Celts in Cisalpine Gaul 400 BCE

The Roman chronicler Livy recorded the first Celtic incursions in Italy (under their king, Bellovesus ) in the 6th century BCE. A more concerted invasion occurred around 400 BCE, culminating in the sacking of Rome by the Senones, a Celtic tribe, in 390 BCE. The Senones subsequently settled along the Adriatic coast, giving rise to the Roman place-name, Sena Gallica. The main migration route for the Celts was from Gaul, in the case of the Cenomani, Libici and Anares. However, no record exists of the Boii in Gaul – their ingress was perhaps transalpine, or from the east. The Etruscans in the north of Italy bore the brunt of the Gallic invasions; they would wage an early war for control of the trade in salt. Nevertheless, the archaeological evidence often shows a mix of Celtic La Tène and Etruscan artefacts, suggesting the cultures learned to coexist, and intermarry.