Mattium

Mattium was the political, cultural and spiritual center of the West Germanic tribe of the Chatti, probably in what is now Schwalm-Eder -Kreis in North Hesse. The Roman historian Tacitus described in his annals of its destruction by the Roman commander Germanicus in 15 AD During the earlier research Mattium with the Altenburg near Niedenstein equated, you go today due to new information ( dating of archaeological finds ) assume that this equation is wrong.

According to tradition, Tacitus

The chat tables settlement area bordered on the east by that of Hermunduren and to the north by the the Cherusker, on the west by that of the Marsi and on the south by the Roman Empire. For the first time mentioned by the geographer Strabo, the peasant warriors chatting. Due to their proximity and numerous skirmishes with the Romans in the south, but also through participation in the Varus battle, the Chatti were included in the history. Who chieftain of the Chatti was at this time, and whether they ever had one or more chiefs, is not historically verifiable. Strabo mentions a daughter of Prince Ucromirus chat and a chat tables priestess named Libes, which were carried in the triumph of Germanicus in 17 AD as prisoners. Tacitus mentions the chat princes ARPUs and Agdandestrius which Tiberius had agreed towards the poison murder of Arminius, and in connection with the request of the Cherusker for the establishment of a king in the year 47 AD a Actumerus likely to belong to the generation of Arminius .. main source for the existence of a place Mattium is its mention in Tacitus.

The defeat of the Roman legions under Publius Quinctilius Varus 9 AD, and the victory of Arminius in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest did not mean the end of the threat posed by the Romans for the chat. Tiberius AD 10 came again to the Rhine before and secured the Roman positions. 13 AD Tiberius was replaced by Gemanicus. Meanwhile, the army grew to the largest number of troops in a frontier of Rome. Now, eight legions in Germany were stationed. The chat penetrated under its prior to the Wetterau.

Germanicus decided to retaliate, which should be a retaliation for participation in the chat at the Battle of Varus at the same time. With four legions and 10,000 auxiliary troops man he followed 15 AD by the Koblenz Bronze Age Lahnstraße, the Lahn left at the Ohmmündung and resulted in a northeasterly direction into Weserstraße. Favored by persistent drought could occur in the chat Tables central landscape around the present Fritzlar Germanicus surprising.

The legate Lucius Apronius he had to create back fixed routes and building bridges, because he expected an increase in the Lahn for the return march. Would Germanicus marched from Mogontiacum (Mainz) through the Wetterau, he would have to set on the ohm happens no larger body of water that would have required an entire pioneer unit to secure the return path. However, a march through the chat table now occupied Wetterau would not gone unnoticed.

At the same time ordered Germanicus the legate Caecina with the Lower Rhine army in strength of four legions and 5,000 men auxiliary troops to Haltern am See, with the aim to prevent on the Hellweg Cheruscans and Marsi in supporting the Chatti in the fight against the Romans.

This sudden, unexpected and rapid advance surprised the Chatti, who could afford no organized opposition outside their principal settlements more. Resistance made ​​only chat tables Jungmannschaft the Roman transfer of Adrana (Eder ) at Fritzlar. They swam across the river, but were repulsed by the use of Roman catapults and archers.

As peace efforts failed, some chatting joined the Romans, most scattered in the surrounding forests. It was not fought. Mattium was revealed. Germanicus cremated and let it ravage the country. Probably put the chat after the destruction of its main sanctuary entirely a the opposition. On the march to the Rhine, the Romans were, according to Tacitus, not attacked. For Germanicus was the destruction of the tribal sanctuary sufficient opportunity to obtain recognition of its foray into Rome as winning a big battle.

Mattiaci

It is possible that the name of the place Mattiaci Mattium derived. This will be closed next to the similarity of the name from the mention of the trunk immediately after the also split off from the chat Batavians in Tacitus. The Mattiaci were in the area around present-day Wiesbaden ( Aquae Mattiacum or Mattiacorum ), which was in Roman times the capital of the Civitas Mattiacorum.

Today's localization

Mattium could not be located exactly today, but it is generally believed that it was somewhere in northern Hesse, probably in the area north of Fritzlar as Germanicus before the destruction of the Eder Mattium still crossed. Lange had equated Mattium with the Altenburg near Niedenstein, but the dating of recent archaeological finds break before the destruction Mattiums by Germanicus on what speaks against this assumption.

From the archaeological material of the era accurate identification Mattiums with an Iron Age settlement or attachment is not yet possible. The few references come from the language research and refer to the places Metze and maggots and the creek Matzoff, of which it is assumed that they might derive from Mattium. It also remains unclear whether the term caput gentis refers in Tacitus to a single large settlement or whether some kind of tribal sanctuary, as well as an economic or political center are meant.

Some historians assume, therefore, that it was at Mattium not a limited location, but to a larger area, which consisted of various farmsteads and Fliehburgen with ring walls. The Altenburg would therefore be a link in a chain ring wall was, possibly included the level of maggots, with the Mader Heath, and Metze. In this area there were then the most important religious, political, legal venues and facilities of the Chatti.