Veni, vidi, vici: what does Julius Caesar's phrase mean

«Veni, vidi, vici», literally «I came, I saw, I conquered», are the three words with which Gaius Julius Caesar announced to Rome his victory over Pharnaces II of Pontus at Zela, in 47 BC. Ever since, they have been the most famous way of describing a success achieved swiftly and without hesitation.

On this page we look at what it really means, where and why Caesar said it, and how it has come down to us. At the heart of the story is the portrait of Caesar with his phrase: the one we chose to print, so you can have before your eyes every day the man who won before the enemy was even ready.

What «Veni, vidi, vici» means

They are three Latin verbs in the perfect tense, in the first person: veni, «I came», vidi, «I saw», vici, «I conquered». No adjectives, no details: the victory is so quick that there is nothing more to add. The matching sound of the three words, each of two syllables and each with the same initial, makes them easy to remember.

That is why the phrase has become proverbial: it is still used today for a goal reached with surprising speed.

The battle of Zela against Pharnaces II of Pontus (47 BC)

Pharnaces II, son of Mithridates VI, had taken advantage of the civil war between Caesar and Pompey to win back his father's lands in Asia Minor, and had defeated Caesar's legate, Domitius Calvinus. With the Egyptian campaign over, Caesar marched up towards Pontus: according to Plutarch, with three legions.

The clash took place near Zela, today's Zile in Turkey, in August 47 BC. Pharnaces' army attacked uphill, Caesar overwhelmed it and within a few hours the war was over.

The letter to Amantius and the placard of the triumph

Plutarch, in his Life of Caesar (50), relates that Caesar announced the swiftness of this battle by writing just three words to a friend in Rome, Amantius: «Veni, vidi, vici». In Latin, Plutarch observes, the identical ending of the three words gives the phrase a striking brevity.

The following year, in 46 BC, Caesar celebrated his triumph over Pontus in Rome. Suetonius (Life of Caesar, 37) writes that a placard was carried in the procession bearing only the words «Veni, vidi, vici»: it did not list his deeds, as was customary, but the speed with which they had been accomplished. It was Caesar himself who turned his victory into a slogan.

The portrait of Julius Caesar with the phrase «Veni, vidi, vici»

This is the portrait of the phrase. The bust of Caesar, with the resolute gaze of a general who has just won, and beneath it the inscription he himself chose to carry in triumph through the streets of Rome: «Giulio Cesare. Veni, vidi, vici».

It is an image that speaks of speed, decisiveness and command. That is why it works where people work and make decisions: in a study, in an office, above the desk of someone who runs a business and wants to be reminded every day that time is a weapon.

We printed it on very fine painter's canvas and mounted it in a handmade beech wood frame: up close it has the texture and depth of a painting, from afar the strength of a poster. It measures 60 x 40 cm and is ready to hang.

Why it is not a poster

A portrait like this can be printed on any sheet of paper. We chose the materials of a painting.

«Veni, vidi, vici» after Caesar

The phrase has outlived its author. In 1683, after freeing Vienna from the Ottoman siege, King John III Sobieski of Poland took it up again, changing its ending: «Venimus, vidimus, Deus vicit», «We came, we saw, God conquered».

As recently as 2011, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton paraphrased it in front of the cameras on hearing the news of Gaddafi's death: «We came, we saw, he died». Two thousand years later, three words of Caesar's are still enough to express a victory. That is why we placed them beneath his face, in the portrait of Julius Caesar with the phrase «Veni, vidi, vici».

Where to hang it, and who to give it to

In a study or a library, next to the history books. In the office of someone who runs a business and likes to decide quickly. In an entrance or a hallway, where passers-by read the phrase and smile. And as a gift, for someone who loves ancient Rome, for a milestone reached, a graduation, a promotion or the opening of a business: there is no clearer good wish than «Veni, vidi, vici».

Frequently asked questions