Iberian Peninsula at about 200 BC
The
Gallaeci,
Callaeci, or
Callaici were a Pre-
Roman Celtic single or various tribes living in the northwest of the
Iberian Peninsula (The Roman
Hispania), North of the River
Douro in
Northern Portugal and
Galicia (Spain). One of their main goddesses was
Nabia.
Origin of the name
The Romans named the entire region north of that river, where the
Castro culture existed, in honour of the Castro people that settled in the area of Calle — the
Callaeci, later the Roman
Portus Calle, today's
Porto. Others believe that the name came from the main goddess this tribe adored, which could be the same
Cailleach in Ireland as
Celts migrated to that island from Galicia. Thus, a Roman province, known as Callaecia or
Gallaecia, was later created.
An early mention to Callaeci can be found in the 1st-century epic
Punica of
Silius Italicus :
Fibrarum et pennae divinarumque sagacem
flammarum misit dives Callaecia pubem,
barbara nunc patriis ululantem carmina linguis,
nunc pedis alterno percussa verbere terra,
ad numerum resonas gaudentem plauder caetras. (book III.344–7)
"Rich Gallaecia sent its youths, wise in the knowledge of divination by the entrails of beasts, by feathers and flames— who, now crying out the barbarian song of their native tongue, now alternately stamping the ground in their rhythmic dances until the ground rang, and accompanying the playing with sonorous caetras"
The names "Callaici" and "Calle" are the origin of today's:
Gaia, Galicia, and the "Gal" root in "Portugal". The meaning of "Calle" is however not fully understood; see
Portugal naming. Therefore the root cal- could have a different meaning in Kallaikoi and in Cale.
