Primary and Secondary Sources
If you were writing a paper on Julius Caesar, which of the following
would be considered primary sources, contemporary secondary
sources (=contemporary with Caesar), and modern secondary
sources?
PS=primary source
CSS=contemporary secondary source
MSS=modern secondary source
N=None of the above (explain at the bottom of the page)
____ 1. Julius Caesar, Gallic Wars.
____ 2. Julius Caesar; a political biography by J. P. V. D. Balsdon
(1967).
____ 3. Gelzer, Matthias, 1886-1974. Caesar: politician and
statesman. Translated by Peter Needham.
____ 4. Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives of Themistocles, Pericles,
Aristides, Alcibiades, and Coriolanus, Demosthenes, and
Cicero, Caesar and Antony in the translation called Dryden's /
corrected and revised by Arthur Hugh Clough, with
introductions, and notes.
____ 5. William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar.
____ 6. Cicero, Marcus Tullius. Letters of Marcus Tullius Cicero :
with his treatises on friendship and old age / translated by E.S.
Shuckburg.
____ 7. Gruen, Erich S. The Roman Republic.
____ 8. The Oxford illustrated history of the Roman world, edited by
John Boardman, Jasper Griffin, Oswyn Murray.
____ 9. Rome, edited by William G. Sinnigen (volume 3 of Sources
in Western Civilization).
____ 10. Colleen McCullough (author of The Thorn Birds), Fortune’s
Favorite (historical novel).
After each source, give your rating:
****
=Best
***
=Acceptable
**
=Marginally acceptable
*
=Unacceptable