The Galatians are are among the most recognizable ethnic groups in Hellenistic art. As warriors they fought for and against the majority of the Hellenistic world and the Gallic Mercenary is fittingly ubiquitous in Hellenistic art from all around the eastern Mediterranean. Though the Celtic influence in Hellenistic art, in style and in subject, has been studied widely, these studies have often gone astray in their loose identification of any warriors carrying "Celtic" equipment as Celts, and thus incorporating a huge amount of sources that are in fact not relevant to the study of the Celts themselves (e.g. Piotr Bienkowski's Les Celtes dans les Arts Mineurs Gréco-Romains). While the understanding of the equipment of warriors in the Hellenistic period has greatly increased since the publication of many of these studies (generally predating the 1960's), our understanding of what differentiates the equipment and costume of Celts from other European tribal peoples, let alone the different Celtic tribes themselves, is still poor. As with very many aspects of the study of ancient military equipment and costume, we are often left guessing.

The majority of representations of Galatian warriors are, unsurprisingly, to be found outside of the art of the Galatians themselves. As Galatians served in armies abroad perhaps more than any other group in the Hellenistic period, and because they were a favourite adversary in the propaganda of the Hellenistic kingdoms, they were a favoured subject in art, and many items depicting them survive. Many of these items come from Egypt, where they served under the Ptolemies, and Asia Minor and the Near East, where they were hired by the Seleucid and Pergamene kings. The most notable examples are the painted funerary stelai from Alexandria¹ and the terracotta figurines from Egypt and Asia Minor, especially Smyrna (Fig. 1).² From these sources we see the traditional Galatian soldier, who is nude save for a long cloak. He carries a sword with a distinctly lobed hilt, suspended from a belt on his right, and holds a large oval ribbed shield, called a thureos. All of this is identical to the equipment and costume of the some of the European Celts, but he differs in that he has a clean shaven face while still retaining the distinctly long barbarian hair which was a common Celtic characteristic. Most polychrome depictions of Galatians (the Alexandrian painted stelai being most numerous and important) indicate that blue was the colour of choice for Galatian cloaks. Some representations also show Galatians wearing trousers,³ though they definitely seem to have been less common in the hotter climate of the east than in continental Europe. However, few, if any, representations show tunics being worn.

A few relatively obscure items have been published, however, which show some more unique items of costume. The first is the kilt, or skirt, which is seen on three funerary stelae from Bithynia and one from Byzantion. The first is the stele of Zadalas from Bithynia and dating to the second century BC. It depicts a Bithynian heavy cavalryman (Zadalas) killing a Galatian cavalryman (Fig. 2).⁴ The Galatian, who is identified by his long hair and his nude upper body, has been struck by two javelins and is in his death throes. While the relief is unclear, he appears to wear a skirt suspended by a large, prominent belt. This style of skirt is also seen on another two Bithynian stelai, those of the Phila, found near Deydinler, which dates to around 150 BC (Fig. 3),⁵ and Pasias, dating to the second century BC (Fig. 4).⁶ In the former, the Galatian faces the oncoming cavalryman with his right arm, grasping his sword, raised while he holds his thureos in his left hand against his body to protect himself. While his arm and and head are badly effaced, his torso and waist are very well preserved and his nude back and belted skirt can clearly be made out. In the latter, the figure of the Galatian opponent about to be struck down is even better preserved, and clearly shows the kilt with its thick belt.

The final stele, that of Sosion son of Simon from across the Bosporos in Byzantion which dates to the late second or first century BC (Fig. 5),⁷ depicts the usual formula of a rider about to strike down a Galatian opponent. Despite the heavily eroded details of this stele, the absence of sleeves and the thick belt of this figure both indicate that what is depicted here is an identical kilt. This piece of costume also happens to be very similar to the costume of several headless terracotta figurines from Seleuceia on the Tigris dating to after 143 BC which were found along with a more traditionally nude (save for a cloak) Galatian figure.⁸ In 2 Maccabees 8.20 a mention is made of a large Galatian irruption into Babylonia, and so these figurines may be associated with that event or may be indicative of Galatians serving as mercenaries in Mesopotamia.

This style may have been exclusive to true Galatians, that is Celts from Galatia, rather than "eastern Celts". However, if the figurines from Seleuciea on the Tigris are Galatians, it may indicate that this was a variant of the Celtic costume worn throughout the east, or simply that these are figurines imported from around Galatia. It is not clear why these Galatians did not simply fight in the nude, as many others did, to better handle the hotter climate, but it may have been worn as a more pragmatic substitute for the traditional trousers.

