Celtic invasion of Greece

Between the 5th and 4th centuries BC, Celtic tribes moved into southern Europe on a large scale, intent on grabbing land and wealth to feed their expanding population. As these tribes began to cross the Alps, they came into conflict with the Romans and Greeks who lived around the Mediterranean. The death of Alexander the Great (356 BCE - 323 BCE) made Greece appear to be the target of many opportunistic Celtic chieftains, who brought their people into the Balkans, first to Thrace and Illyria, and then Then push towards Macedonia.

In the Balkans, these tribes successfully conquered several Greek, Illyrian and Thracian armies and carved out territory in a short time. A confederation of Celtic tribes, led by a king named Brennus, attempted to invade Greece. Brennus's army was finally defeated and dispersed by the Greeks at Delphi in 279 BC. After that, the Celtic tribes who entered the Balkan Peninsula suffered repeated defeats and battles, and many people fled to Asia Minor. The Celtic expeditions to Greece ultimately ended with the destruction of the Celts, but they had a lasting impact on Mediterranean politics and led to the founding of the Celtic Kingdom of Galatia in Anatolia of high ground.

Early interactions between Celts and Greeks

Early Greek descriptions of the Celts were somewhat neutral and curious, paying little attention to the people who lived at the northern end of the Greek world. Strange people. The Greeks were eager colonizers, and by the 7th century BC Greek communities had sprung up in Asia Minor, North Africa, and Western Europe.

The earliest surviving Celts were from Hecataeus of Miletus, who described a Celtic village north of Massalia.

Masalia (which eventually became the city of Marseille) was one such colony, founded around 600 BC. Situated on the northwest coast of the Mediterranean, it was one of the earliest points of contact between the Celts and Greeks. The earliest surviving Celts were from Hecateus of Miletus, who described a Celtic village north of Massalia. Archaeological evidence suggests extensive trade between the Greeks of Massalia and nearby Celtic settlements, particularly a large fortified village near modern Vix.

The Celtic elite traded wine, drinking vessels, and other status symbols with merchants from Greece and Etruria. These exotic luxuries allowed Celtic leaders to demonstrate their status and generosity through lavish banquets and gift-giving. In this way, trade networks between the Mediterranean and Central Europe helped to support social hierarchies.

Scarcity and Migration in Ancient Europe

Ancient writers unanimously describe the unrest that plagued Western and Central Europe in the late 4th and early 3rd centuries BC. Overpopulation and resource scarcity are thought to be responsible for this deprivation, and archaeological evidence suggests that Europe's population began to surge at this time. The lack of resources may have prompted some war leaders to begin raiding farther and farther away from places where food and wealth were more abundant.

Barry Cunliffe believes that the first wave of Celtic migrations began in this way, with increasingly intense long-distance raids in the 6th century BC. Eventually, these long-distance raids turned into attempts at settlement as these migrating tribes established new villages. These groups were not just warriors; they were accompanied by equal numbers of women, children, and elderly people. These men represented a serious effort at settlement rather than a simple invading force.

Yes, one day in the future you will have before us a common struggle, when the Titans of the future will rise up against the swords of the [Greek] barbarians and the Celts of war, rushing like snowflakes from the farthest west, as numerous as the stars when they are most densely gathered in the sky; the fortresses (and the villages of Loria and the heights of Delphi) and the plains of Chrysa and ( The valleys of the continent) are also crowded with people, who will see the smoke of their burning neighbours, and no longer just hearsay; but already the ranks of the enemy are seen beside the temple, and already beside my tripod there are swords, Cruel belts and hateful shields, they will bring an evil journey to the foolish tribe of Galatians. (Callim., Hymns, 4.171-185)

Most of these immigrant tribes moved to the south and east, where they found a more favorable climate and greater wealth. Greco-Roman writers described the Celts' desire to travel south because of the luxury goods that could be found around the Mediterranean. The goods mentioned by these authors (grapes, figs, wine, olives) were all highly sought after in Europe and imported in large quantities by Celtic settlements.

