# Dardanian-Celtic War

The Dardanian-Celtic War was a conflict that happened during 279 BC between the Illyrian kingdom of the Dardani and the Celtic tribes.

## Background

The political situation in the northern Balkans was in constant flux with various tribes dominant over their neighbours at any one time. Within tribes, military expeditions were conducted by "an enterprising and mobile warrior class able from time to time to conquer large areas and to exploit their population". The political situation in the Balkans during the 4th century BC played to the Celts' advantage. The Illyrians had been waging war against the Greeks, leaving their western flank weak. While Alexander ruled Greece, the Celts dared not to push south near Greece. Therefore, early Celtic expeditions were concentrated against Illyrian tribes.
The first Balkan tribe to be defeated by the Celts was the Illyric Autariatae, who, during the 4th century BC, had enjoyed a hegemony over much of the central Balkans, centred on the Morava valley. An account of Celtic tactics is revealed in their attacks on the Ardiaei.
In 335 BC, the Celts sent representatives to pay homage to Alexander the Great, while Macedon was engaged in wars against Thracians on its northern border. Some historians suggest that this 'diplomatic' act was actually an evaluation of Macedonian military might. After the death of Alexander the Great, Celtic armies began to bear down on the southern regions, threatening the Greek kingdom of Macedonia and the rest of Greece. In 310 BC, the Celtic general Molistomos attacked deep into Illyrian territory, trying to subdue Dardanians, Paeonians and Triballi. However Molistomos was defeated by the Dardanians. The new Macedonian king Cassander felt compelled to take some of his old Illyrian enemies under his protection even though the Illyrians emerged victorious. In 298 BC, the Celts attempted a penetrating attack into Thrace and Macedon, where they suffered a heavy defeat near Haemus Mons at the hands of Cassander. However, another body of Celts led by the general Cambaules marched on Thrace, capturing large areas. The Celtic tribe of the Serdi lived in Thrace and founded the city of Serdica, present day Sofia.

## Events

During 279 BC, the Celts raided the northern-Illyrian tribes as a part of their campaign to plunder the treasuries of the temples of Ancient Greece. The Celts heavily raided settlements in the Kingdom of Dardania which were near the streams of the Morava and Vardar. One such raid was the raid on Cërnica, an illyrian settlement near the Binça branch of the Vardar river near modern day Gjilan on the then Dardanian-Macedon border. The remains of the destroyed settlements were found by archeologists in 2018. During these events an unnamed Dardanian king offered to help the Macedonians with 20,000 soldiers to counteract the invading Celts, as Macedon was also a subject to the Celtic raids, but it was refused by the Macedonian king Ptolemy Keraunos who, underestimating the Celtic strength, died fighting them.

### Celtic Retreat through Dardania

After suffering defeat at the Attack on Delphi, the Celts, weakened, began their retreat back to Central Europe. During this retreat the Celts were ambushed by the Dardani and were completely destroyed with most of their forces being killed in the ensuing battle.

## Aftermath

Some of the survivors of the Greek campaign, led by Comontoris (one of Brennus' generals) settled in Thrace. In 277 BC, Antigonus II Gonatas defeated the Gauls at the Battle of Lysimachia and the survivors retreated, founding a short-lived city-state named Tyle. Another group of Gauls, who split off from Brennus' army in 281 BC, were transported over to Asia Minor by Nicomedes I to help him defeat his brother and secure the throne of Bithynia. They eventually settled in the region that came to be named after them, Galatia. They were defeated by Antiochus I, and as a result, they were confined to barren highlands in the centre of Anatolia.