Migrations during the Roman conquest of Gaul in 58-51 BC : a historical and anthropological approach

Caesar’s Commentarii de bello Gallico are a unique Roman source containing information on barbarian migrations in the 1st century BC. Despite numerous studies dedicated to Caesar’s narrative style, there still is a lack of reflection on the possible causes of migrations and the attitude of wan­dering barbarians to the Roman rule. Contemporary scholars have a tendency to see barbarians as Rome’s ‘eternal’ enemies, and often assume that they ‘must’ have manifested aggressive attitudes. By incorporating anthropological reflection and adopting the ‘other’s’ perspective, it is possible to better understand mechanisms prompting barbarians to look for a new homeland. No less of an important aspect is the reconstruction of Caesar’s way of presenting the phenomenon of migration, which allows us to explain why he treated it as hostile in every case.