Ancient and Medieval Periods

Although the modern state of Belgium was founded in 1830, the history of the peoples aqnd of the territory of the Southern Lowlands reaches back to the Roman period. Before the Christian era, Julius Caesar named the territory he conquered between the North Sea and the Waal, Rhine, Marne, and Seine rivers, Gallia Belgica. Its inhabitants, probably in Germanic, and Celtic stock, impressed the Romans with their assistance to conquest. They benifited for only a short time from the political unity enforced by Rome. However, in succeeding centuries, they were civilized as a result of the introduction of the Latin language, Roman law, and Christian faith.