Latin authors

Read Julius Caesar in Latin

The most common first stop for authentic Latin prose, and a fair test of whether your course Latin has become reading Latin.

About the Latin

Caesar wrote about his own campaigns in Gaul in the third person, in plain, businesslike sentences. That directness is why the Gallic War has so often been the first real author students meet: the plot is clear, the vocabulary repeats, and the constructions come round again and again.

It is still a jump from a textbook. The sentences run longer than a course reader's, and indirect speech carries a great deal of the narrative, so the Latin rewards a reader who already handles subordinate clauses comfortably.

How hard is it?

Difficulty 6.3, intermediate.

Every reading in the library has a difficulty score, on a scale that runs from about 1 to 11. Beginner texts sit below 3.5 and Advanced texts above 6.8.

Most demanding here: Sentence length, Unseen vocabulary, Proper names, Nonfinite constructions, Subordination. Lighter than most of the library: Vocabulary variety.

What you can read

The reading, each with help on every word.

Librorum Capsula currently offers Book I of the Gallic War: the Helvetian migration and the campaign against Ariovistus.

Intermediate8,172 words

Commentarii de Bello Gallico: Liber I

Julius Caesar leads his Roman legions against the Helvetii and the rising power of Ariovistus in a fast-moving campaign against the tribes of Gaul.

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Where to start

Commentarii de Bello Gallico: Liber I

It is the opening of the work and the only Caesar in the catalog so far. Open it and the reader gives you the Latin with a definition for every word, so you can read at the pace that suits you and look up only what you need.

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Questions

A few things worth knowing.

Which works by Julius Caesar can I read on Librorum Capsula?

Librorum Capsula currently offers Book I of the Gallic War: the Helvetian migration and the campaign against Ariovistus. That is one reading.

How hard is Julius Caesar in Latin?

On Librorum Capsula's difficulty scale, Julius Caesar's readings here score 6.3, which puts them at Intermediate level. The heaviest factors are sentence length, unseen vocabulary, proper names, nonfinite constructions, subordination.

Where should I start with Julius Caesar?

Commentarii de Bello Gallico: Liber I. It is the opening of the work and the only Caesar in the catalog so far.

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Read Julius Caesar with the words explained.

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