Famous Men of Rome · Ch. XXI, part 1 · Unit 4: The end of the Republic
29. Julius Caesar, part 1: The young Caesar and the conquest of Gaul
Goal: Your child can tell what kind of man Caesar was, how a Roman legion was armed, and what Caesar did in Gaul.
You'll need
- The book, open to this chapter
- A map of Italy and the Mediterranean (a free online map or a globe)
- Paper and colored pencils
What's in the book
Chapter XXI, section I: Caesar, soldier, statesman, scholar and orator, nephew by marriage of Marius, escapes Sulla, becomes a friend of the plebeians and governor of Spain. The chapter describes the legion, the pilum, slings, the ballista and the eagle standard. Caesar conquers Gaul, bridges the Rhine in ten days, takes Alesia from Vercingetorix, and crosses to Britain.
The lesson, step by step
Set the scene
Find Gaul (today France), the River Rhine, and the island of Britain on the map.
Read the chapter
Read section I of Chapter XXI, stopping at section II. It begins:
Of all the Roman heroes the greatest was Caius Julius Caesar.
Tell it back
Prompts:
- What book did Caesar write?
- What did Sulla say about young Caesar?
- Why did his soldiers trust him?
- How did Caesar win at Alesia?
The Roman army
Look at the pictures together. Say: A legion was a regiment of over three thousand men. They carried a short sword and a long spear called a pilum. Each legion had an eagle on a pole for its standard.
Talk it over
Read what Caesar said in the little mountain village:
Poor as this village is, I would rather be first here than second in Rome!
Ask: What does that tell you about Caesar?
What historians say now
The book says the Romans took possession of Britain under Caesar. Say: Caesar did cross to Britain, but he did not stay. The Romans conquered it about a hundred years later.
Extra (optional)
Draw a legionary with his shield, sword and pilum, or the eagle standard.
Answers to the book's problems
He wrote the Commentaries, a history of his own wars. Sulla said, "In that young man there is many a Marius." The soldiers trusted him because he shared their hardships, marched on foot with them and fought in the front ranks. At Alesia he surrounded the town so no food could get in and beat the army that came to help. The village saying shows he wanted to be first, whatever it took.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.