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Ancient Belgium - History in Europe

From 800,000 BC the oldest ancient stone instruments were recovered in present day Belgium. At approximately 400,000 BC, here in the village area of Spy was located the river of Meuse where in Neanderthals it is believed the first homo sapiens settled in Europe.

Starting 300,000 BC Homo sapiens were definitely known to be the residents here. On the other hand, there are Neolithic remains left and still to be obtained from Speines, a place where drawing out of flint mine used to operate. Dated as of 1750 BC started the foremost mark of Bronze Age in Belgium. Settlement of Celtic tribes was around this region by 500 BC and involved in trading operations with the Mediterranean world. As of around 150 BC, the earliest coins were first used.

Belgae was the primary name that is used to call the residents of Belgium (whom modern Belgium is named after). The inhabitants occupied Gaulish or Celtic Europe, a valuable area of Northern Gaul during the Roman occupation era. There was an uncertainty of divisions between the two areas of the Belgae located on the Northern portion and the Gauls to the Southern portion on the same hand, but Gauls seem to have been the leading crowd.

Gauls dominion was modified when they were influenced by the Romans and Germans. Julius Caesar's De Bello Gallico quoted the coming of the German tribes from north and the east. There is an evidence of Indo European spoken dialect by the Belgae according to the Linguists. The language or multi language has been called Nordwestblock.

As mentioned and resourced from De Bello Gallico, by the time of 51 BC, Belgae come to be swamped by the armed forces of Julius Caesar. The present Belgium is known to have prospered as a Roman province. Its occupied area was even bigger than modern Belgium and had five major cities. The cities were named Nemetacum (Arras), Divodurum (Metz), Bagacum (Bavay), Aduatuca (Tongeren) and Durocorturum (Reims).

Located to the Northeast was the province of Germania Inferior and was just an adjacent province. There are other cities that were in the territory and they are the following: Traiectum ad Mosam (Maastricht), Ulpia Noviomagus (Nijmegen), Colonia Ulpia Trajana (Xanten) and Colonia Agrippina (Cologne). Both provinces include what are now known as the Low Countries.

Germanic tribes conquered this Roman province around the 5th century, which fortold the end of the Roman Empire. The tribes entered the Roman province of "Gallia". Franks lead and administered the installation of a new kingdom over the Merovingian Dynasty Ruler. Clovis I, the famous king ever started the Dynasty which reigned from Northern France, but his administration was based in present-day Belgium. He advocatec the conversion into Christianity and gathered Christian Scholars. Irish monks became the Christian world preachers to the masses then eventually begun a new trend of conversions (Saint Servatius, Saint Remacle, Saint Hadelin).

During the first Millennium the Romans and then the Vikings ruled over the area that is now called Belgium. However in 891A.D. Arnulf of Carinthia who was close to Leuven achieved victory against the Vikings. The land of Franks Viking Dynasty then separated and then later recombined quite a few times by the ruling Merovingians and Carolingians.

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