TheChatti were aRoman eraGermanic people that lived in a region approximately corresponding to the modernGerman federal state ofHesse. The Chatti were among the most important opponents of theRoman Empire during theRoman campaigns in Germania which were pursued under the emperorAugustus and his heirs. In this context they were among the defeated opponents ofDrusus the Elder, duringhis Germanic campaigns from 12 BC until his death in 9 BC. Subsequently, they also appear to have been involved in the revolt against Rome which was led byArminius of theCherusci, although there is no record of them being present at theBattle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD which initiated these wars. The Chatti and Cherusci nobility were connected by marriage during this period.
Like many of the peoples of their region, archaeological evidence shows that before the Roman invasions the Chatti region shared in theLa Tènematerial culture, similar to theCeltic-speakingGauls in what is now France. A new regional"Rhine-Weser" material culture developed during the first century AD, which was influenced by both the Romans, and theElbe Germanic peoples including theSuebi who lived to their east, near theElbe river. This period of change is believed to have also involved a switch fromCeltic toGermanic languages, which also originated near the Elbe. The first surviving Roman reports of the region were made during theGallic Wars ofJulius Caesar in 58-52 BC, do not mention the Chatti, but they do mention the entry ofSuebi into the area. He reported them to be mobile and militarized, and creating major disruptions as far away as present day France and Switzerland, even forcing populations to move from their homelands.
Roman sources mentioned that before their entry into the written historical record in about 11 BC the Chatti experienced internal conflicts, which caused groups to leave who went on to found the Rome-allied polities of theBatavi andCananefates in the Rhine delta. It is speculated that this conflict was influenced by the arrival of both the Romans and the Suebi in their region. The Batavi and Cananefates were known for their soldiers, who became important within the Roman military. It is likely that theMattiaci, neighbours of the Chatti who, like the Batavi lived under Roman jurisdiction, were also originally a part of the Chatti. Some modern scholars also propose that name of theChattuarii, who lived east of the Rhine delta, indicates they lived, or had previously lived, in a land once inhabited by the Chatti, but the Chattuari, like the Suebi, were probably Germanic speakers from the Elbe.
The Chatti are occasionally mentioned in Roman literature in the second century, and during the chaotic third century they apparently continued to exist. Like several of the neighbouring peoples, the Chatti may have eventually become part of theFranks, who were first mentioned in the third century. The Franks, in any case, eventually came to dominate the Chatti homeland.
The name of the Chatti was written in many ways by classical authors using Latin or Greek, and there is no clear consensus about what it meant, or which language it originally derived from.[1] The language which the Chatti spoke before the arrival of the Romans and Suebi is unclear, because of the lack of concrete evidence.[2] Archaeological evidence shows that the region of Hesse, where they may have already lived before the Romans, indicates that the people there usedLa Tène material goods, which were also used throughout Gaul, and are strongly associated withCeltic languages. From the second half of the 1st century AD archaeologists classify the Chatti asRhine-Weser Germanic peoples, implying a connection toGermanic languages.[3]
While linguists typically seek to explain names from this period and region as either Celtic or Germanic, the significant spelling variations in the Chatti name are seen by scholars as showing patterns known from both language families in this period. However, neither of these explain on their own how the name could have evolved to become medieval or modern German "Hesse(n)".[4] It has therefore been argued that the name as it came to Roman era authors was originally Celtic, although most of the Chatti had recently become Germanic speakers when they came into contact with Rome. The name could have evolved further in two different ways, among Celtic and Germanic speakers.[5]
In the 21st century, the broader proposal that the Chatti were Germanised Celts has been the subject of more detailed proposals byWagner and Toorians to explain how the medieval and modern name of Hesse apparently evolved from an originally Celtic name of the Chatti. Toorians derives it fromProto-Celtic*kassis from earlier*katsi-, meaning "hate". Wagner derives it instead from an adjective*cad-ti- coming from*katus, meaning "battle".[9]
However, many other proposals including derivations from Germanic also exist, beginning withJakob Grimm who proposed that the name is related to English "hat".[1]
According to Tacitus, writing in about 100 AD reported that the Batavi were originally been a part of the Chatti. Domestic strife (seditione domestica) forced the Batavi to move away from the other Chatti and settle in the Rhine delta as special military allies of Rome, before their first clear appearance of the Chatti or Batavi in Roman records.[10][11] Tacitus also described the Canninefates, who lived in the delta, sharing the same large island with the Batavi, as being the same as the Batavi in origin, language, and valour, but smaller in numbers.[12]
TheChattuarii were not connected to the Chatti by any classical authors but modern scholars note that their name transparently means something like "Chatti dwellers". The second element in the name is common among Germanic peoples, especially in this region, such asChasuarii "dwellers on the riverHase",Ampsivarii "dwellers on the riverEms", and theAngrivarii. Scholars generally believe the name of the Chattuari can be interpreted as "inhabitants of the Chatti-lands", in parallel with the post-Roman names of the "Baiuvarii", which is typically interpreted as a name indicating that this people had once been inhabitants of the old homeland of theBoii, and the Boructuarii, who are believed to have been living where theBructeri once lived.[13] The Chattuarii lived to the east of the Rhine delta, outside the Roman empire, but close to the Batavi and Canninefates. Wagner and Rübekeil note that this name has a Germanic ending, and is always spelled with "-tt-", not "-tth-", unlike the name of the Chatti. They therefore propose that these were Germanic speaking newcomers to the region, probablySuebi, and without the same Celtic heritage.[14] Petrikovits sees this name as evidence that Chatti had originally lived in this more northerly region, east of the Rhine delta.[15] He noted how Dio Cassius described how the Chatti, like their offshoots the Batavi, Cananefates and Mattiaci, were assigned land by the Romans shortly before they first appear in the historical records.[16]
Tacitus did not explicitly describe the Mattiaci as an offshoot of the Chatti, but he emphasized their similarity with the Batavi not only in terms of their special military alliance with Rome, but also in other ways (cetera similes Batavi). Modern scholars also note that their name shows an obvious connection to the Chatti stronghold calledMattium. The Mattiaci were furthermore neighbours of the Chatti, but closer to the Rhine. Petrikovits suggested for example that they represent a branch of the Chatti who decided to remain in the lands near the Rhine which the Romans had assigned to them in the time of Augustus.[15]
The accounts ofJulius Caesar's Gallic wars in 58-52 BC discussed the region in some detail, but never directly mention the Chatti, Batavi, Canninefates, Mattiaci or Chattuarii. On the eastern side of the Rhine lived the Sugambri to the north and the Ubii to the south. However, he reported that to their east, near the north of what is now Hesse, the Germanic Suebi had established themselves. These were a mobile and militarized people, threatening the area from a position east of the Ubii. A further indication of their position is given by his description of theTencteri andUsipetes as two Germanic peoples who had been forced to leave their homeland under pressure from the Suebi. Their homeland was apparently east of the Rhine delta, in the vicinity of the Sugambri, with whom they were able to seek refuge when attacked by Caesar. East of the Suebi was a dense forest, theSilva Bacenis (possibly theHarz), and then theCherusci.
During the time of theGermanic wars ofAugustus, when the Chatti began to appear in the historical record, the core of the Chatti lands is believed to have lain in the low basin stretching through the centre of Hesse.[15] The Sugambri still lived between the Chatti and the Rhine, and their area of control now stretched further south, encompassing the region which the Rome-allied Ubii had left vacant after moving, like the Batavi and Canninefates, to the western side of the Rhine, under Roman control.
