...Marseille, the greatest seaport in France, was founded by Greek traders in about 600 B.C.. They set up a colony on the site of the old harbor and called it Massilia or Marsalia. The Greek geographer, Strabo, who lived in this colony described a trading network encompassing the four river systems, the English Channel and western and southern England. It began with the Celts and was coopted by Greek and Roman traders with a thriving wine trade across the channel by the first century A.D.. About 200 B.C. the Romans began raids and incursions into the border regions of France for defensive reasons (the Celts had sacked Rome in 390 B.C.) but stayed for trade and conquest. In 153 B.C. Roman mercenary soldiers defended Nice and Antibes for Marseille which was Rome's ally. By 121 B.C., the Romans had simply followed others using the river systems as conduits. Military and trading posts soon turned into cities such as Aix, Arles, and Nimes. Julius Caesar, by invitation of the Celts, acted as ally, liberator, and arbitrator between the warring tribes. By 59 B.C. he began driving the invading barbarian Germanic people back to the Rhine. By 51 B.C. he had conquered Gaul after massacre and enslavement of the Celts. (It seems to me that the early Barbaras Greek families may have become grape growers or wine merchants and simply used the river systems to find better grape regions in Alsace along the present wine route).

- Glen Barbaras