Hus Posted March 16, 2011 Report Share Posted March 16, 2011 In a 2004 episode of Timewatch, Julius Caesar's Greatest Battle (2008) the two presenters, Mark Corby, military historian and former British army officer, and Dr.Neil Faulkner, retracing the footsteps of Julius Caesar and Vercingetorix respectively, suggested that Caesar may have been sitting on information about Vercingetorix that he withheld from his histories, suggesting that there had been a history between them? Is it possible that that Celtic nobleman had served in the Roman army, as had Arminius, Spartacus and as Alaric later would, and that the two foes actually knew one another from unmentioned events prior to 52bc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 There's no evidence I know of that supports this hypothesis. Since Vercingetorix does not use Roman tactics nor indeed seemed to understand their motives all that well, it would seem his contact with the Roman Republic had been limited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostOfClayton Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 It's a coincidence you should ask that. I was doing the ironing this morning, and thought I'd treat myself to watchung an old BBC Timewatch programme: 'Ceasar's Greatest Battle'. They suggested at the end that their paths must have crossed previously, but gave no evidence to back up the theory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryaxis Hecatee Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 If I remember well Colleen Mc Cullough in her novels put Vercingetorix as one of the allied cavalrymen that campaigned with him during the first part of the war, where he'd have learned some things. But in practice I've never seen scientific elements on the topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hus Posted March 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 It's a coincidence you should ask that. I was doing the ironing this morning, and thought I'd treat myself to watchung an old BBC Timewatch programme: 'Ceasar's Greatest Battle'. They suggested at the end that their paths must have crossed previously, but gave no evidence to back up the theory. That's what i found frustrating- no source was given. Maybe it was just their professional intuition? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 This sort of connection is nothing unusual in history when dealing with mythic personalities. It's like Saladin and Richard the Lion Heart. They're supposed to have met and compared swords, but sadly, it's no more than romantic fiction and there's no record the two ever met face to face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hus Posted March 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 I guess so. I knew that Richard and Saladin never physically met, although they had contact via ambassadors- and Richard was good friends with Saladin's brother, even proposing the marriage of his younger sister, Joan, to him (she wasn't impressed and refused) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melvadius Posted March 24, 2011 Report Share Posted March 24, 2011 While accepting that he has good acadeimic credentials as an arcaheologist I must admit that it is the sort of statement and contra Imperial Rome opinion that I tend to now expect from Dr Faulkner. Having just checked Wikipedia there may be an explanation for some of his views by the 'claimed' description of himself by Faulkner as 'a Marxist, a revolutionary socialist, an anti-capitalist political activist' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hus Posted March 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2011 Possibly he is, though I don't really always believe Wiki for such statements. Anyway, I can' t remember which of the two men uttered the connection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted March 28, 2011 Report Share Posted March 28, 2011 FYI, Julius Caesar's Greatest Battle is available in its entirety on You Tube. I watched it this evening and quite enjoyed it. Irrespective of whether or not Caesar and Vergingetorix ever met in person before engaging in battle, I found the approach used in the programme to present and explain the motivations and perspectives of each side quite interesting. Dr. Faulkner, in particular, added a very theatrical performance which I found entertaining to say the least. Tom Holland and other scholars also make an appearance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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