Cassius Dio, writing centuries later, but using sources now lost, mentioned that the Romans also assigned land to the Chatti near the Rhine. The Sugambri, being hostile to Rome, attacked the Chatti in 11 or 10 BC. While they were distracted in this war the Roman princeDrusus the Elder attacked the Sugambri, and then built forts confronting them, including a fort in Chattian territory. After these events the Chatti abandoned the land which the Romans had given, and joined the Sugambri, becoming enemies of Rome.[17] This abandoned area which the Romans initially allocated to the Chatti may have previously belonged to the Ubii, whose lands were otherwise taken over by the Sugambri in this period.[18] Alternatively, Petrikovits has suggested that this area near the Rhine represented the country of the Mattiaci, who he sees as a part of the Chatti who decided to remain allies of Rome.[19]
The Sugambri and the Suebi were defeated by the Drusus in 9 BC, and ceased to exist in this region. Many were subsequently moved west of the Rhine, and many Suebi apparently joined the Marcomanni in their move toBohemia.[20]
At the end of the 1st century AD, Tacitus described the situation which had developed in the preceding generations of Roman hegemony:
Roman sources identify the approximate position of the Chatti capital ofMattium by mentioning that it was necessarily to cross to the northern side of theEder river to reach it. Destroyed byGermanicus, its location is not known today, but generally it is assumed to be in the wider neighbourhood ofFritzlar.[25]
The first clearly recorded event involving the Chatti was the Sugambri attack upon the Chatti in 11 or 10 BC, during the time of Drusus the Elder. They were angry at the Chatti for not joining their anti-Roman alliance. The Chatti were at that time allied to Rome, and holding land near the Rhine which had been assigned to them by Rome. Both the Sugambri and the Chatti were therefore occupying lands which had once been Ubian, before the Ubii moved west of the Rhine, within the empire. After Drusus built a fort in their territory, the Chatti abandoned that region and joined the Sugambri.[17]
Drusus defeated the Chatti again in one or more campaigns in 10-9 BC. From the several sources which report the sequence of battles, it seems that he had first defeated the Usipetes, before overrunning the territory of the Tencteri and Chatti, who were apparently allies, and already neighbours. In 9 BC, in this same campaign Drusus also defeated the Marcomanni, and an alliance of the Sugambri, Cherusci and Suevi. These victories led to the disappearance of the Marcomanni, Sugambri, and Suebi from the region of the Chatti, while the Tencteri, Usipetes and Cherusci remained, though now pacified, and under Roman hegemony.[26]
Velleius Paterculus mentioned the Chatti in 6 AD, involving a planned invasion of theMarcomanni and other Suebi who had settled deep within the Hercynian forest in what is now theCzech Republic: "Sentius Saturninus received the order to march with his legionsthrough the area of the Chatti toBoiohaemum, which is the name of the area occupied byMaroboduus, cutting a passage through the Hercynian forest which bounded the region."[27] The attack never happened, but the record gives an indication of how far south the Chatti lived, as this Roman campaign was probably intended to depart from RomanMainz and travel via their base inMarktbreit.
