Gaul was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Romans, encompassing present-day Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and parts of Germany, Netherlands, Northern Italy and Switzerland. It covered an area of 494,000 km2 (191,000 mi2). Archaeologically, the Gauls were bearers of the La Tène culture during the 5th to 1st centuries BC. This material culture was found throughout Gaul and as far east as modern-day southern Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary.