Julius Caesar Ruler of the Roman World
Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.) is perhaps one of the most important figures in Western political and military history. A general, statesman, and historian, Caesar is credited with having established the very foundations of the Roman empire that one day was to stretch from the shores of Britannia to those of the Persian Gulf. Numerous books have been and surely will be written about the man, his times, his almost mythical status, and his political and military exploits with the understanding that only by understanding this man, Julius Caesar, can we begin to fathom the forces of history that he unleashed one day when he crossed the Rubicon.
Zachary Kents Julius Caesar Ruler of the Roman World beautifully encapsulates Caesars life and his times in a relatively small book of a 150-odd pages. Given the size of the book, it is certainly not an exercise in historical investigation to separate the myths normally attached to the man from the realities of his character.
The book, in fact, has been written to introduce Gaius Julius Caesar to the general audience, especially children and young adults, and hence the books classification as juvenile nonfiction. Keeping this in mind, the author tries not to lose his young readers in a labyrinth of foreign names and abstract dates. From reading this book, one can understand that its main purpose is to inculcate a love of history in young minds and by following an almost story-like pattern, the author attempts to bequeath to his readers an understanding of the Caesars life and his contribution to history.
One can almost see this book as a western counterpart of another of Kents works on an Eastern giant, Genghis Khan Invincible Ruler of the Mongol Empire. Both of these men Temujin and Gaius were able to harness the forces of history at their disposal, and shape not only the destiny of their people but also that of the East and the West. This is why Julius Caesar is such an important character in history. He can rightly be seen as the moving force behind the concept of imperial Rome, the precursor of modern Western civilization, and it is essentially in this context that we can afford to ignore Caesar as yet another soldier-politician.
But before we go any further, it may be a good idea to pause and briefly consider the professional career of the writer in question. Zachary Kent, the author of the book, holds a degree in English language from St. Lawrence University. After working for some time with a literary agency based in New York City, Mr. Kent decided to become a professional writer and with children and young adults as his intended audience, he has so far written a multitude of books on history. Mr. Kent has written extensively on American history on subjects as diverse as the American Civil War, World War I, and the crash of the New York Stock Exchange. He has written biographies of many American presidents and luminaries, such as Alexander Hamilton, Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, et cetera, to give the younger generation a better idea of their extraordinary contribution to history. He has also successfully touched upon subjects of modern history, such as the Challenger disaster and the Persian Gulf War, et cetera, and even though most of Mr. Kents writings are centered around America and its history, he has also written on world history writing about subjects such as Julius Caesar and Genghis Khan.
While writing Julius Caesar, one feels that Mr. Kent has tried to adopt the same approach that he has followed while penning down his other works. Keeping in mind the mental age of his intended audience, he has attempted to faithfully follow the events in Caesars life, as chronologically as possible, to give the book an almost story-like feeling. While this is not a work of fictional history, the book is most certainly meant to introduce Caesar to a new mostly younger audience, who have very little or no prior knowledge of the man and his importance in history. Therefore, following a story-like pattern greatly helps in arousing sufficient interest and maintaining it throughout the book.
Mr. Kents work is certainly a much simpler account of Caesars life and his times, with him choosing to build his book around the more generally accepted facts about the mans life and his many achievements.
Choosing not to confuse his readers in the complex interplay of actors and forces that marked the transition of the Roman republic into imperial Rome, instead of concentrating on those turbulent times, Kent chooses to concentrate on the man, Julius Caesar, who was at the helm of the affairs at that time. The idea is to understand Caesars time through his actions and their consequences.
As stated earlier, the book is certainly not a work of historical fiction and Mr. Kent has, therefore, done his best to make sure that the book is not viewed as such. While the language used in the book is plain and simple to understand, he frequently refers to the works of other modern writers as well as ancient historians to support his arguments. Once again, keeping in mind the intended audience, while the book is not loaded with footnotes and bibliography pages, it is as historically accurate as possible with the author occasionally relying upon archeological evidence and modern-day examples to make his point.
Despite its small size, the material of the book is very well organized. With its focus on Julius Caesar, it moves swiftly between the various chronological phases of his life starting from his early formative years as the governor of Gaul and the hero of the Gallic Wars (58-51 B.C.) to his decision to cross the Rubicon and plunge the country into civil war, culminating in his rise to absolute power at the expense of Romes republican aspirations. Kent offers a balanced and well-written account of Caesars life, carefully noting the strengths and weaknesses of his character, as well as his skills and acumen as a political leader and military commander. In its final quarter, the book looks at Caesars famed relationship with Cleopatra, the political intrigues surrounding his rule and his unfortunate assassination, concluding with the rise to power of his adopted son, Octavian.
