Galatia, << guh LAY shuh or guh LAY shee uh, >> was a region in central Asia Minor, a region that is now central Turkey. It was named for the Gauls, who were called Galatai by the Greeks. The Gauls crossed into Asia from Europe in 278 B.C. and overran parts of Asia Minor. Attalus, king of the Greek city of Pergamum, defeated the Gauls in 239 B.C., and forced them into eastern Phrygia, later named Galatia. Attalus later set up the famous statue of the Dying Gaul to celebrate his victory.
The Galatians lived in the countryside and frequently raided the Greek cities near them. The Romans defeated the Galatians in 189 B.C., but allowed them to keep their tribal government.
The emperor Augustus made Galatia a Roman province in 25 B.C. A famous inscription, written by Augustus to describe his deeds, was found in Galatia’s capital city, Ancyra (today called Ankara, capital of Turkey). The apostle Paul visited Galatia twice and wrote an epistle (letter) to the Christians there.
