Chapter 1.1

A brief description of the great divisions of Gaul, and of their inhabitants.

Gallia...omnis: ‘Gaul as a whole,’ contrasted with Gaul in the narrower sense, or Celtic Gaul; Celtic Gaul also is often called Gallia. (Kelsey) historical map satellite image

Gallia...divisa: Notice the order of the words. ‘Gaul, taken as a whole, is divided’. (Rice Holmes) 

Belgae: Belgae -arum m., the Belgae or Belgians; Aquitani, -orum m.: the Aquitani, inhabiting southwestern Gaul;Celtae, -arum m: the Celtae or Celts (Walker)

Gallos...dividit: the verb is singular, because the two rivers make one boundary; as we should say, ‘is divided by the line of the Seine and Marne.’ (Allen & Judson) ( AG 317b)

Garumna:  Garumna, -ae m., the river Garumna now the Garonne. Matrona, -ae m.: the river Matrona, now the Marne. Sequana, -ae m.: the river Sequana, now the Seine (Walker)

cultu atque humanitate: cultus indicates the outward characteristics of civilization (dress, habits of life, etc.); humanitas, the moral characteristics (refinement of thought and feeling, education, etc.) (Merryweather & Tancock). humanitate: ‘refinement’ (Kelsey) 

provinciae: the province of Gallia Narbonensis, organized about B. C. 120. Its chief cities were Massilia (Marseilles), an old Greek free city, and the capital, Narbo (Narbonne), a Roman colony. The name Provincia has come down to us in the modern Provence. (Allen & Greenough) historical map satellite image

minime saepe: ‘very seldom’ (Walker)

mercatores: nom. Traders and peddlers from Massilia (Marseilles) and northern Italy brought wine (their most attractive commodity) and other luxuries on pack mules or even on their own backs (Towle & Jenks) 

commeant: ‘make their way to’ (Kelsey); words of motion compounded with cum often contain an idea of ‘hither and thither’ (Walpole). Construe saepe with commeant, minime with both commeant and important; ‘least of all do traders (often resort) make frequent journeys back and forth to them and bring in', etc. (Towle & Jenks)

ad effeminandos animos: ‘to weaken the courage’ (Walker) ( AG 506)

qua de causa: ‘for this reason’ (Kelsey); ‘and for this reason’: referring back to proximi, etc., and further explained by quod…contendunt ( AG 404c)

quoque: i.e. as well as the Belgians (Towle & Jenks); ‘also,’ always follows the emphatic word, ‘because they (just as the Belgians) dwell near the Germans.’ (Harper & Tolman) ( AG 322)

in eorum finibus: eorum refers to the Germans (Walker)

eorum una pars: eorum refers back to the Gauls as a whole, not to the Helvetii, who have just been mentioned.

quam Gallos obtinere: quam is the object, Gallos the subject of obtinere; the infinitive clause quam...obtinere is the subject of dictum est. The whole may be freely translated 'which, as has been said, the Gauls occupy'. (Walker)

a flumine: 'at the river' (Walker)

ab Sequanis: ‘on the side of the Sequani.’ (Merryweather & Tancock) ( AG 429.b)

in septentriones…solem: i.e. toward the northeast (Walker). Septentriones -um m.: 'the north,' lit. the constellations of the great and little Bear. The word is used both in the singular (as a compound) and in the plural. (Allen & Judson)

spectat inter etc.: i.e. 'has a northwesterly aspect'. Caesar regards the whole country from the standpoint of 'The Province'. (Walpole)