The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1894-04-19
THE GAULS.

Gallia was the name given by the
Romans to France and Belgium.
The Gauls, who were called Galata
by the Greeks and Cali or Celta by
the Romans, are supposed to have
come originally from Asia. Invading
Eastern Europe, they were driven
westward, and settled in France and
Spain, spreading thence into North
Italy, Belgium and the British Isles.
This migration was doubtless made
long before the dawn of British
history. More than six hundred years
before the Christian era, the country
of the Gauls was visited by the
Ph9nicians and the Greeks They
found the people race of warlike
savages, who dressed in the skins of
beasts, dyed or tatooed their limbs
and bodies, made drinking cups of
the skulls of their enemies killed
in battle, and strangled the unfortu-
nate strangers wrecked upon their
coast. Their only religion was wor-
ship of trees, mountains, thunder, and
all things wild in nature. The Phn-
nlcians and subsequently the Greeks
carried on some trade with this wild
people, with the result of introducing
few civilized arts among them. The
town of Massilia the present Mar
sellios- was founded 600 years B. G..
by Grecian traders. The Gauls have
crossed the Alps into Northern Italy,
first came in conflict with the Romans
about 1896 B. G. Six years later these
barbarians under their general, Bren-
nus, captured and plundered Rome,
but were driven out by the Roman
leader, Camillus. During the 200
years following there were frequent
wars between the Gauls and Romans.
Those settled in Northern Italy-the
Cls-Alpine Gauls- were subjugated
by Rome about 220 B. c.. \Casar sub
dued Gaul proper, including the Brit
ons, in eight campaigns, between the
years 5S and SO B. G. The loss of
the Gauls in this last struggle of
heroic courage and untamed valor
with discipline and military genius,
was probably nearly million of men.
AT the time of this conquest the
Gauls had number of fortified towns,
they had invented various implements
for use in husbandry, and excelled in
the arts of working in metals, in en-
broidery and the manufacture of var
ious kinds of cloth. But they were
rude in manner and rough in speech;
they practiced polygamy and wor
shipped many gods. to whom they offer
ed sacritic, the captives taken in war.
They are described by the Roman
writer's as large, fair skinned and
yellow haired race, social, turbulent,
enthusiastic, imaginative and vain. !
Because of their noisy and fluent |
speech, Cicero compared them to |
town criers, and Cato remarks with |
admiration on their tact in turning an |
argument against their opponents |
They wore their hair long and flowing,
and delighted in snowy garments.
Their chiefs wore much jewelry and |
huge head pieces of fur and feathers,
and gold and silver belts, from which
they hung their enormous sabers
They went into battle with all their
tinery on, but often threw it off in the
heat of conflict. They fought fierce
ly, armed with barbed iron headed
spears, heavy broadswords and lances.
After their subjugation by Caesar, for
more than two centuries the Gauls
remained entirely quiet, and the.civil-
lzatiOn of the country proceeded
rapidly under the influence of Roman
rule. Many towns were built, new
arts introduced. and commerce stimu-
lated. The national habits and relig-
ion retired by degrees to the north
west coast of the country, and at last
found their only refuge in the islands
beyond it. Christianity was first in
troduced into Gaul about 160 A d.
by teachers sent out by the Apostles
and their successors. During the
fourth and fifth centuries the country
was wrested from the Romans bv the
Franks, German tribe, which gave
its aame to the country. The French
people of to-day are of mixed ances-
try, deriving their characteristics from
Gauls, Romans and Franks. The
Irish are the only people among the
several branches from Gallo ancestry
who have mixed so slightly with
other nationalities as to show remark
ably, even to the present time, the
of the physical and mental
traits of the Gauls