The next item of costume is the hooded cloak, which is seen in two sources. This piece of clothing is very clearly, though not completely, represented on a large terracotta figure from Smyrna dating to the third century BC (Fig. 6).⁹. The wearer is identified as a Galatian by his long hair, treated with lime to become spiked, and cleanshaven face. Judging by the figure's pose, it may have been a cavalryman. Bienkowski cites Perdrizet as writing that this is "the oldest known representation of Gallic costume". He wears a cloak, which appears to be only shoulder width, with a peaked hood. The seam at the front where the material was sewn together is clear, and it appears to have been similar in form to a narrow hooded poncho. Unfortunately, we are not given any indication of its length- only that it runs at least to the waist. A terracotta figurine from Egypt shows a similar cloak being worn by a warrior who sits beside his thureos and Celtic-style bilobate sword (Fig. 7).¹⁰ This figurine's cloak also has a peaked hood underneath which runs a long seam, but it seems to be much wider than the other and covers the whole body of the warrior. The other representation may simply have shown the sides bunched up on the shoulders, though one would think that this would be indicated more clearly on a figure which is so highly detailed. This style of hooded cloak is also most likely represented on a terracotta figurine showing a thureophoros cavalryman from El-Bi'ne in Palestine.¹²

The knowledge that such items of costume were worn by Celts may help in the future to better identify the ethnicity of various warriors represented in Hellenistic art. These representations show that Galatian soldiers had more variety in costume than once thought and that the eastern Celts may also have been more distinct in appearance from their western kin as well.

Fig. 1: A Galatian Terracotta Figurine from Smyrna.

Fig. 2: The Stele of Zadalas Stele.

Fig. 3: The Funerary Stele of Phila.

Fig. 4: The Funerary Stele of Pasias.

Fig. 5: The Funerary Stele of Sosion.

Fig. 6: A Terracotta Figure of a Galatian.

Fig. 7: A Terracotta Figurine of a Galatian.

Endnotes

1. See Blanche.

2. Bienkowski pp. 126-127.

3. Sekunda The Ptolemaic Army Fig. 121 and Pierdrizet Pl. XCIII, top.

4. Peschlow, Peschlow-Bindokat, and Wörrle p. 436, Nr. 105, Abb. 2d.

5. Cremer p. 126, Fig. NS 12.

6. Peschlow, Peschlow-Bindokat, and Wörrle pp. 433-36, Nr. 104, Abb. 2a-c.

7. Pfuhl and Möbius Fig. 1272.

8. Van Ingen p. 137 and Pl. XXVIII.

9. Bienkowski p. 130.

10. Bienkowski p. 139.

11. Bienkowski pp. 131-132.

12. Bienkowski Fig. 200.

Image Credits

Fig. 1: Bienkowski p. 128, Fig. 178.

Fig. 2: Peschlow, Peschlow-Bindokat, and Wörrle p. 436, Abb. 2d.

Fig. 3: Cremer p. 126, Fig. NS 12.

Fig. 4: Peschlow, Peschlow-Bindokat, and Wörrle p. 434, Abb. 2a-c.

Fig. 5: Author's photo.

Fig. 6: Bienkowski p. 132.

Fig. 7: Bienkowski p. 138.

Bibliography

Bienkowski, Piotr. Les Celtes dans les Arts Mineurs Gréco-Romains. Krakow: Imprimerie de L'Université des Jagellons à Cracovie, 1928.

Blanche, Brown. Ptolemaic Paintings and Mosaics and the Alexandrian Style. Cambridge: Archaeological Insitute of America. 1957.

Cremer, Marielouise. Hellenistisch-römische Grabstelen im nordwestlichen Kleinasien 2. Bithynian. Bonn: Dr. Rudolf Habelt GMBH, 1991.

Launey, Marcel. Recherches sur les Armées Hellénistiques. Paris: Université de Paris, 1947.

Peschlow, Urs, Anneliese Peschlow-Bindokate, and Michael Wörrle. "Die Sammlung Turan Beler in Kimbaba bei Sile (II) Antike und byzantinische Denkmäler von der bithynischen Schwarzmeerküste." Istanbuler Mitteilungen, 2002: 430-436.

Sekunda, Nick. Seleucid and Ptolemaic Reformed Armies 168-145: The Ptolemaic Army. Stockport: Montvert Publishing, 1995.

Van Ingen, Wilhelmina. Figurines from Seleucia on the Tigris. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 1939.