#belgae

Today's Celtic character of the day is Beefix from Asterix who is a chief of the Nervii tribe (Belgae) (ancient Celt)*. He is from the Roman province of Gallia Belgica, specifically modern day central Belgium.

Menapii

The Menapii was one of the Belgae tribes with a Celtic culture. They seem to belong to the same branch of Celts who migrated to the Atlantic coast and invaded Ireland. Their name might have been derived from a Proto-Celtic word -Mano meaning thought or -Mono meaning to tower. The Eburones were the Menapii's neighbours to the east, the Germanic Batavi to the North, the Nervii to their southeast and the Atrebates to their south. They obviously had no neighbours in the west because that is were the North sea is located.

The location of this tribe is interesting, Julius Caesar, Ptolemy and Strabo described that their territory was located between the rivers Rhine and the Schelde. This means that they should have lived in modern day Northern Belgium and Southern Netherlands. According to Caesar, the Menapii were the Celts that lived closed to the Rhine and thus they waged a continuously war against the Germanic people.

The Menapii were first mentioned by Julius Caesar in his work 'De Bello Gallico'. The Belgae tribes entered into a confederacy out of fear that the Romans would conquer them. The Menapii tribe was part of this confederation in 57BC. This meant that the Menapii were at war with Julius Caesar and they were one of the very few tribes who managed to resist Caesar for quite some years.

In 56BC Julius Caesar left Illyricum and tensions flared up again almost immediately. Some of the Celtic tribes revolted against Caesar: the Veneti, Lexovii, Morini, Nannetes, Ambilati, Osismii and the Menapii. Especially the Veneti could prove dangerous to Rome since they had a powerful navy.

Unfortunately the Veneti fleet was cornered and destroyed in Quiberon Bay (modern day France). Most of the Veneti strongholds and villages were attacked and almost all of the Veneti civilians were killed or captured. The Menapii survive this slaughter and continued resisting Julius Caesar in what you can call guerilla warfare. They would carefully withdraw into their swamps and forests, luring Caesar's troops with them. This eventually led to the Romans burning down random villages.

To make matters even worse, the Germanic Suebi confederation decided to cross the Rhine in the following year and unfortunately the Menapii were in their way. This led to a clash between the Suebi and the Menapii. The Menapii are able to defend their line of the river. The Suebi decided to withdraw in an attempt to lure the Menapii out. This works and the Germanics were able to defeat the Menapii and occupy most of their villages and ships.

This event unfortunately drew Caesar's attention and in the year 55BC, Julius caesar attacked the Suebi and pushed them back across the Rhine again. By this time, most of the Belgae tribes submitted to Caesar but the Menapii and Morini refused. The Morini are eventually beaten in battle but the Menapii managed to avoid a slaughter by hiding inside a forest. The Belgae tribes became part of the Roman empire and they lost their independence forever.

Caesar's conquest of Gaul caused quite some panic amongst Celtic tribes. Some of these tribes decided to flee and there is reason to believe that parts of the Menapii tribe fled to Ireland. Ptolemy mentions a Manapi tribe living in south-east Ireland which could be remnants of the Menapii tribe.

Some of the Menapii apparently also served in the Roman army as auxiliaries. A cohort of Menapii auxiliaries is mentioned in inscriptions found in Britain dating back to somewhere around 200AD.

An even more interesting story about the Menapii revolves around Marcus Aurelius Mausaeus Carausius during the 2nd century AD. Carausius was a Menapii man in service of the Roman army. He managed to become the commander of the Classis Britannica, a Roman fleet active in what is now the English channel.

Carausius declared himself emperor of Britain and northern Gaul in 286AD. He managed to get the support of the legions stationed in Brittanica and Gaul and managed to stay in power for 7 years before being assassinated by Allectus, Carausius' treasurer. So it wasn't just only a Germanic Batavi who managed to become a Roman emperor (Postumus), the Celtic Menapii managed to produce an emperor as well.

The Menapii eventually got absorbed by the Franks and the Menapii who migrated to Ireland eventually became part of the kingdom of Laigin. This Celtic tribe definitely has a fascinating history, its future tied to that of the Germanics, Romans and the Irish.

