Julius Caesar is considered by some to be the greatest military commander to have ever lived. His generalship and military campaigns expanded the borders of Rome beyond the River Rhine and across the English Channel to the southern lands of the British Isles.
Conflicts covered: Gallic Wars, Roman Civil War
Died: 44 BC
His machinations plunged the Roman Republic into chaos, sparking a civil war that destroyed the Republican constitution forever and inaugurated the era of the Roman Empire. He was a charismatic leader, a seasoned military veteran, and a formidable politician. It is little wonder that he is rarely thought of as being an ancient example of the modern-day war reporter.
Yet, without Caesar’s regular dispatches from the front, his name may not have been so renowned today. Indeed, Caesar’s prolific writings on war, based on his first-hand experience, were key tools used to build his popularity across the Republic. Information is power – and the one who controls it, spins it, and adequately disseminates it to reach the greatest mass, can often change the course of history.
London: Excavating the CA archive