In 9 AD the Chatti are believed to have joined theCherusci rebellion against Rome, which began whenArminius annihilated the forces ofVarus in theBattle of the Teutoburg Forest. There is no record connecting to the battle itself, but the Chatti involved in the subsequent battles againstGermanicus and others, and 40 years later they were still holding slaves captured at the battle:
In 58 AD the Chatti weredefeated by the Hermunduri in a dispute over a religiously significant river, which had saline springs and which defined a boundary between the two peoples. "The war was a success for the Hermunduri, and the more disastrous to the Chatti because they had devoted, in the event of victory, the enemy's army to Mars and Mercury, a vow which consigns horses, men, everything indeed on the vanquished side to destruction."[36]
During 69 AD, theYear of the Four Emperors, and theRevolt of the Batavi, which was initiated by Germanic and Gaulish peoples inside the empire, the Chatti, Usipetes and Mattiaci attempted to take advantage of the situation and besieged Mainz.Gaius Dillius Vocula relieved the city with three legions.[37]
The Chatti were opponents of the emperorDomitian, who celebrated a triumph over them in late 83 or early 84, although fighting continued until 85. They were allies ofLucius Antonius Saturninus the governor of Germania Superior in his revolt of 89 AD, but drifting ice on the Rhine prevented them, and they were subsequently attached by the loyal governor ofGermania Inferior.[38][37]
When the Cherusci elected Chariomerus, a king who was friendly to Domitian, the Chatti supported his overthrow.[39]
The Chatti appear again during the build up to theMarcomannic Wars, attacking southwards towardsGermania superior andRaetia in what is now southern Germany, in 162. They were defeated by the governor of Germania Superior.[37] A few years later, once the bigger battles were being fought, they were repulsed together with theHermunduri from the Rhine byDidius Julianus in 175.[40]
In the third century, the empire went through a major crisis — the so calledcrisis of the third century — and had weak control of its frontiers for long periods. Barbarian raids were frequent, but the identities of the raiders are not always clear. New names such as theFranks andAlemanni also eventually began to appear, which apparently included peoples with their own older names.
In an entry concerning 213 AD, Dio Cassius was possibly the first author to mention theAlamanni. In the same unclear passage, the Chatti also appear to be mentioned. Writing about the Germanic war ofCaracalla, he described the emperor fighting "Κέννους, Kελτικòν ἔθνος" ("the Kenni, a Celtic people").[41] (Dio Cassius normally called Germani a type of Celt.) This is taken from an excerpt of Dio in the writings ofJoannes Xiphilinus. However, a parallel fragment from the continuation of this passage inFragmenta Valesiana seems to refer to the same people as "Chattoi".[42]
| Xiphilinus fragment: | Valesiana/Pieresc fragment: |
| The womenof these people, after being captured by the Romans | The women ofthe Chatti and of the Lambanni (sic)—at least those who were taken—did not endure anything servile. |
| τούτων γυναῖκες ἁλοῦσαι ὑπὸ τῶν Ῥωμαίων, | Ὅτι τῶνΧάττων αἱ γυναῖχες χαὶ τῶνλαμβαννῶν οὐ μὴν ὅσαι γε χαὶ ἑάλωσαν δουλοπρεπές τε ὑπέμειναν, |
| —when Antoninus asked whether they wished to be sold or to be killed, they chose the latter | —but when Antoninus inquired whether they wished to be sold or to be killed, they chose the latter |
| ἐρωτήσαντος αὐτὰς τοῦ ᾿Αντωνίνου πότερον πραθῆναι ἢ φονευθῆναι βούλονται, τοῦθ᾽ εἵλοντο | ἀλλὰ πυθομένου τοῦ ᾿Αντωνίνου πότερόν ποτε πραθῆναι ἢ φονευθῆναι βούλονται, τοῦθ᾽ εἵλοντο |
| then, after being sold off, they all killed themselves, and there are some who even killed their children. | then, after being sold off, they all killed themselves; there are some who even killed their children. |
| ἔπειτ᾽ ἀπεμποληθεῖσαι πᾶσαι μὲν ἑαυτάς, εἰσὶ δ᾽ αἷ καὶ τὰτεκνα ἀπέκτειναν. | ἔπειτα ἀπεμτιοληθεῖσαι πᾶσαι μὲν αὐταὶ ἑαυτάς, εἰσὶ δ᾽ αἷ χαὶ τὰπαιδία ἀπέχτειναν. |
| Notes: Caracalla's real name was Antoninus. Dio Cassius mainly spells the name of the Alemanni in this passage as "Alambanni". | |
The "Cati" are mentioned between theBructeri andBurgundians in theLaterculus Veronensis which was made in about 314 AD, in a list of people who had been under imperial domination in the third century.[43] This matches their traditional position, and argues for their continued existence.[37]
In 392/3 AD, during the winter campaign ofArbogast against theFranks east of the Rhine, he observed Chatti and Ampsivarii forces on heights at some distance from the Roman force. They were under the leadership of the Frankishdux,Marcomer.[44] It has been suggested by some scholars that this must be an error for the Chattuari.[45] However, not all scholars agree.[37] This quotation is one of the only pieces of evidence that the Chatti may have become Franks.
Pliny the Elder, in hisNatural History (written 77–79 <AD) distinguished the Chatti and Suebi but grouped them together with theHermunduri and theCherusci, calling this group theHermiones, which is a nation of Germanic tribes also mentioned by Tacitus as living in inland Germany.[46]
Strabo, some time after 16 AD, included the Chatti in a listing of conquered Germanic tribes who were more settled and agricultural, but also poorer, than the nomadic tribes such as the Suebi. They were poor because they had fought the Romans, and had been defeated and plundered.[31]
In his second book ofEpigrams,Martial credited the emperorDomitian (51–96 AD) as having overcome the Chatti:[47]
"frater Idumaeos meruit cum patre triumphos, | "Your brother earned Idumaean triumphs together with your father, |
Tacitus described the Chatti. Scholars have noted that Tacitus described them as having no cavalry, despite the famous reputation of their supposed kinsmen the Batavi and Cannanefates, or their western neighbours the Tencteri and Ubii:
Hardy frames, close-knit limbs, fierce countenances, and a peculiarly vigorous courage, mark the tribe. For Germans, they have much intelligence and sagacity; they promote their picked men to power, and obey those whom they promote; they keep their ranks, note their opportunities, check their impulses, portion out the day, intrench themselves by night, regard fortune as a doubtful, valour as an unfailing, resource; and what is most unusual, and only given to systematic discipline, they rely more on the general than on the army. Their whole strength is in their infantry, which, in addition to its arms, is laden with iron tools and provisions. Other tribes you see going to battle, the Chatti to a campaign. Seldom do they engage in mere raids and casual encounters. It is indeed the peculiarity of a cavalry force quickly to win and as quickly to yield a victory. Fleetness and timidity go together; deliberateness is more akin to steady courage.[48]
Tacitus also notes that like other Germanic tribes such as the Suebi, the Chatti took an interest in traditions concerning haircuts and beards.
A practice, rare among the other German tribes, and simply characteristic of individual prowess, has become general among the Chatti, of letting the hair and beard grow as soon as they have attained manhood, and not till they have slain a foe laying aside that peculiar aspect which devotes and pledges them to valour. Over the spoiled and bleeding enemy they show their faces once more; then, and not till then, proclaiming that they have discharged the obligations of their birth, and proved themselves worthy of their country and of their parents. The coward and the unwarlike remain unshorn. The bravest of them also wear an iron ring (which otherwise is a mark of disgrace among the people) until they have released themselves by the slaughter of a foe. Most of the Chatti delight in these fashions. Even hoary-headed men are distinguished by them, and are thus conspicuous alike to enemies and to fellow-countrymen. To begin the battle always rests with them; they form the first line, an unusual spectacle. Nor even in peace do they assume a more civilised aspect. They have no home or land or occupation; they are supported by whomsoever they visit, as lavish of the property of others as they are regardless of their own, till at length the feebleness of age makes them unequal to so stern a valour.[49]
A Chattian appears among ethnic stereotypes in apanegyric written in honour of the emperorAvitus bySidonius Apollinaris in the late fifth century: "the Alaman sent envoys to crave pardon for their frenzy, the Saxon's raiding abated and the marshy water of Elbe confined the Chattian".[50]
At theCongress of Vienna theElector of Hesse, restored with the fall ofNapoleon, unsuccessfully attempted to get recognized as "King of the Chatti" - though by then the Chatti had long since ceased to exist as a distinct ethnic group[51]
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Apart from the modern regional name Hesse or Hessen, other placenames have been associated with the Chatti.
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