Meier, Caesar

We understand the life of Julius Caesar with the benefit of our knowledge of subsequent history — the fall of the republic and the later establishment of the empire. Yet to understand his life, we must set aside that knowledge and see how Caesar and his contemporaries understood his life, as it happens. Meier's life, translated from the German, attempts a new approach.

This biography of Caesar is a mixture: a history of Rome during the late Republic, a meditation on 'greatness' using Caesar as an object case, an attempt to understand Caesar as a person, a study of causation in history, and a biography.

The gaps in our knowledge appear — our sources reveal some things about the period, yet for many important details they are silent. So often Meier can only say 'perhaps' or 'typically' or 'in other periods we know'. He deliberately does not pass over these points in silence, preferring to make clear the limitations of our sources.

There are several reviews: a short review, to which I say that I think Juppiter is the correct spelling, and that Meier probably makes his case that Caesar was a loner, but you need to know the sources.

To Patrick Conway's review, yes, those looking for a textbook introduction may find Meier lacking in references and footnotes; perhaps Meier is best read as an alternative to other works on the same period; then Meier's eccentricities may provoke the reader's thoughts.

Meier, Christian. Caesar. 1982 (1996), Fontana, London. paperback. 513 pages.