CAESAR'S SPEECH AT VESONTIO IN THE ROMAN HISTORY OF CASSIUS DIO: LITERARY AND CULTURAL ASPECTS

Julius Caesar's Speech at Vesontio in Dio's Roman history was usually analysed from a legal perspective and under the rigor of the Quellenforschung. These approaches undervalued the Thucydidean reminiscences, which became mere rhetorical traits without special signification. In this paper is proposed a re-examination of the Thucydidean imitation, in order to interpret it in the literary processes of Imperial literature. This perspective undermines the negative interpretation of Caesar that recently was attributed to Cassius Dio, and the speech makes sense in the global design of the character in the Roman history.