12-08-2006, 07:28 AM
Quote:A (very) short history of the Galatians.
The Galatians were from three tribes: the Tectosages, the Trocmi and the Tolistobogii.
No one really knows precisely where they came from but there are indications that the Tectosages --it could mean "the land seekers"-- were part of the Volsques nation, that dwelled in South West France, around Toulouse.
The other branch of the Volsques was the Volsques Arecomici.
The Tolistobogii may also have come from France, but South East France, since it seems they had some sort of relations with the Greeks of Massilia (today Marseille).
The Trocmi are quite mysterious but they may have joined in when the Tectosages the Tolistbogii and probably others passed through the Danube area.
In the IIIrd century BC a huge Gallic warband, including these three tribes moved east under the direction of one "Brennus" (Brenn).
This may have been a title like "general" , rather than the man's name. This Brennus is known as the second Brennus, to differentiate him from the first Brennus, the "Vae Victis" one.
They went about their merry little way plundering a good part of Greece.
They were eventually chased away from Greece, apparently with the help on an earthquake. The Brenn died of wounds, the tribes split and some settled in Thrace, some others went off to plunder Macedonia.
Eventually the Tectosages, Tolistobocii and Trocmi were hired as mercenaries by king Nicomedes 1st of Bythinia who had some family troubles with his brother.
They settled in Central Anatolia and from then on they made a living as mercenaries, brigands and wholesale pillagers until king Attalus of Pergamon put a stop to it and forced them to remain into their settled area.
They still remained however the best mercenaries an usurper --or legitimate ruler-- could find. Much like the Swiss in the Renaissance.
In Galatia they kept their Gallic customs and system of governement and St Jerôme noted as late as the IVth century CE that the Galatians spoke the same language as the Treveri of Trier, in Germany.
If you want to read some good ancient writing on this, check out Pausanias' fairly brief account of the Galatian invasion of Greece:
http://www.livius.org/di-dn/diadochi/diadochi_t11.html
However, I must object to your statement that the Galatians "kept their Gallic customs." There is some evidence (and more seems to appear all the time), that the Gauls in Galatia changed their customs, costume etc. quite a bit from their European kin.
Ruben
He had with him the selfsame rifle you see with him now, all mounted in german silver and the name that he\'d give it set with silver wire under the checkpiece in latin: Et In Arcadia Ego. Common enough for a man to name his gun. His is the first and only ever I seen with an inscription from the classics. - Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian
He had with him the selfsame rifle you see with him now, all mounted in german silver and the name that he\'d give it set with silver wire under the checkpiece in latin: Et In Arcadia Ego. Common enough for a man to name his gun. His is the first and only ever I seen with an inscription from the classics. - Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian
