Welcome! First and foremost, thanks for purchasing a bag of our Caesar roast — we hope it’s fueling you on to many victories.
On this page, we want to provide you with a list of resources to help you learn more about the incredible life of Julius Caesar. We’ll share the best books, podcasts, and other resources that you can use to better understand Caesar — from his military victories to his political reforms and the character traits that catapulted him to success.
The study of great men is essential to success in life. Here’s a brief rundown on the resources you need to study one of history’s greatest men.
Forget secondary sources — here you can actually read Caesar’s own words!
The Gallic War is Caesar’s account of his conquest of Gaul from 58-50 BC. He details Gaul’s political landscape, the different Celtic and Germanic tribes he encounters, and the various military conflicts waged throughout the campaign.
There’s no other work that lets you enter into the mind of Caesar quite like this one. Read to learn how he survived ambushes, waged war, and led his men to victory in a hostile land.
We recommend you pick up the Oxford Classics version — if you don’t jump straight for the Landmark, that is!
The 800-page Landmark Julius Caesar not only includes Caesar’s The Gallic War, but it also contains the accounts The Civil War, The Alexandrian War, The African War, and The Spanish War — the final two written not by Caesar, but by an anonymous soldier who was with him on campaign.
The main highlight of the Landmark edition though isn’t just the extra accounts — it’s the maps, pictures, and expert commentary that you get to help you fully understand each campaign. No other edition compares when it comes to the depth of understanding and insight the Landmark offers.
While it’s not for everyone, the Landmark Julius Caesar is certainly a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to truly understand Caesar’s campaigns. If you want to step inside the mind of a Roman military genius, there’s no better book than this one.
The next great source after Caesar’s own account of himself is that of Plutarch. Writing roughly 150 years after Caesar’s death, Plutarch wrote a biography of Caesar for inclusion in his Parallel Lives.
Plutarch’s main source for his biography was Gaius Asinius Pollio, a soldier who served under both Caesar and Octavian. Plutarch’s account of Caesar is notable as it served as the main biography of Caesar for centuries to come — and was the main source behind literary and artistic works such as Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar.
You can get Plutarch’s Life of Caesar either in the Oxford Classics Roman Lives edition, or in Penguin’s Fall of the Roman Republic.
For a more modern biography of Caesar, you’d be hard-pressed to do better than Adrian Goldsworthy’s magnum opus. He recounts the life of Caesar as a devoted son, courageous soldier and astute commander — not to mention reformist politician and dictator of Rome.
Goldsworthy does a great job of showcasing Caesar’s personality, but never oversteps his bounds. He evaluates what we do know, and admits what we do not. His narrative is easy to follow as it proceeds in a sober, orderly, and chronological fashion.
Goldworthy’s biography does a great job wiping away the noise of popular culture’s influence and helping you understand the facts of Caesar’s life — from military tactics to political maneuvering to the details of Caesar’s populist reforms. It’s a perfect read if you want a thorough understanding of Caesar’s world, life, and career.
While not as nitty-gritty and detailed as Adrian Goldsworthy’s biography, Tom Holland’s Rubicon is a thrilling account of Rome’s transformation from republic to empire — and Caesar’s role in that story.
Rubicon is perfect if you want an entertaining, big-picture view of Caesar’s era and its major players, from Cicero to Pompey, Crassus, Cato, Cleopatra, Virgil, Augustus, and more. Holland tells a cohesive story not just of the tumultuous fall of the Republic, but of the major events leading up to it.
This book is an ideal primer for any deeper study of the characters and events of the late Republican period. Once you grasp the broad overview, you can dive into the details wherever you like.
This is a lesser-known, though no less remarkable artifact of history: Napoleon Bonaparte’s own commentary on Caesar’s The Gallic War.
Written by the Emperor during his exile on the remote Atlantic island of St. Helena, Napoleon’s Commentaries allow you to consider Caesar’s actions from the point of view of the greatest military commander since Caesar himself.
It’s a remarkable document, especially considering the fact that at the time of writing, and despite the invention of gunpowder, the art of war hadn’t changed much since Caesar’s day — 19th century armies still moved by foot, and Napoleon’s troops fought in the same regions (northern Italy, France, Belgium, etc) as Caesar’s legions did.
If for no other reason, Napoleon’s Commentaries on the Wars of Julius Caesar is worth reading because it’s written by the Emperor himself — but the subject matter, Napoleon’s critiques of Caesar’s techniques, and the great amalgamation of two of history’s greatest men in one work of literature transform this into both an invaluable and infinitely insightful historical document.
Hosted by a friend of Imperium Coffee, Alex Petkas, The Cost of Glory podcast is a great place to start to dive into the world, life, and campaigns of Caesar.
Alex has a 8-part series on Caesar’s The Gallic War (Episodes 91-94) which is great if you want to explore the work’s main battles and events without having to read it.
On top of that, Alex’s series on Crassus (Episodes 71-74) and Pompey (Episodes 83-86) are great for understanding the main characters in the Triumvirate, and Caesar’s role in late Republic politics and the civil war. Alex’s main source for each of his series is the biographies of Plutarch’s Lives, and his presentation style is both insightful and entertaining.
At the time of this writing, Alex is currently working on his series on Caesar. So keep an eye out for that, as I’m sure it will be excellent.
Historians Tom Holland (author of Rubicon) and Dominic Sandbrook co-host the world’s most popular history podcast, and they’ve already dedicated several episodes to the life of Julius Caesar.
Here’s a list of those episodes for your convenience:
All of the above links take you to the respective episodes on Spotify, but you can of course look them up on your own on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or other podcast listening platforms.
While not specifically about the life of Caesar himself, Mike Duncan’s phenomenal podcast The History of Rome takes you through the entire history of Ancient Rome — from its inception to its rise, zenith, decline, and fall.
There are 179 episodes in total, so it’s quite comprehensive. With each episode running between 20 and 25 minutes on average though, it’s certainly manageable. If you’re not the reading type but still want to a thorough overview of Roman history, it’s hard to do better than The History of Rome.
The Kings and Generals YouTube channel has hundreds of well-researched and informative YouTube videos, covering everything from the Peloponnesian War to the American Revolution and much more.
They also have over 30 videos directly related to Caesar and the events surrounding his life. You can view them all at the playlist below:
If you find yourself overwhelmed by the amount of options, however, then allow us to suggest where to start — the video Caesar against Pompey – Great Roman Civil War DOCUMENTARY is a two hour deep dive into the civil war between Caesar and Pompey.
The video provides both necessary political background, and details of the specific battles. It’s a great piece of educational content that’ll help you understand the Great Roman Civil War and Caesar’s military engagements.
Coming soon! Check back in on this page later to see what we’ve added.
In the meantime, enjoy all the aforementioned resources — we hope they help you in your quest to conquer like Caesar!
