Julius Caesar’s Description of Gaul and its Tribes in The Gallic War

The best description of Gaul around the birth of Christ comes from Julius Caesar. During his conquest of Gaul he managed to compile a journal which became known as The Gallic War, which is the primary source that derives all the information for this article. When reading Caesar’s account it is important to remember that he is a very bias Roman conqueror and views Gaul as a conqueror. With that said, we can begin.

Caesar’s first pages contain the description of Gaul’s geography, providing historians with a very good picture of where their territory laid and who inhabited the area. In Caesar’s words, “Gaul is a whole divided into three parts, one of which is inhabited by the Balgae, another by the Aquitani, and a third by the people called in their own tongue Celtae, in the Latin Galli. All these are different one from another in language, institutions, and laws. The Galli are separated from the Aquitani by the river Garonne, from the Belgae by the Marne, and the Seine.” (Page 3)

Caesar’s account then begins to direct towards the inhabitants and their characteristics as a whole. He refers to the Belgae as “the most courageous, because they are farthest removed from the culture and civilization of the Province.” (Page 3) This excerpt is the exact Roman bias as previously discussed. He describes his Roman Empire as civilized and cultured, the Celts would argue vividly against any such accusation. By the use of the word “courageous” Caesar is of course meaning on the battlefield, implying that they put up the most, and best resistance.

In Caesar’s account he also takes the time to mention the Helvetii. “The Helvetti also excel the rest of the Gauls in valour, because they are struggling in almost daily fights with the Germans, either endeavoring to keep them out of Gallic territory or waging an aggressive warfare in German territory.” (Page 3) This description is quite comparative to the Balgae. It is interesting to note that the first things Caesar recognizes in a tribe is their ability to fight on the battlefield. The obvious source for this is the fact that his association with these tribes is in fact a war.

After describing the two bravest tribes, Balgae and Helvetii, Caesar begins to go back to the geography of the land. The separate part of the country which, as has been said, is occupied by the Gauls, starts from the river Rhone, and is bounded by the Ocean, and the territory of the Belgae; moreover, on the side of the Sequani and the Helvetii, it touches the river Rhine; and its general trend is northward.” This concludes the geography of Galia by Julius Caesar. One last interesting note to make is Caesar’s brief discussion of the Sequani. This tribe, lead by Brunnus, attacked sacked Rome on July 18 390 B.C., just 300 years prior.