Balkan Studies | Info

During the La Tene Culture period (5th century BC – 1st century AD), Celtic presence and influence spread out over a vast area from the Iberian Peninsula to the Black Sea. After the invasion of Italy in the 4th century BC, some of the Celtic tribes went on with their conquering campaign until arriving in Greece and Asia Minor.

Celts’ Diplomacy in the Balkans

According to the ancient historian Strabo, Celts from the Adriatic coast attended the peace negotiations between Alexander the Great and Syrmos – the king of the Triballi (a Thracian people who inhabited parts of modern Northwestern Bulgaria and Eastern Serbia) in 335 BC. That meeting was held at the Triballi’s land, so the Celtic chieftains affirmed their vow of amity before Alexander of Macedonia and established first diplomatic contacts with the Thracians.

Through such contacts as well as by successful warfare, Celts gradually expanded their territories towards the central Balkans. One of the most influential tribes, the Scordisci, for instance,built the city of Singidunum, which today is the capital of modern Serbia, the city of Belgrade. However, the unstoppable Celtic tide down the Danube River was blocked by the Dacians who settled the present-day Romania. So, “the ferocious barbarians”, as ancient Greeks called the Celts, direct their attention to Greece.

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