In my opinion, Julius Caesar Ruler of the Roman World is a very well-written book that introduces to the reader one of the most important characters in Western civilization, the impact of whose achievements can be felt even in todays world. Born almost a hundred years after Hannibal had passed into oblivion, Caesars Rome marks a turning point in the history of ancient Europe. Without overwhelming its readers with a deluge of dates and events, Mr. Kents book successfully introduces us to the man, Julius Caesar, and his immutable contribution to history, the Roman Empire.
Zachary Kents Julius Caesar Ruler of the Roman World beautifully encapsulates Caesars life and his times in a relatively small book of a 150-odd pages. Given the size of the book, it is certainly not an exercise in historical investigation to separate the myths normally attached to the man from the realities of his character.
The book, in fact, has been written to introduce Gaius Julius Caesar to the general audience, especially children and young adults, and hence the books classification as juvenile nonfiction. Keeping this in mind, the author tries not to lose his young readers in a labyrinth of foreign names and abstract dates. From reading this book, one can understand that its main purpose is to inculcate a love of history in young minds and by following an almost story-like pattern, the author attempts to bequeath to his readers an understanding of the Caesars life and his contribution to history.
One can almost see this book as a western counterpart of another of Kents works on an Eastern giant, Genghis Khan Invincible Ruler of the Mongol Empire. Both of these men Temujin and Gaius were able to harness the forces of history at their disposal, and shape not only the destiny of their people but also that of the East and the West. This is why Julius Caesar is such an important character in history. He can rightly be seen as the moving force behind the concept of imperial Rome, the precursor of modern Western civilization, and it is essentially in this context that we can afford to ignore Caesar as yet another soldier-politician.
But before we go any further, it may be a good idea to pause and briefly consider the professional career of the writer in question. Zachary Kent, the author of the book, holds a degree in English language from St. Lawrence University. After working for some time with a literary agency based in New York City, Mr. Kent decided to become a professional writer and with children and young adults as his intended audience, he has so far written a multitude of books on history. Mr. Kent has written extensively on American history on subjects as diverse as the American Civil War, World War I, and the crash of the New York Stock Exchange. He has written biographies of many American presidents and luminaries, such as Alexander Hamilton, Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, et cetera, to give the younger generation a better idea of their extraordinary contribution to history. He has also successfully touched upon subjects of modern history, such as the Challenger disaster and the Persian Gulf War, et cetera, and even though most of Mr. Kents writings are centered around America and its history, he has also written on world history writing about subjects such as Julius Caesar and Genghis Khan.
While writing Julius Caesar, one feels that Mr. Kent has tried to adopt the same approach that he has followed while penning down his other works. Keeping in mind the mental age of his intended audience, he has attempted to faithfully follow the events in Caesars life, as chronologically as possible, to give the book an almost story-like feeling. While this is not a work of fictional history, the book is most certainly meant to introduce Caesar to a new mostly younger audience, who have very little or no prior knowledge of the man and his importance in history. Therefore, following a story-like pattern greatly helps in arousing sufficient interest and maintaining it throughout the book.
Mr. Kents work is certainly a much simpler account of Caesars life and his times, with him choosing to build his book around the more generally accepted facts about the mans life and his many achievements.
Choosing not to confuse his readers in the complex interplay of actors and forces that marked the transition of the Roman republic into imperial Rome, instead of concentrating on those turbulent times, Kent chooses to concentrate on the man, Julius Caesar, who was at the helm of the affairs at that time. The idea is to understand Caesars time through his actions and their consequences.
As stated earlier, the book is certainly not a work of historical fiction and Mr. Kent has, therefore, done his best to make sure that the book is not viewed as such. While the language used in the book is plain and simple to understand, he frequently refers to the works of other modern writers as well as ancient historians to support his arguments. Once again, keeping in mind the intended audience, while the book is not loaded with footnotes and bibliography pages, it is as historically accurate as possible with the author occasionally relying upon archeological evidence and modern-day examples to make his point.
Despite its small size, the material of the book is very well organized. With its focus on Julius Caesar, it moves swiftly between the various chronological phases of his life starting from his early formative years as the governor of Gaul and the hero of the Gallic Wars (58-51 B.C.) to his decision to cross the Rubicon and plunge the country into civil war, culminating in his rise to absolute power at the expense of Romes republican aspirations. Kent offers a balanced and well-written account of Caesars life, carefully noting the strengths and weaknesses of his character, as well as his skills and acumen as a political leader and military commander. In its final quarter, the book looks at Caesars famed relationship with Cleopatra, the political intrigues surrounding his rule and his unfortunate assassination, concluding with the rise to power of his adopted son, Octavian.
In my opinion, Julius Caesar Ruler of the Roman World is a very well-written book that introduces to the reader one of the most important characters in Western civilization, the impact of whose achievements can be felt even in todays world. Born almost a hundred years after Hannibal had passed into oblivion, Caesars Rome marks a turning point in the history of ancient Europe. Without overwhelming its readers with a deluge of dates and events, Mr. Kents book successfully introduces us to the man, Julius Caesar, and his immutable contribution to history, the Roman Empire.
