Starting from the early 4th century BCE, various Celtic populations, known to the Romans as the “Gauls,” entered Italy through the western Alps. After defeating the local populations, they settled in the Po Valley, with some moving towards the Adriatic and establishing themselves in the Piceno region. Among them was the tribe of the Senones, led by Brennus. In 390 BCE, they advanced towards Rome, defeating the Roman army at the Allia River and ravaging the city in what became known as the first sack of Rome.  

Roman historians later debated the reasons behind this invasion, with some attributing it to the Gauls’ passion for wine. According to Livy, it was Arruns, a nobleman from the Etruscan city of Chiusi, who introduced wine to the Gauls. Seeking revenge for a wrong suffered at the hands of his city’s ruler, he traveled to the Gauls, persuading them to invade Etruscan lands by enticing them with wine. Pliny the Elder, on the other hand, blamed a Gallic artisan who had settled in Rome. Upon returning to his homeland, he allegedly introduced his fellow countrymen to wine, sparking their desire to settle in Italy.  

Livy also wrote that the Gauls invaded Italy because they were “drawn by the sweetness of its products, especially its wine.” These theories likely stem from the Roman perception of “barbarian” peoples as unable to resist their primal instincts. However, the reality is probably more complex. Wine was already present at Gallic aristocratic banquets as early as the 5th century BCE, thanks to trade with the Greeks and Etruscans. A more plausible explanation for the Gauls’ incursion into Italy lies in population growth and the consequent need to colonize new lands. Additionally, the Gauls had allied with Dionysius I, the tyrant of Syracuse, who sought to expand his influence in the Tyrrhenian Sea at the expense of Carthage and Rome, which were allied at the time. The Gallic invasion of Rome, therefore, fits into the broader international context of the Mediterranean during that era.