The Commentaries

By: Julius Caesar

Narrated by: Charlton Griffin

Julius Caesar wrote his exciting Commentaries during some of the most grueling campaigns ever undertaken by a Roman army. The Gallic Wars and The Civil Wars constitute the greatest series of military dispatches ever written. As literature, they are representative of the finest expressions of Latin prose in its "golden" age, a benchmark of elegant style and masculine brevity imitated by young schoolboys for centuries.

One of the most daring and brilliant generals of all time, Julius Caesar combined the elements of tactical genius with the shrewdness of a master politician. He was an astute judge of men's character - their strengths and weaknesses. Whenever possible, he exercised restraint and mercy even when his worst enemies were in his power. But he also knew when and how to mete out stern punishment and his swift retaliations became a hallmark of his career. With his charismatic leadership, his powerful intellect and his magnetic personal charm, Julius Caesar became the idol of men and women everywhere. The fanatic loyalty of his troops and the adulation of the Roman public propelled him to the pinnacle of power. Historian Will Durant called him "the most complete man that antiquity produced."

Follow along in this recording as Julius Caesar in 50 B.C. undertakes the awesome enterprise of subduing savage Gaul, an area roughly the size of Texas. That task was barely completed before his enemies in Rome struck, igniting the bloody Civil War that engulfed most of the Roman Empire and afterward left Caesar in supreme power.

Public Domain (P)2009 Audio Connoisseur

so cool

so cool to listen to the words of a person that lived 2000 years ago.

The Commentaries

It is a great work of literary knowledge about the campaigns of Julius Caesar. Although, some of the information is not as reliable as people would think, it is still a novel that people should behold. I do believe people should write something such as this again. Bestowing great knowledge on others will support their success in life. Thee are great and prosperous, keep that in mind. Remember if you are in affliction of the greatest sense, turn to a inspiring work.

My favourite audiobook

I've had this book for over a year and have probably listened to it end to end 3 times. Caesar was an incredibly lucid writer... and a crafty one. If you're paying attention you can see all the places where he's pulling a fast one. Griffin is perfect.

Dreadfully false sounding accent !

As a Brit, I can only wonder whether the Narrator was trying to sound English and Churchillian (in which case he fails, it sounds terribly false) or whether thats his natural US accent ( note to anyone from the US - the English do not pronounce "route" as "rout", so the narrator is clearly not British).

The translation is fairly clear and the narration is otherwise done well. However the choice of accent distracts at times.

Overall, if you can live with the accent its a reasonable audiobook, and worth a credit .

Very interesting

The accounts of the Gaelic Wars are interesting, but I found the section about Rome's Civil War fascinating. This time, both sides had Roman generals, with Roman equipment and tactics. They built forts, dams, bridges, and even ships almost overnight. They moved with speed and cunning. There were heroes and traitors on both sides. This is a powerful tale.

griffin

if you have any interest in julius this book is where it's at. tales of heroism, courage, and Caesar's beloved 10th Legion. It's like an audio book of the hbo series ROME.
I didn't know Charlton Griffin the narrator before this book but after listening to him im now hooked. His voice and style brings things alive like im in the war room with Caesar himself. Mr Griffin found his calling in life and will never be outdone by anyone else who reads in this field.

Best book on Audible

the story is well written and the voice narration is perfect this is the best book I have listened to on Audible

Great reading of an engrossing classic

I'm building an interest in ancient history (purely as an amateur) and downloaded this with some dread as many of the early works can have dense translations. This is a great version of the Commentaries. I found it very entertaining and, months later, still recall passages and events all the time. Mr. Griffin's voice works very well with this material and he can make the occasional dense passage understandable.

Wowzors

Caesars Commentaries are one of the best reads, well listens, I have ever experienced.

As usual Charlton Griffin was an amazingly interesting narrator.

Fascinating

This is a mainstay in the teaching of Latin in School Children as it is simple, direct prose. In discussing this book with my some members of my family, my husband said he read it in Latin when he was in elementary school in Greece. He said when he was young he could read and write Latin as well as he could Greek. My sister remembers reading it and having to translate it in her Latin class in high school. But I do not remember reading it. I only took Latin for one year then we moved and the next school did not teach Latin. (The problems of frequent moving as a military brat)

The Commentaries is Julius Caesar’s firsthand account of the Gallic Wars. It is written as a third person narrative. Caesar describes the battle and intrigues that took place in the nine years he spent fighting local armies in Gaul. What amazes me is that I am reading something written over two thousand years ago by one of histories greatest military commanders. Needless to say I am reading a translated edition but to have a book survived this long is amazing and it is still being read today. I can just picture Caesar sitting in his tent after a day of battle writing his book.

Gaul is what today we know as France, Belgium and part of Switzerland. The Helvetii from Switzerland were feeling constricted in their valley so they started migrating over into what was a northern Roman province. Caesar pushed them back into their traditional land. Then King Ariovistus along with some Germanic mercenaries try to move into Italy and again Caesar ventured out to meet them and so it goes for nine years.

The book is interesting in its descriptions of Gaulish customs, religion and the comparison between the Gaul and Germanic peoples. The geography descriptions I found interesting also. Overall I enjoyed the book but even after reading it I still cannot remember if I read it in elementary or high school. Charlton Griffin did a good job narrating the book.