Greek and Roman accounts of these conflicts are some of the earliest surviving written records of the Celts, as the Celts themselves left no written history. The violent nature of these early interactions helped shape the classical idea of ??the Celts as a warlike, barbaric people.

Early Celts Migrated to Southern Europe

The Roman historian Livy (59 BC - AD 17) claimed that Celtic tribes from Gaul in AD Settling south of the Alps began in 600 BC.

The earliest excursions into Italy were most likely carried out by smaller groups, and this quickly evolved into a mass exodus of Gallic tribes southwards during the 5th and 4th centuries BC.

Around 400 BC, a group of Celts settled in Sisarpi Gaul, and from there they raided Italian cities, terrorizing their new neighbors. The situation in Italy came to a head in 390 BC, when a Celtic leader named Brennus defeated the Roman army at the Allia River and then went on to sack Rome. This dramatic event burned a hole in the collective memory of the Roman people and led to an escalation of conflict between the Celts and Romans. After this event, the Gauls continued their raids into Italy, even on the heel of the Italian boot as far south as Apulia. However, Rome defeated the tribes living along the Adriatic coast in a series of battles between 285-282 BC and firmly established itself as dominant in the region.

Many Celtic warriors who immigrated to the Mediterranean found new niches as mercenaries.

Around the 4th century BC, Celtic groups moved east to the mid-Danube River and established settlements in modern Romania and Hungary. The increasing aggression of the Roman Empire put new pressure on the Celtic tribes living around the Adriatic Sea, which may have been a driving factor in a new wave of immigration from the Balkans. Celtic tribes began invading Illyria, but during the reigns of Philip II (383 BC - 336 BC) and Alexander the Great (356 BC - 323 BC), the area came under Macedonian hegemony - Thrace, Greece, and Macedonia—largely avoided.

Many Celtic warriors who immigrated to the Mediterranean found new niches as mercenaries. By 385 BC, the Greek tyrant Dionysius I of Syracuse began recruiting Celtic and Iberian mercenaries for use in Greece and Italy. Some of them were sent by Dionysius I to assist the Spartans (Lacedaemonians) against the Thebans, where they won honors.

From Sicily, two thousand Celts and Iberians sailed to Corinth, for they had been sent by the tyrant Dionysius to make an alliance with the Lacedaemonians, and obtained five monthly remuneration. To test them, the Greeks took them out. They proved their worth in hand-to-hand combat and battles, and many Boeotians and their allies were slain by them. Thus they gained a reputation for their remarkable dexterity and courage, and for their various services they rendered, were rewarded by the Lacedaemonians, and sent back to their native Sicily at the end of the summer. (Diod. Sic., 15.70)

Celt expansion after Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great's sudden death in 323 BC left his vast empire without a clear A series of wars took place between the leaders, Alexander's successors. Realizing that the Greeks were particularly vulnerable, several Celtic chieftains took the opportunity to launch invasions of the Balkans and the Mediterranean.

Encouraged by their success, they went their separate ways, some to Greece, some to Macedonia, razing everything before them to the ground with their swords. Indeed, the name of the Gauls was so terrible that the king, before being attacked, purchased peace from them with large sums of money. (Justin, 24.4.6-7)

The Celtic tribes moved into Thrace and Illyria, defeated the local tribes, and then pushed further south. In 280 B.C., a large confederacy of approximately 85,000 Celts traveled to Macedonia and Greece. This number includes women and children, as they were also tribal groups rather than organized armies.

A Celtic leader named Borgios was sent to Macedonia with the remaining army. In 279 BC, Borgios plundered the Macedonian countryside and fought against the forces of Ptolemy Kyelaunus (r. 281-279 BC), who had just seized the Macedonian throne. Ptolemy Celaunus died in battle, and the Celts took his head on a spear as a bloody trophy. This started about two years of no rule as there was no strong force in the Balkans and the Celts were on the path to war.