Iron Age slave chains found at Bigbury Camp in Harbledown (Kent, England).

In the late Iron Age, slaves were gathered by warlords during raids, and even used as a gift exchange.  According to the Greek historian Strabo, slaves were one of the biggest exports from Britain to Rome in the early 1st century AD.

“All Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani another, those who in their own language are called Celts, in ours Gauls, the third. All these differ from each other in language, customs and laws. The river Garonne separates the Gauls from the Aquitani; the Marne and the Seine separate them from the Belgae. Of all these, the Belgae are the bravest, because they are furthest from the civilization and refinement of [our] Province, and merchants least frequently resort to them, and import those things which tend to effeminate the mind; and they are the nearest to the Germans, who dwell beyond the Rhine, with whom they are continually waging war; for which reason the Helvetii also surpass the rest of the Gauls in valour, as they contend with the Germans in almost daily battles, when they either repel them from their own territories, or themselves wage war on their frontiers.

One part of these, which it has been said that the Galli occupy, takes its beginning at the river Rhône; it is bounded by the river Garonne, the ocean, and the territories of the Belgae; it borders, too, on the side of the Sequani and the Helvetii, upon the river Rhine, and stretches toward the north. The Belgae rises from the extreme frontier of Gaul, extend to the lower part of the river Rhine; and look toward the north and the rising sun. Aquitania extends from the river Garonne to the Pyrenaean mountains and to that part of the ocean which is near Spain: it looks between the setting of the sun, and the north star.”

Nervii

The Nervii were a Celtic tribe (with possible Germanic origins) who lived in modern day Belgium, Northern France and southern Netherlands. The origin of their name is somewhat uncertain but it might mean 'hero/heroes' in proto-Celtic. The Nervii were fierce warriors and seen as the bravest of all the Gauls by Julius Caesar.

The Nervii were very insular in nature, unlike other Celtic tribes, they forbid any foreign merchants from entering their territory. Their lifestyle could be compared to that of the Spartans, they had a fierce military culture and rejected the use of luxury products like wine per example.

Most of what we know of the Nervii comes from Julius Caesar who encountered them during his campaign in Gaul. He described how the Nervii spoke a Celtic language but that they were Germanic in origin. Historians suspect that the Nervii were of mixed heritage, maybe they were both Germanic and Celtic or they were ruled by a Germanic elite. It would explain the focus on warfare which is more a Germanic trait than a Celtic.

In 57BC, the Belgic tribes entered in an alliance to fight against the Romans, the Belgae were afraid of Rome's intention to dominate them. This Belgic alliance consisted of the Eburones, Nervii, Ambiani, Atuatuci, Caleti, Menapii, Viromandui, Paemani, Condrusi, Atrebates, Veliocasses and Morini.

Julius Caesar defeated the Belgic alliance at the battle of Axona in 57BC. This wasn't just a defeat for the Belgae but a complete slaughter, most of the Belgic tribes led terrible losses including the Nervii. Several of these tribes surrendered to Caesar but the Nervii refused. The Nervii instead launched a surprise attack at the battle of the Sabis, supported by the Atrebates.

Initially this surprise attack went favourably for the Nervii but the Romans turned the tide of the battle and nearly massacred all of the Nervii, an estimated 60,000 were killed. This battle was basically the end of the resistance of the Belgic tribes and the start of Roman domination of modern day Belgium.

The Nervii tribe never fully recovered from this battle and they basically ceased to exist as a functioning tribe. Their name however still continued to exist so they weren't completely gone. Some of the Nervii joined in later Gallic rebellions and others migrated to Britannia where they served in the Roman army. Inscriptions were found at Rough Castle on the Antonine wall in Britain which described how a sixth cohort of Nervii was stationed there.

Here are photos of: Depiction of the battle of the Sabis, Map of the Belgic tribes, Nervii inscription in Britain, Map that shows the Nervii territory,

here be the keltoi the historian said here be a vast and varied people skilled in trade and in the working of metals our heart is in the land it is our charge savage to the usurper loyal friend to our kin father begat son brother begat clan clan begat village village begat the keltoi Continue reading