GALATIA, or Galloghaecia, a considerable province in the central part of Asia Minor, the boundaries of which it is impossible to determine with any degree of exactness[7:10:283]. It lay towards the sources of the river Sangarius, being bounded on the north by Bithynia and Paphlagonia, on the east by Cappadocia, and on the south by Phrygia.

The Galatae were a portion of that great Celtic race which is found from the earliest times in the valleys of the Danube and of the lofty Alps, and which began to press towards the east during the weakness of the Macedonian empire under the successors of Alexander. A large body of this people under their leader Brennus (b. c. 278), made their appearance in Dardania, a district of Macedon, with the intention of plundering Greece. Here a dispute arose, and a party of twenty thousand men under Leono-rius and Lutarius, separating from the main body, directed their course through Thrace to Byzantium, now Constantinople, and encamping before it, laid this city and all the adjoining country under contribution. Perceiving the beautiful shores of Asia, and being invited by Nicoedes king of Bithynia, who was then at war with his brother Zipaetes, to cross the straits, they willingly acceded to the request. They had no difficulty in deciding the contest in favour of Nicoedes, but, like the Saxons, they refused to evacuate the country when their services were no longer required; and so powerful did they find themselves amongst the effeminate inhabitants of Asia, that they even proceeded to parcel out to the three tribes of which they were composed, the Troemi, Tolistoboii, and Tectosages, the several parts of Asia Minor. They, however, fixed themselves towards the sources of the Sangarius, and at last became so formidable, that even the kings of Syria consented to comply with their demands. It was Attalus king of Pergamus (about 235 b. c.), who first ventured to resist their extortions, and meeting them in the field, gained a complete victory. Not long afterwards Prusias king of Bithynia was also successful in an attack which he made on them. They continued, however, to be the terror of Asia, until the Romans, having defeated Antiochus the Great, king of Syria (b. c. 189), directed their arms against these marauders. A great portion of them were cut to pieces, and the remainder were happy to be allowed to retain quiet possession of their lands.

Strabo tells us that the whole of Galatia was originally divided into four principalities, at the head of each of which was a tetrarch; but in later times they were reduced to one. It seems that this change was made by the Romans in favour of Deiotarus, who had assisted them in the Mithridatic war. Some time afterwards the whole of Galatia came into the possession of the Romans, who made it a province of their empire. St Jerome states, that in his time they spoke the same language as the Treviri in Gaul. St Paul addressed one of his epistles to the Christians of Galatia. The possessions of the Tolistoboii were to the south, and their chief town was Pessinus; the Tectosages occupied the central parts of the province, having Ancyra for their capital; and the Troemi were found in the north-eastern portion of the country, towards Pontus and Cappadocia, the chief town of which was Tavium. Their history is chiefly found in Livy, xxxviii. 12-27, 40; Polyb. Fragm. xxü. 16-24; Appian. Mit∕ιr. 114; Strab. xii. 566; Plin. v. 32.