Julius Caesar and the Transformation of the Roman Republic provides an accessible introduction to Caesar's life and public career. It outlines the main phases of his career with reference to prominent social and political concepts of the time. This approach helps to explain his aims, ideals, and motives as rooted in tradition, and demonstrates that Caesar's rise to power owed much to broad historical processes of the late Republican period, a view that contrasts with the long-held idea that he sought to become Rome's king from an early age. This is an essential undergraduate introduction to this fascinating figure, and to his role in the transformation of Rome from republic to empire.
"An excellent introduction to the life of Julius Caesar against the background of the late Republic. It covers the issues normally raised in teaching the subject, introduces the reader to the evidence and the positions taken by modern historians, and points out the misunderstandings to which one-sided interpretations may lead. It is admirable for the swift and sure way it covers difficult ground." - Andrew Lintott, University of Oxford, UK