The invaders were the celts (KELTZ), referred to by the Romans as Gauls (GAWLZ). These people had been living north of what became Greece and Rome since the end of the last ice age. Archaeologists know little about these earliest Europeans. Some of them settled in the British Isles. There they built a variety of stone monuments and other structures, the most notable of which is Stonehenge.
The celts came with the Indo-European invasion and occupied the heart of Europe, from what is now Hungary to modern-day France. In Roman times this region was known as Gaul. From Gaul, groups of celts spread throughout the continent after about 1000 b. c. Some went to the islands of Britain and Ireland, where their language survives to the present day. Others spread in all directions. In about 500 b. c., one group moved southward, over the high mountains called the Alps, and into Italy. About a century later, in 390 b. c., they arrived in Rome.
It was the first time Rome had come in contact with the tribal peoples beyond its borders. It would certainly not be the last such contact. In its latter days, Rome would be threatened by a variety of outsiders who would take part in its downfall. The Romans lumped all these groups together as barbarians. Actually, the Celts were fairly civilized. They had a number of settlements throughout central Europe. They developed a relatively organized society divided into four groups: nobles, warriors, wise men, and farmers.
But the Celts in Italy were obviously on the move. The “warrior” class was most prominent among them. There is a legend that the Celts who marched into Rome in 390 b. c. came upon a group of aged senators sitting in a row on the Forum, or city center. It was also the location of the government center, or Capitol. Allegedly one of the Celts reached out in curiosity to touch the beard of a senator, who reacted with anger. The Celt then slew the senator, while his comrades dealt with the others.
It is also said that the Celts stormed the Capitol for seven months, and that they demanded 1,000 pounds in gold before they left Rome. They probably did not burn the city down completely, as legend holds; but it is clear that they sacked Rome. Whatever the truth, it appears that the Celtic invasion was a turning point for the Romans: after that, they determined that they would develop their power so that nothing of the kind ever happened again.
World History
