Caesar's Greatest Victory reveals both sides of the Battle for Alesia,
to explore in depth the personalities involved and to examine the legacy
of the campaign which still resonates today.
The Battle for Alesia was a decisive moment in world history. It
determined whether Rome would finally conquer Gaul or whether Celtic
chieftain Vercingetorix would throw off the yoke and consequently
whether a number of independent Celtic tribal kingdoms could resist the
might of Rome. Failure would have been a total defeat for Julius Caesar,
not just in Gaul but in the Senate. His career would have been over, his
enemies would have pulled him down, civil war would have ensued, no
dictatorship, no liaison with Cleopatra. Rome would not have become an
empire beyond the Mediterranean. European, and therefore world history
might have been a very different story.
Caesar's campaign of 52 BC frequently hung in the balance. Vercingetorix
was a far more formidable opponent than any he'd encountered in Gaul;
bold charismatic and imbued with strategic insight of the highest order.
The Romans were caught totally off-guard and it seemed all too likely
their grip on Gaul, which Caesar had imagined secure, would be pried
free. The Siege of Alesia itself was one of the most astonishing
military undertakings of all times. Caesar's interior siege lines
stretched for 18 kilometers and were surrounded by an outward facing
line three kilometres longer, complete with palisades, towers, ditches,
minefields and outposts. This work was completed in less than three
weeks. Vercingetorix's refuge proved a trap and, despite an energetic
defense and the arrival of a huge relief army, there was to be no
escape.
Caesar's Greatest Victory fully reveals both sides of the conflict. The
arms, equipment, tactics and fighting styles of Roman and Celtic armies
are explained, as well as the charisma and leadership of Caesar and
Vercingetorix and the command and control structures of both sides.
Using new evidence from archaeology, the authors construct a fresh
account of not just the siege itself but also the Alesia campaign and
place it into the wider context of the history of warfare. This is Roman
history at its most exciting, featuring events still talked about today.
