What Does “Veni, Vidi, Vici” Mean?
“Veni, vidi, vici” is Latin for “I came, I saw, I conquered.” Julius Caesar used the phrase in 47 BC after he defeated Pharnaces II, son of Mithridates VI of Pontus, at the battle of Zela in northern Asia Minor, a campaign over within days and a battle over in a few hours. Plutarch says Caesar wrote the three words in a letter to a friend in Rome named Amantius; Suetonius says they were displayed on a placard in Caesar’s triumph for the Pontic war. The phrase now means a quick and complete success.
The battle of Zela
In 47 BC Caesar was in the East after the Alexandrian war. Pharnaces II, son of the great Mithridates VI of Pontus, had taken advantage of the Roman civil war to seize territory in Asia Minor and had defeated a Roman army under Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus. Caesar marched against him with a small force and met him near the town of Zela (modern Zile, in Turkey) in August 47 BC. Pharnaces attacked uphill against Caesar’s camp and was routed; his army was destroyed and he fled.
Where the words come from
Two ancient biographers record the phrase. Plutarch, in his Life of Caesar (50), says Caesar announced the speed of the battle to Rome by writing three words to a friend named Amantius, and remarks that in Latin the matching endings give them a force that is lost in translation. Suetonius, in his Life of the Deified Julius (37), says that in the triumph for the Pontic war Caesar displayed a placard carrying the three words, to mark how quickly the war had been finished rather than to show off what had been done.
The power of the line is in its sound: three two-syllable verbs in the first person, all beginning with v and ending in i.
What most scholars accept, and what stays contested
- Accepted: The phrase means “I came, I saw, I conquered”; it refers to Caesar’s victory over Pharnaces II at Zela in 47 BC; Plutarch (Caesar 50) and Suetonius (Julius 37) both record it.
- Mainstream: Caesar used it both in a letter and as a slogan in his triumph to advertise the speed of the campaign.
- Contested: Whether the letter to Amantius is a historical detail or a later anecdote; the exact date of the battle within August 47 BC.
Frequently asked questions
Who said “veni, vidi, vici”?
Julius Caesar, in 47 BC, after his victory at Zela.
How do you pronounce “veni, vidi, vici”?
In classical Latin, WAY-nee, WEE-dee, WEE-kee. In church Latin and common English use, VAY-nee, VEE-dee, VEE-chee.
Who did Caesar defeat at Zela?
Pharnaces II, king of the Cimmerian Bosporus and son of Mithridates VI of Pontus.
Where is the phrase recorded?
In Plutarch’s Life of Caesar (chapter 50) and Suetonius’ Life of the Deified Julius (chapter 37).
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Sources and further reading
- Plutarch, Life of Caesar 50 (Scriptorium Press translation)
- Suetonius, Life of the Deified Julius 37
- Adrian Goldsworthy, Caesar: Life of a Colossus (Yale University Press, 2006)
- Wikipedia, “Veni, vidi, vici” (checked 15 October 2026)