Gaius Oppius was an intimate friend of Julius Caesar. He managed the dictator's private affairs during his absence from Rome, and, together with Lucius Cornelius Balbus, exercised considerable influence in the city. According to Suetonius (Caesar, 56), many authorities considered Oppius to have written the histories of the Spanish, African and Alexandrian wars which are printed among the works of Caesar. It is now generally held that he may possibly be the author of the last (although the claims of Hirtius are considered stronger), but certainly not of the two first, although Niebuhr confidently assigned the Bellum Africanum to him; the writer of these took an actual part in the wars they described, whereas Oppius was in Rome at the time. He also wrote a life of Caesar and the elder Scipio. Gaius Julius Caesar (Latin: IMP·C·IVLIVS·CAESAR·DIVVS¹) (July 13, 100 BC – March 15, 44 BC) was a Roman military and political leader. ... Lucius Cornelius Balbus (called Major to distinguish him from his nephew) was born early in the last century BC. He is generally considered to have been of Phoenician origin. ... Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (75-160), commonly known simply as Suetonius, was a Roman writer. ... Aulus Hirtius (c. ... Barthold Georg Niebuhr. ... Scipio (plural, Scipiones) is a Roman cognomen used by a branch of the Cornelii family. ...

For a discussion of the whole question, see M. Schanz, Geschichte der rmischen Literatur, 1jt. i. p. 210 (2nd ed., I898); Teuffel-Schwabe, History of Roman Literature (Eng. trans.), 197; see also Cicero, Letters, ed. Tyrrell and Purser, iv. introd. p. 69.

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