The Roman province up to 350 AD

First recorded settlements 600 - 50 BC

Driven by the southward advance of the Germanic tribes and by hunger, the Celts settled large parts of present-day France from 600 BC onwards and spread beyond into an area stretching from the British and Guardi Islands to northern Spain and even, with an eastward expansion along the Danube, to Bulgaria. These Celtic kingdoms were then soon attacked by the Romans.

The Druidic Doumara, the people of the goddess Mara , were subjugated by the Vingalians invading from the east. Unsettled by cattle raids and pillaging, the inhabitants built fortified walls around their simple villages. Blood kings or their regents ruled with a cruel sword or a fluffy rabbit fur.

Roman conquests from 52 BC: "Better to die than to grow old inactive" is the maxim of the Celts, as recorded by Silius Italicus. That this motto was also directed against the Roman troops of Gaius Julius Caesar is evidenced by the Battle of Portus Namnetum (Nantes) in 52 BC. Here, an army of over 20,000 determined Bretons, Atlanteans, and Cimbri fought together against the Romans establishing themselves in Gaul and suffered a bloody defeat. The capture of the eastern part of Vanguardia also resulted from this defeat. In the following years, the Romans developed several ports into colonies from Portus Gaudiracum , thus ensuring the gradual Romanization of the eastern part of the archipelago. The Atlanteans in the west remained undefeated thanks to their fortresses in the Land of the Ten Castles . From this period stems the stubbornness so well known among Westerners in Europe today, a characteristic trait still evident in votes in the High Council with the phrase "cependante, si cependante," meaning " Against it, yes against it ." Roman province until 350 AD. The Romans ruled for approximately 400 years. Their customs and gods were adopted hesitantly. There was brisk trade in timber, wool, and ores, which were shipped to the Roman provinces of Tarconensis (Hispania) and Aquitania (western France). Only with the disintegration of the Roman Empire into the Western and Eastern Roman Empires, partly due to the Hunnic invasions, did the established balance of power shift significantly, as the Europe-wide migration of peoples began.