Forget Asterix: In 279 BC a sea of 200,000 Gauls brought terror to Greece unlike anything seen since the time of Xerxes
After the collapse of the state of Lysimachus (281 BC), Macedonia is plunged into chaos. The Gauls, under Brennus, invade in 279 BC with the aim of permanent settlement and the plunder of the rich Greek sanctuaries. After bypassing Thessaly, they find themselves at the gates of Central Greece. A rare Greek coalition (Aetolians, Boeotians, Phocians, Athenians) under the general Callippus stops the invaders at Thermopylae. The discipline of the Greeks and the naval support of the Athenians face the impetuous but disorderly violence of the Gauls. In a diversionary move, Brennus attacks Aetolia. The brutality of the Gauls at Kallium shocks Hellenism, but arms the Aetolians with absolute determination. The retreat of the invaders turns into a massacre at the site of Kokkalia, where thousands of Gauls are exterminated by the local population – a victory whose name resonates to this day. Despite the overrun of Thermopylae via the Anopaia road, the Gauls fail in their final objective: Delphi. The combination of extreme weather phenomena (blizzards, earthquakes) and the relentless attacks by the Phocians and Aetolians causes panic and disintegration. Brennus, wounded, commits suicide and the remnants of his army are exterminated during the retreat to the North. The defeat of the Gauls was a turning point. The Aetolian League emerged as the new guardian of Greek freedom, gaining a hegemonic role in the Greek world and establishing the "Soteria" as a symbol of the victory of civilization over barbarism. (I recently turned this story into a short video with subs, if anyone is interested)
Posted Jan 25, 2026, 12:35 PM UTC