The book essentially covers Caesars notes on the war (with one book written by another after Caesars death) it was most likely intended to be used as a primary source for another writer to compile into a more complete history. Caesars writing is succinct and clear and lacks speculation or embellishment.
Definitely worth reading.
>>7642947
Mostly my reason for wanting to read it is that Caesar is the author, I wasn't aware that there existed these accounts that were written by the man himself. I think I'll probably check out Civil War as well, just for a broader bit of context about the whole thing.
>reading corncobby chronicles
wew vlad