Rome's 189 BC campaign against the Galatian Gauls secured Roman dominance in Asia Minor and facilitated the transfer of Seleucid territories to Rome and its allies.
Key Facts
- Year fought
- 189 BC
- Location
- Galatia, central Asia Minor (modern Turkey)
- Roman commander
- Gnaeus Manlius Vulso, consul
- Key battles
- Mount Olympus and a hill near Ancyra
- Treaty concluded
- Treaty of Apamea with the Seleucids
- Roman ally
- Pergamum
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following their victory over the Seleucids in the Roman–Seleucid War, Roman consul Gnaeus Manlius Vulso justified an invasion of Galatia on the grounds that the Galatians had supplied troops to the Seleucids. The Galatians were also widely known for raiding cities across Asia Minor and holding considerable plunder. Modern historians suggest the campaign had covert or tacit Senate approval, partly to weaken Seleucid allies and transfer their territories.
In 189 BC, Roman forces joined by Pergamene troops marched into central Asia Minor, bypassing Seleucid-held cities and attacking unallied ones. After an unsuccessful attempt to negotiate with the Galatians, the Romans defeated them first at the battle of Mount Olympus and then routed a larger Galatian force on a hill near Ancyra, breaking Galatian resistance.
Defeated, the Galatians sued for peace and Rome returned to the coast, where Vulso concluded the Treaty of Apamea with the Seleucids. Seleucid territories traversed during the campaign were transferred to Rome or its allies. Vulso was tried for endangering the Roman–Seleucid peace but was acquitted and granted a triumph. The loot he brought back was used to repay Roman taxpayers and fund infrastructure, while Greco-Asian luxuries introduced to Rome were blamed by ancient writers for moral decline.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Gnaeus Manlius Vulso.
Side B
1 belligerent