The Celtic, Teutonic, and Slavonic Nations

The principal Celtic nations were the Gauls, the Celtae, the Belgae, and the Gauls of Northern Italy; the Galatians or Gauls of Asia Minor, and of Gallicia, in the north of Spain; the Boii and Pannonians of Germany, who are branches of the Gauls; the Celtiberians of Spain; the Cimmerians of Germany; the Umbrians; the Etrurians or Etruscans; the Samnites and Sabines of Italy; the Thracians, Istrians, and Pelasgians of Greece; the Britons, the Welsh, and the Manx; the Caledonians, and the Irish, etc.

The Teutonic nations were the Goths and Vandals, who overthrew the Roman empire, and conquered parts of France, Spain, Italy, and Africa; the Franks and Burgundians, who conquered France; the Longobards, who conquered Northern Italy, now known as "Lombardy;" the Suevi, Alemmanni, and other powerful nations of ancient Germany; the Anglo-Saxons, who conquered England; and the Scandinavians or people of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. In modern times, however, the Teutonic nations are the Germans, Danes, Swedes, Norwegians, Dutch, Swiss, English or British, the Anglo-Irish, and the Anglo-Americans, etc.

The name "Teuton" is derived from the Gothic teut, which signifies "a god;" and the term "Teutons" has been applied to various nations of Scythian origin, speaking cognate dialects of one great language—the Celtic.

The Sclavonic or Slavonic nations were sometimes called "Sclavonians;" and were descended from the Slavi or Sclavi of the Roman writers—a Scythian race who dwelt in Germany. The name is derived from slava, which signifies "glory." The Sarmatians were also of Scythian origin, and settled in the territory from them called by the Romans, "Sarmatia;" which comprised the country now called Poland, and parts of Russia, Prussia, and Austria.

As it was Cadmus the Phoenician that introduced the use of letters into Greece, about the time that Moses is considered to have written the Pentateuch (or first five books of the Bible), the knowledge of "letters" must have therefore existed among the Phoenicians and their colonies long before Homer wrote; and there can be no doubt that "letters" and their use were then known in Cadmus's own city of Miletus, and the other cities of Asia Minor, for, according to Herodotus, who is believed to have written about four hundred and fifty years before Christ, the Ionians of Asia Minor preceded the other Greeks in acquiring the art of writing; and used skins on which to write, before they had the "papyrus." It would therefore appear that the Feiné or Phoenicians were the first people who were acquainted with the art of writing by letters: hence they were able to record their genealogies and the leading events of their race down from the Deluge.

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