TheTectosages orTectosagii (Gaulish: *Textosagioi, 'Dwelling-Seekers', or 'Possessions-Seekers') were one of the three ancientGallic tribes ofGalatia in centralAsia Minor, together with theTolistobogii andTrocmii.^[1]

TheethnonymTectosagii is a latinized form ofGaulish *Textosagioi (sing.Textosagios), where thevoiceless velar fricative ⟨x⟩, unknown in Latin, was replaced with the sound ⟨k⟩.^[2] It can be translated as 'those who seek a dwelling', or 'those who seek possessions', from the Celtic stem*texto- ('goods, property, possessions'; cf.Old Irishtecht 'possession') attached tosagi- ('who is seeking'). The name can be compared with the Old Irish legal termtechtaigidir, meaning 'to seek to establish (or reestablish) legal claim to land'.^[2][3]

According toStrabo, the Tectosages came originally from the region aroundTolosa inGaul, where they had been part of the tribal confederation of theVolcae. During theGallic invasion of the Balkans, c. 280 BC, a branch of the Volcae Tectosages, returning fromDelphi, split from the main group and joined two other tribes, the Tolistobogii and the Trocmi. Around 278 BC, they were hired as mercenaries byNicomedes I ofBithynia and crossed theBosporus.^{[citation needed]} After leaving Bithynia, they raided in Asia Minor and finally settled in easternPhrygia, where they established a new Celtic confederate identity as theGalatians.^{[citation needed]}The Tectosages occupied the centre of the Galatian territory, round their capitalAncyra, with the Tolistobogii in the west and the Trocmii to the east.^{[citation needed]}

• King, John (2000).Kingdoms of the Celts: A History and a Guide. Blandford.ISBN 978-0-7137-2693-0.
• Coşkun, Altay (2013). "Belonging and Isolation in Central Anatolia: The Galatians in the Graeco-Roman World". In Ager, Sheila L.; Faber, Riemer A. (eds.).Belonging and Isolation in the Hellenistic World. Vol. 51. University of Toronto Press. pp. 73–95.doi:10.3138/9781442699441.ISBN 978-1-4426-4422-9.JSTOR 10.3138/9781442699441.11.
• Maier, Bernhard; Windle, Kevin (2003). "The Celts in Asia Minor".The Celts: A History from Earliest Times to the Present. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 90–96.ISBN 978-0-7486-1605-3.JSTOR 10.3366/j.ctt1r2bc7.12.

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