Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How did Celtic tribes establish Galatia in northern Phrygia?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Anatolia
Abandoned cave dwellings in Cappadocia, Anatolia, Turkey.
In 278 BCE, three Celtic tribes migrated across Europe to the Dardanelles and were invited by Nicomedes I of Bithynia to serve as allies in a civil war. These tribes subsequently ravaged parts of Anatolia until they were defeated by the Seleucid king Antiochus I at the "Elephant Battle" in 275 BCE.12
Following this defeat, Nicomedes I and Mithradates settled the tribes in northern Phrygia. This territory served as a buffer against the Seleucid Empire, and the region became known as Galatia—a name derived from Galli, the Latin term for the Celts. Although the Galatians continued to engage in raiding and pillage for some time, they were eventually quelled by Attalus I Soter of Pergamum around 230 BCE.231