Editing Tyche's Favourites/Massalia (section)

==Foreigners in Southern Gallia==

The coast of modern-day [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provence Provence] has some of the earliest known sites of human habitation in Europe, dating back to pre-human hominids around 1 million BC. There is evidence of continued habitation, and repeated migration of other peoples, sometimes displacing the natives. Between the 10th and 4th centuries BC, the dominant peoples were the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligures Ligures]. They are of uncertain origins, possibly descendants of the indigenous neolithic people, but ancient commentators were certain they were not Keltoi. They were not literate, but had their own Indo-European language. They were a warlike and mobile people, and invaded Italy from time to time.

Between the 8th and 5th centuries BC, tribes of Keltic peoples, probably coming from Central Europe, also began moving into Provence. They had weapons made of iron, which allowed them to easily defeat the local tribes, who were still armed with bronze weapons. One tribe, called the Segobriga, settled near Massalia. The Caturiges, Tricastins, and Cavares settled to the west of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durance Druentia] river.

Keltoi and Ligures lived widely widespread in Provence and the Kelto-Ligures eventually shared the territory of Provence, each tribe in its own alpine valley or settlement along a river, each with its own king and dynasty. They built hilltop forts and settlements, later given the Latin name ''oppida''. They worshipped various aspects of nature, establishing sacred woods at Sainte-Baume and Gemenos, and healing springs at Glanum and Vernėègues. Later, in the 5th and 4th centuries BC, the different tribes formed confederations; the Voconces in the from the Isère to the Vaucluse; the Cavares in the Comtat; and the Salyens, from the Rhone river to the Var. The tribes began to trade their local products, iron, silver, alabaster, marble, gold, resin, wax, honey and cheese; with their neighbors, first by trading routes along the Rhone river, and later [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etruscan_civilization Tyrrhenoi] traders visited the coast.

The Tyrrhenoi were the first of many foreigners to arrive seeking opportunities in trade, though they never settled, preferring to trade off their ships. At this time the Phoenicians were also setting up trading posts throughout the western Mediterranean (primarily the islands and the coasts of Iberia), and between them the two peoples dominated trade in the Gulf of Lion. The first to found permanent posts in Provence were Greeks. Traders from the island of Rhodes were visiting the coast of Provence in the 7th century BC, bringing pottery and luxury goods. They gave their name to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhone_River Rhodanos] river and founded Rhodanousia. Some time later, the colony of Theline was founded on the other fork of the Rhodanos.