Caesar's Footprints

November 15, 2017

The focus of this work is Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE)--not his influence on Rome, but rather his lasting impact on the region of Gaul (encompassing a wide area of present-day western Europe) and its influence on Western culture. Classical scholar Omrani (Asia Overland: Tales of Travel on the Trans-Siberian and Silk Road) writes with a free-flowing narrative style. His engaging historical journey includes descriptions of Gaul prior to Roman involvement and continues to trace Roman conquest in the area and its adaptation to Roman influences. Omrani devotes the majority of this book to Gaul's historical progression; later chapters address Caesar's influence in the region and its links to the modern age. As only a few insights are offered, readers might wonder if more concrete connections could have been made. A good secondary read is Greg Woolf's Becoming Roman, which gives more detail regarding Roman influence in assimilating diverse cultures under one national identity. VERDICT An easy read for those interested in exploring broader cultural and historical connections during the Roman transition into the European continent and its continuing impact on the region.--Mark Hanson, Maranatha Baptist Univ. Lib., Watertown, WI

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 1, 2017
A stimulating history of "how the Roman transformation of Gaul laid the foundations of modern Europe."Omrani (Classics/Westminster School, England; Asia Overland: Tales of Travel on the Trans-Siberian & Silk Road, 2010, etc.) displays the facility of a poet, waxing eloquent on the beauty of sites where the Roman influence in Gaul forcefully asserted itself. This book is as much a travelogue as it is a wonderfully simplified lesson on Julius Caesar and his successors. The author effectively shows the full effects of the Roman occupation. The warlike, feuding Gauls had a culture of raiding, so they needed to expand further afield. They attacked Rome in 390 B.C.E., the only sack until Alaric arrived in 410 C.E. Caesar had no intention of expanding the Roman Empire; he was in search of military glory, amassing money and access to more manpower for his army. Initially, the Romans were not at all engaged in nation-building. Thousands of Gauls were killed or enslaved, the land devastated, and their culture obliterated--at least what we know of their culture since we only have Caesar's reports to go on. With their lands divided, the Gallic peoples turned to defining themselves, taking the best of Rome as needed. As the author notes, while the foundations of the French state are to be found in Clovis, the origins of the French people lie before Caesar with the Gauls. Omrani takes us to Roman ruins in many French cities, most of which have public structures, statues, and inscriptions illustrating the Romanitas (Roman-ness) displayed by the Gallic elites to flaunt their wealth and status. After such a thrilling adventure, the author may leave readers wanting more. His electric excitement is consistently contagious as he glories in the unique history of France as she connects to her Roman past.A book for all lovers of ancient history, with something to learn or love on nearly every page.

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