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Gaul
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{{History_of_France}}
Image:Map Gallia Tribes Towns.png left|thumb|244px|Map of Gaul circa 58 BC
'''Gaul''' (Latin '''Gallia''',
Greek language 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
Celt 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 northern Italy, as the
Lepontii who had settled on the southern slopes of the
Italy Italian Alps, in
Raetia.
Gauls under
Brennus Battle of the Allia (390 BC) sacked Rome circa
390 BC. In the
Aegean_civilization 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 of Bithynia 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
In English usage the words Gaul and Gaulish are used synonymously with Latin ''Gallia'', ''Gallus'' and ''Gallicus''. However, the similarity of the names is probably accidental: The English words are borrowed from French ''Gaule'' and ''Gaulois'', which appear to have been borrowed themselves from Germanic *''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.
Another theory suggests that the name came from Greek. Greeks living in
Massalia came in contact with Celtic tribes quite early on (prior to 500 BC), and named them from the fact that their skin was white 'as milk' compared to that of Mediterranean peoples. Milk in the greek languge is 'γάλα', 'gala' and so could have given the people the well known name.
Gaulish tribes
Image:Dying gaul.jpg right|thumb|250px|The ''[[Dying Gaul'', 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,
List of peoples of Gaul 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 [our] 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
See also
*
Ambiorix
*
Gallo-Roman culture
*
Gaulish language
*
List of peoples of Gaul
*
Vercingetorix
*
Cisalpine Gaul
*
Transalpine Gaul
{{Classical antiquity}}
Category:Ancient Gauls
Category:Ancient Roman enemies and allies
Category:Ancient Roman provinces
Category:Roman Gaul
bg:ГалиÑ?
cs:Galie
da:Gallien
de:Gallien
et:Gallia
es:Galia
eo:GaÅloj
eu:Galia
fr:Gaule
hu:Gallia
ko:갈리아
it:Gallia
he:×’×?ליה
la:Gallia
lt:Galija
nl:Gallië
nds:Gallien
hu:Gallia
ja:ガリア
no:Gallia
pl:Galia
ro:Galia
ru:ГаллиÑ?
fi:Gallia
sv:Gallien
wa:GÃ¥le
zh:高�
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