Another Battle of Thermopylae

The conquests of Philip II and Alexander the Great, and the subsequent Diadochi Wars, left Greece so weak that when the Celts Nothing seemed to be able to stop their king Brennus (apparently the same name as the man who sacked Rome in 390 BC) when he entered Greece in 279 BC. Greek city-states and kingdoms were depleted by years of war, and many were unwilling to take up arms to defend the rest of Greece.

The name "Gaul" became popular very late. for in ancient times they were called Celts by themselves and others. An army of them gathered and turned towards the Ionian Sea, deprived the Illyrians of their possessions, all those who lived in Macedonia with the Macedonians, and captured Thessaly.

And when they approached Thermopylae, the Greeks generally did nothing to prevent the barbarian invasion, as they had previously been severely defeated by Alexander and Philip. Moreover, Antipater and Cassander later crushed the Greeks, so that every nation was ashamed of itself for being weak and not taking part in its defense. (Pause. 1.4.1)

Pausanias (c. 110 - c. 180 CE) recounts in his Description of Greece that when they entered Greece, the Athenians stepped up to lead a coalition of Greeks against Caesar. Celtic people. The Greeks decided to meet them at the narrow pass of Thermopylae, where a coalition of Greeks had fought against the Persians in 480 BC. There, Celtic's numerical advantage was almost nonexistent.

Realizing that he could not defeat the Greek forces present, the Celtic king Brennus sent 40,000 warriors into Aetolia to plunder the cities there. The Aetolian city of Callium was destroyed and its citizens brutally massacred. As soon as the Aetolians heard of this, they deserted their comrades to defend their homeland. The Celts were driven out; only half of them survived to return to Brennus.

The distraction of the Aetolians meant that the Greek army was greatly weakened, and Brennus was able to find an alternative route into Greece, bypassing Thermopylae. After bypassing the Greek army at Thermopylae, Brennus led his troops to Delphi, the holy city of Apollo.

It may be sufficient that Greek records claim that Brennus was attracted to Delphi by news of extravagant treasures hidden in the temples there. This time the Greeks were lucky, as earthquakes and thunderstorms made it difficult for the Celtics to lay siege. The Delphians were soon joined by their allies in Greece, and together they defeated the Celts at Delphi. Brennus was seriously injured in the ensuing struggle and later committed suicide due to the shame of defeat.

Expelling the Celts from Greece

After the disastrous defeat at Brennus, the Celts, now leaderless, were in no condition to fight. The wounded or slowed were left behind by their fleeing comrades, who were hunted down and captured by the Greeks, unable to plunder supplies from the countryside.

The remaining Celtic tribes that entered Greece were forced to flee eastward to Asia Minor. The exodus of the Celts in Anatolia led to their settlement in a place called Galatia, derived from the Greek term for Celts, Galatae. Galatia was undoubtedly the most enduring and noteworthy community to form within the Celtic diaspora, and the Galatians developed a thriving culture of their own that existed alongside their Greek and Near Eastern neighbors.

At the Battle of Lysimachia in 277 BC, Antigonus II Gonatas (c. 319-239 BC) ambushed and massacred 18,000 Celes marching from Thrace towards Greece. Special person. This decisive victory secured his right to rule Macedonia and established his reputation as a capable ruler. Surprisingly, Antigonus II himself was the first Greek monarch to rely on Celtic mercenaries. When Pyrrhus of Epirus (c. 319-272 BC) invaded Macedonia in 274 BC, they formed an important part of his army.

These events were a total disaster for the Celtic tribes that invaded the Balkans, and the Celts failed to establish any significant communities in Greece or Macedonia. Although the alliance of Celtic tribes collapsed after these defeats, Celts continued to appear as mercenaries in the armies of the Hellenistic kingdoms formed from the ruins of Alexander's empire. Some of these mercenaries came from the remnants of tribes that invaded the Mediterranean, but others continued to come from further north in central and western Europe.

The performance of the Celtic armies in battles against the Greeks earned them a grudging respect. The image of the stoic, glorious and simplistic Celtic hero, the "noble savage" archetype, became a popular theme in Greek art. In many ways, the Celts filled the role left by the Persians and were portrayed as the new enemies of Greek civilization.