6.17

Caesar Consul, 59 BCE. Governor of Gaul, 58–49 BCE

Appian, Civil Wars 2.2.9–2.3.15. Suetonius, Julius Caesar. Plutarch, Life of Caesar. Caesar, Gallic War.

(1) Annō urbis conditae sexcentēsimō nōnāgēsimō tertiō: in 59 BCE Caesar was consul with M. Calpurnius Bibulus.

C. Iūlius Caesar: Gaius Julius Caesar was born July 12, 100 BCE. He was of a patrician family, but from the first sided with the popular party.

imperāvit: "was emperor." See LS impero II.B.

cum L. Bibulō: see Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus

(2) Helvētiōs, quī nunc Sēquanī: Eutropius, following the custom of his day, unites the Helvetians and Sequanians. In Caesar’s time they were quite distinct. The Helvetians lived in what is now Switzerland; the Sequanians were west of the Jura mountains along the Rhone (Hazzard).

vincendō: "by conquering"; ablative gerund (AG 507)

ūsque ad Ōceanum Britannicum: "as far as the British Ocean"

(3) annīs novem ferē: Between 58 and 50 BCE Caesar conquered the whole of Gaul in a series of ruthless campaigns, starting with a victory over the Helvetii at Bibracte (near Autun). He defeated Ariovistus and the Suebi afterwards in 58 BCE, then the Usipetes and Tencteri in 55 BCE, all German tribes, and made two sorties to Britain in 55 and 54 BCE, imposing tribute on the tribes of the south east. By the end of 50 BCE Gaul had been pacified at a remarkably low cost in Roman casualties (Bird).

ad bis et trīciēs centēna mīlia passuum: "about thirty-two hundred hundred miles." bis = "two times," trīciēs (trīciēns) = "thirty times," centēna mīlia = "hundreds of thousands," pasuum = "of paces." 1000 Paces (mīlle passuum) is 1 Roman mile. ad + a number = "near to, almost, about" (LS ad C.1).

Britannīs: dative object of intulit, (LS infero I.β)

quibus ante eum nē nōmen quidem Rōmānōrum cognitum erat: quibus refers to people of Britannia, ne...quidem "not...even" (LS ne I.2.a).

obsidibus acceptīs: ablative absolute with a perfect passive participle (AG 419). The taking of hostages was a standard way of enforcing treaties in the ancient world. They were typically younger members of the ruling family, and were well-treated.

Galliae autem tribūtī nōmine annuum imperāvit sestertium quadringentiēs: "on Gaul, however, under the claim of tribute, he imposed the annual sum of forty million sesterces" (Bird). Galliae is dative object of imperāvit (LS impero I.a). 

sestertium quadringentiēs: supply centēna mīlia. This is a common way of expressing large sums (AG 634). 1000 (milia) x 100 (centena) x 40 (quadingenties). sestertium is genitive plural, depending on milia. In Caesar's day a subsistence-level wage was about 400 to 500 sesterces per year. A scribe might make 1200 sesterces per year. The evidence for this comes from the Lex Ursonensis. 

Germānōsque: Twice Caesar crossed the Rhine, but only for the purpose of impressing the Germans with the power of his forces. He fought no battles there, but he inflicted terrible defeats on two German bands that had come over into Gaul (Hazzard).

apud Arvernōs: see Arverni

Titūrius et Aurunculēius: Caesar describes the death of Quintus Titurius Sabinus and Lucius Aurunculeius Cotta in de Bello Gallico 5.24–37.