Belgae

Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)

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England Celtic tribes of South England, during the pre-roman iron age Britain period 100-1BC.

Belgae (बेलगी, बेलजी) (/ˈbɛldʒiː, ˈbɛlɡaɪ/) were a large confederationof tribes living in northern Gaul, between the English Channel, the west bank of the Rhine, and the northern bank of the river Seine, from at least the third century BC.

Variants

• Belgic tribe
• Belgians

History

They were discussed in depth by Julius Caesar in his account of his wars in Gaul. Some peoples in Britain were also called Belgae and O'Rahilly equated them with the Fir Bolg in Ireland. The Belgae gave their name to the Roman province of Gallia Belgica and, much later, to the modern country of Belgium; today "Belgae" is also Latin for "Belgians".

Etymology

The consensus among linguists is that the ethnic name Belgae comes from the Proto-Celtic root *belg- or *bolg- meaning "to swell (particularly with anger/battle fury/etc.)", cognate with the Dutch adjective gebelgd "very angry" (weak perfect participle of the verb belgen "to become angry") and verbolgen "being angry" (strong perfect participle of obsolete verbelgen "to make angry"), as well as the Old English verb belgan, "to be angry" (from Proto-Germanic *balgiz), derived ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *bhelgh- ("to swell, bulge, billow"). Thus, a Proto-Celtic ethnic name *Bolgoi could be interpreted as "the people who swell (particularly with anger/battle fury)".

Tribes of the Belgae

Caesar names the following as Belgic tribes, which can be related to later Roman provinces:

Belgae of Caesar's "Belgium", in later Roman Belgica II	Belgae in later Roman Belgica II sometimes described by Caesar as if not in "Belgium"	Germani Cisrhenani, in northeast. Imperial Germania Inferior or Germania II.	Southeast: not mentioned as Belgae, but part of imperial Roman Gallia Belgica (later Roman Belgica I)
Ambiani Atrebates Bellovaci Suessiones Viromandui Southwest: possibly not in "Belgium": Caleti Veliocassi	Northwest and considered remote by Romans: Menapii Morini Nervii South, not in alliance against Rome: Remi	Caesar sometimes calls them Belgae, sometimes contrasts them with Belgae. Caerosi Condrusi Eburones Paemani Segni Descendants of the Cimbri, living near Germani Cisrhenani: Atuatuci	Possibly Belgae, later within Belgica I: Treveri Leuci Mediomatrici Not Belgae, later in Germania Superior (still later Germania I): Lingones Sequani Rauricii Helvetii

Later, Tacitus mentioned a tribe called the Tungri living where the Germani cisrhenani had lived, and he also stated that they had once been called the Germani (although Caesar had claimed to have wiped out the name of the main tribe, the Eburones). Other tribes that may have been included among the Belgae in some contexts were the Leuci, Treveri and Mediomatrici. Posidonius includes the Armoricani, as well.