Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 2.djvu/212

 GALLU TBANS. people smith of the Seme are etiU of CelUc stock. The Frauksi who were a small tribe, proliably had less eflfect on the Celtic population except in the nortli than the Italians who, daring the Roman do- minion, settled in all parts of Gallia in a peaceable way. Whatever may be the exact truth within the limits of these probabilities, the Celtic rsce^ as now modified, is superior to the Cumri and to the German in some respects; superior certainly in the striking talents of distinguished individuals, inferior probably in the solid qualities that fit the bulk of a nation fur daily life. The physical type of the Gallic race and its va^ nous branches, may be better fixed now than by the doubtful evidence of the ancient authorities; for the nice exists and may be examined, and the ancient authorities are vague. To enter on such an investiga- tion without prejudice, a man must get a firm con- viction, which may be got, that, though nineteen centuries have now passed since Caestar subdued the Galli, the population in a laige part of the country is still essentially what it was then. The Romans and the Greeks describe the Galli as big men, and as having a white skin, blue eyes, and light-coloured •hair, which they even reddened by artificial means. (Diod. V. 28 ; Plin. H. N. xvUi. 12.) Their de- sperate courage, warlike character, fickle temper, and great ingenuity are also recorded. If a man will read attentively their history two thousand years ago, be will find the good and the bad, the weak and the strong, part of the Gallic character y&ry much the same that it is now. All the ante-historical history of the Gallic race, which some writers amuse themselves with pro- ducing, must be rejected as fiction. Nothing is certain except that the Gallic race has been widely diflTosed over Europe, but on what soil it first dis- pUyed its restless activity and versatile talent we do not know. The Galli have been in various parts of Spain, .in Italy, ]irobably, as far at least as the central parts, and east of the Rliine to a Umit that we cannot fix. Within the hisUuical period they have crossed the disputed boundaiy of the Rhine into Germany, and the Germans have crossed into Gallia; and even in our times the -French have, by their warlike talents, reduced Germany to a temporary subjection. But in the long contest the slow and heavy German has had the advantage over his more lively neighbour, and his race occupies extensive tracts OD the west side of the Rhine, and he made good his footing there in some parts even before Caesar's time. The historical period of Gallia commences with the settlement of Massilia or Massalia, as the Greeks called it, by the Phocaeans of Asia Minor (about B. c. 600), on the south coast of Gallia east of the Rhone, in a country occupied by Ligures. Few set- tlements on a barbarous coast have had a longer or more brilliant history than this ancient city, which still subsists, though it does not occupy exactly the same ground. The Greeks brought with them the cultivation of the vine, tlH>ugh the vine is a na- tive of Gallia, and they taught the Galli the use of letters. The origin of Gallic civilisation is probably purely Greek. The history of this town and its settlements requires a separate article. [Masbalia.] In the article Galatia the history of a Gallic invasion of Delphi and of Asia Minor is briefly told; and the fact of the Galli being in the country north of the Julian and Camic Alps, in the basin of tiie Danube, has been stated. U seems that this GALLIA TRAN& 953 people must have been also on the east side of the ffulf of Venice^ either mingled with lUyrians, whoever they may be, or among them as a separate race. For Pyrrtius, the adventurous king of Epirus, after his unlucky knight-errantry in Italy, took a body of Galli into his pay, who pubably came from the country north of Epims. Pyrrhus was a cap- tain quite to the taste of the Galli. He led them into Macedonia against Antigonus Gonatas, who had a Gallic army too. Pyrrhus defeated Antigonus, wliose Galli, as usual, made a desperate resistance. Having got possession of Aegae, he left a garrison of Galli there, who, as the biographer says, being a nation most greedy of money, plundered the royal sepulchres of the precious metals that they contained, and kicked about the bones of kings. (Pans. i. 1 1 —13; Plut Pyrrkue, c. 26.) His Gulli followed Pyrrhus into the Peloponnesus, and were with him at ArgoB, where he was killed (b. o. 273). We know not if any of them returned. The Carthaginians, who had settlements on the Spanish coast, and in Sardinia and Sicily, and com- posed their armies of mercenaries, four.d employment ibr some Galli in the First Punic War. These men served them in Sicily; but they were turbulent and dangerous auxiliaries. When the Romans were be- sieging Eryx, in the west part of Sicily, during this war, tibe Carthaginians hail some Galli in garrison there, who, after (ailing in an attempt to be&ay the place and their comrades, went over to the Romans. The Romans afterwards entrusted them with the place, and they pillaged the temple. When the First Punic War was over, the Romans, disgusted with these fellows, put them in vessels, after di»arm« ing them, and got them out of Italy. The Epirotae received them, and sufiered for their folly in trusting men who could not be trusted. (Polyb. ii. 7.) After the close of the Fint Punic War the Carthaginians had a dreadful struggle with their own mercenary troops, — Iberians, Ligurians, Galli, and a race of mongrel Greeks. A Gallic chief, Autaritus, made a great fignra in this war; for though he had only 2000 men, the remainder of his troops having gone over to the Romans during the siege of Eryx (Polyb. i. 77, 80), he had great inflaence with the rebels from being able to speak the Punic language, which the long service of these men in the Carthaginian armies had made the common language. The mer- cenaries were finally destroyed, after a war of three yeara and four months; a war distinguished above all othere, says Polybius, for the cruelty with which it was conducted, and the disregard of all morality. The histoiy of the Galli m Italia is pkieed under Gallia Cisalpisa. The Romans had carried their arms into Africa, MacedoniSy Greece, and Asia, before they got a firm footing in Transalpine Gallia. In b. c. 154 the Massaliots came to ask thdr assistance against the Ligurian Oxybii and Deceates, who were besi^ing the Greek settlements of Antipdis {Aniibes) and Nicaea (A'usa). The senate sent three commission- ere, who hknded at Aegitna, a town of the Oxybii, near Antipolis. The people of Aegitna were not willing to receive the liomans; and, a quarrel ensuing, two Roman shives were killed, and FLaminius, one of the commissioners, escaped with difficulty. The consul Q. Opimius was sent with a force against the Ligurians. He marehed from Placentia, across the Apennines, took Aegitna, made slaves ef the people, and sent those who were the prime movere in the attack en FlaminiiM in diains to Rome. Opimius,