n 366 BC the metropolitan Greeks watched the Gauls in combat for the first time, and they were certainly impressed. It was then that Dionysius of Syracuse, who had many Celtiberian and Padanian Gallic mercenaries in his service, sent 2,000 of them to aid his overseas ally, Sparta. Thucydides describes the flexible tactics used by the Celtic horsemen against their Greek opponents. Theopompos of Chios mentions the conflicts between the Galatians (Gauls, in the Greek lang.) and the Illyrian tribes in an area located in the vicinity of the river Naro of Dalmatia. During the Archaic Period, the Glasinac culture flourished in modern Bosnia; a culture that later became the powerful tribal union of the Autariatae Illyrians. In 359 BC Bardylis, probably the king of the Autariatae, and his forces defeated the Macedonian army killing the king Perdiccas and 4,000 of his men, paving the way for Philip II to the Macedonian throne. Next year, Philip II avenged by crashing the Autariatae and killing 7,000 of them. However the worst for the Autariatae was the beginning of their war with the Danubian Gauls. In 335 BC, Alexander the Great marched up to the Danube River, in order to secure the subjugation of the tribes of the Balkan Peninsula and thereby the security of Greece, when he would be marching in Asia. Following his victory in the region, several tribes sent embassies to earn his friendship and alliance, among them the Gauls of Pannonia and Northern Illyria. Arrian recounts the episode of the meeting of the Galatian envoys with Alexander. He describes the first as people with a striking look and high stature. When the king who was meant to become the greatest conqueror of world history, asked them what they fear most, the Gauls replied that “we only fear lest the sky fall on our heads”. However, the Galatians added diplomatically that they were interested more than anything else, in the friendship of a man like Alexander. The response of the Gauls to Alexander was not accidental. In essence it was an implicit statement that they do not fear him, considering him as an equal in power, but they wanted an agreement and alliance with him. The Celts were not wrong. The interests of the Greeks and Danubian Gauls in the region were identical because they were both fighting against the interlaying between them, Illyrian and Thracian tribes. The two nations had not yet territorial contact and at this time, the Gallic threat would seem very distant for the Greeks. Alexander who appreciated brave men, seemed to be satisfied with the Gallic answer, although he ironically commented on their barbaric pride (Arrian). Seeing his common interests with them, he made an alliance with the Celts and probably allowed them to expand in the territory of the Autariatae. This was the first Gallic invasion or raid in the land of the Autariate.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 20:14:55 +0000
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