Gauls

Gaul ( Latin '''Gallia''', Greek ''' Galatia ''') was the region of Western Europe occupied by present day northern Italy , France , Belgium , western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river.

In English the word ''Gaul'' also refers to a Celtic inhabitant of that region in ancient times, but the Gauls were widespread in Europe by Roman times, speaking the Gaulish Language . Besides the Gauls, there were other peoples living in the territory of modern day Northern Italy , as the Lepontii who had settled on the southern slopes of the Italian Alps , in Raetia .

Gauls under Brennus Sacked Rome circa 390 BC . In the Aegean world, a huge migration of Eastern Gauls appeared in Thrace , north of Greece , in 281 BC . Another Gaulish chieftain named Brennus , at the head of a large army, was only turned back from desecrating the Temple Of Apollo at Delphi at the last minute, alarmed, it was said, by portents of thunder and lightning. At the same time a migrating band of Celts, some 10,000 fighting men, with their women and children and Slaves , were moving through Thrace. Three tribes of Gauls crossed over from Thrace to Asia Minor at express invitation of Nicomedes I , king of Bithynia , who required help in a dynastic struggle against his brother. Eventually they settled down in eastern Phrygia and Cappadocia in central Anatolia , a region henceforth known as '' Galatia .''

NAME

''walha-'', the usual word for the non-Germanic people (Celts and Romans indiscriminately), cf. Wales , Cornwall , Walloons and Vlachs . Germanic ''w'' is regularly rendered with French ''gu'' / ''g'' (cf. ''guerre'' = ''war'', ''garde'' = ''ward''), and the diphthong ''au'' is the regular outcome of ''al'' before a following consonant (cf. ''cheval'' ~ ''chevaux''). ''Gaulle'' can hardly be derived from Latin ''Gallia'', since ''g'' would become ''j'' before ''a'' (cf. ''gamba'' > ''jambe''), and the diphthong ''au'' would be incomprehensible. Cf. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology'' (OUP 1966), p. 391; ''Nouveau dictionnaire étymologique et historique'' (Larousse 1990), p. 336.

Massalia

PRE-ROMAN GAUL

The early history of the Gauls is predominantly a work in archeology, there being little written information (save perhaps what can be gleaned from coins) concerning the Gauls. During the seventh century B.C. a people known as the Celts began migrating into the region known to the Romans as Gaul. The earliest origins of these people is probably the Danube Valley, although this issue is contested. It seems as if they inherited many of their skills (like metal-working) from the Greeks, as well as certain facets of their culture.

The Gauls that Caesar encountered during his campaigns were not neolithic barbarians, however (as the vast wealth accumulated by Caesar during the Gallic Wars can attest). Rather, the Gauls in the last century before Christ ought to be regarded as "half-civilized." As the excavations of the Aeduan "oppidum" of Bibracte reveals, the Gauls were a wealthy people, well acquainted with the use of gold, as well as silver and bronze coinage. Furthermore, coins from Gaul have been found in Britain and vice versa, supporting Caesar's claim that trade existed between the two "nations."

Religiously, the Gauls were relatively undeveloped. Most practiced a form of animism, ascribing human characteristics to lakes, streams, mountains, etc. and granting them a quasi-deific status. Also, worship of animals was not uncommon; the animal most sacred to the Gauls was the boar, which can be found on many Gallic military stadards, much like the Roman eagle.

Their system of gods and godesses was loose, there being certian dieties which virtually every Gallic person worshiped, as well as tribal and household gods. Many of the major gods were related to Greek gods; the primary one worshiped at the arrival of Caesar was Teutates, the Gallic equivalent of Mercury . The "father god" in Gallic worship was "Dis Pater," who could be assigned Roman name " Saturn ." However, there was no real theology, just an "ever-expanding, ever-shifting, formless chaos" of modes of worship.

Perhaps the most intriguing facet of Gallic religion is the Druids . There is no certainty concerning their origin, but it is clear that they vehemently guarded the secrets of their order and held sway over the people of Gaul. Indeed, they claimed the right to determine questions of war and peace, and thereby held an "international" status. In addition, the Druids monitored the religion of ordinary Gauls and were in charge of educating the aristocracy. They also practiced a form of excommunication from the assembly of worshippers, which in ancient Gaul also meant a separation from secular society as well. Thus, the Druids were an important part of Gallic society.

The Druids were not the only political force in Gaul, however, and the early political system was complex, if ultimately fatal. The fundamental unit of Gallic politics was the tribe, which itself consisted of one or more of what Caesar called "pagi." Each tribe had a council of elders, and (initially) a king. Later, the executive was an annually-elected magistrate. Among the Aedui (a tribe of Gaul) the executive held the title of "Vergobret," a position much like a king, but its powers were held in check by rules laid down by the council.

Although the tribes were moderately stable political entities, Gaul as a whole was fissiparous, there being virtually no unity between the various tribes. Only during particularly trying times (i.e. the invasion of Caesar) could the Gauls unite under a single leader (e.g. Vercingetorix). Even then, however, the faction lines were clear.

GAULISH TRIBES

'', an ancient Roman marble copy of a lost ancient Greek statue, thought to have been executed in bronze, that was commissioned some time between 230 BC-220 BC by Attalos I of Pergamon to honor his victory over the Galatians.]]
Caesar divided the people of Gaul into three broad groups: the ''Aquitani''; ''Galli'' (who in their own language were called ''Celtae''); and ''Belgae''.
In the modern sense, Gaulish Tribes are defined linguistically, as speakers of dialects of the Gaulish language. While the Aquitani were probably Vascons , the Belgae would thus probably be counted among the Gaulish tribes.

Julius Caesar 's comments on these people from his book, '' Commentarii De Bello Gallico '', are worth quoting;

"All Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani another, those who in their own language are called Celts, in our Gauls, the third.

All these differ from each other in language, customs and laws.

The river Garonne separates the Gauls from the Aquitani; the Marne and the Seine separate them from the Belgae.

Of all these, the Belgae are the bravest, because they are furthest from the civilization and refinement of {Link without Title} Province, and merchants least frequently resort to them, and import those things which tend to effeminate the mind; and they are the nearest to the Germans, who dwell beyond the Rhine, with whom they are continually waging war; for which reason the Helvetii also surpass the rest of the Gauls in valor, as they contend with the Germans in almost daily battles, when they either repel them from their own territories, or themselves wage war on their frontiers. One part of these, which it has been said that the Gauls occupy, takes its beginning at the river Rhone; it is bounded by the river Garonne, the ocean, and the territories of the Belgae; it borders, too, on the side of the Sequani and the Helvetii, upon the river Rhine, and stretches toward the north.

The Belgae rises from the extreme frontier of Gaul, extend to the lower part of the river Rhine; and look toward the north and the rising sun.

Aquitania extends from the river Garonne to the Pyrenaean mountains and to that part of the ocean which is near Spain: it looks between the setting of the sun, and the north star." 1

SOURCE FOR THE GALLIC WARS

http://classics.mit.edu/Caesar/gallic.html

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Gauls