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MYSTERIOUS ORIGINS OF BOII – GAULS, SLAVS… OR SOMETHING DIFFERENT?
Here are some facts:
Presumably, their origins are in Bohemia, modern day Czech Republic which owes them its name.
They belong to Celtic “La Thene” culture and most of the ancient authors refer to them as “Gauls”. (Polybius – Histories, Appian – Gallic history, Pliny the Elder – The Natural History…)
They were also present in North Italy, where they lived in symbiosis with Etruscans.Together with them, they had fought against Romans, as they did again some time later when Hannibal arrived with his army.
From North Italy one wave moved back across the Alps and fought against Caesar together with Helvetians in France, where they were defeated. (battle of Alesia)
The other wave moved to Pannonia (north of modern day Serbia and south of Hungary) where they fought against the Dacians.
In year 8 AD they were crushed by advancing Roman armies in Pannonia and moved up north, to Bratislava, Slovakia, and presumably all the way back to Bohemia.
Boii left their traces in Poland, Italy, Balkans, Hungary, Slovakia, Germany and France…