Belgae (Gaul)
Years: 333BCE - 532
The Belgae (/ˈbɛldʒiː, ˈbɛlɡaɪ/) are a large confederation of 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. Arguably a Germanic group, they are discussed in depth by Julius Caesar in his account of his wars in Gaul. Caesar calls them the Germani cisrhenani to distinguish them from other Germani living east of the Rhine in what he understood to be their homeland. Some peoples in southern Britain are also called Belgae and had apparently moved from the continent. T. F. O'Rahilly believed that some had moved further west and he equated them with the Fir Bolg in Ireland. The Roman province of Gallia Belgica is named after the continental Belgae. The term continued to be used in the region until the present day and is reflected in the name of the modern country of Belgium.
