Caesar, (Gaius) Julius

Caesar, [Gaius] Julius. Roman general, statesman, and historian (100–44 BC) whose seven-volume Gallic War [De Bello Gallico] is a much-cited source for information on early Celtic ethnography and religion. Although much admired for his clarity of style, Caesar cannot be accepted without qualification: not only did he rely on the reports of subordinates, but he may have taken more from Posidonius (c.135–c.51 BC) than from his own observations. As the conqueror first of the Gauls and then of the Britons, he had an understandably patronizing view of the Celts, finding them eager for battle but easily dashed by adversity. He also found them superstitious, given to submitting to druids for arbitration in public and private affairs. As for religious beliefs, he was struck by their view that the soul did not perish at the death of the body. His vision of a Celtic pantheon is more troubling to modern commentators. Thinking that Celtic conceptions differed little from Roman, he assigned Roman names to native gods, ranking them in order of perceived preference: Mercury, Apollo, Mars, Jupiter, and Minerva. Although it is not supported by any non-Roman evidence, Caesar enunciated clear differentiation of function among different Celtic gods as well as the existence of a universal pantheon.