Mattium was the ancient "capital" or principal settlement (Latin: "caput gentis") of the

Chatti The Chatti (also Chatthi or Catti) were an ancient Germanic tribe whose homeland was near the upper Weser (''Visurgis'') river. They lived in central and northern Hesse and southern Lower Saxony, along the upper reaches of that river and in ...

. Its exact location is unknown, though following the description of

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

it is generally assumed to be somewhere in the wider neighbourhood of

Fritzlar Fritzlar () is a small town (pop. 15,000) in the Schwalm-Eder-Kreis, Schwalm-Eder district in northern Hesse, Germany, north of Frankfurt, with a storied history. The town has a medieval center ringed by a wall with numerous watch towers. high ...

in northern

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

(

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Location

Tacitus mentions Mattium in his

Annals Annals (, from , "year") are a concise history, historical record in which events are arranged chronology, chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction betw ...

, when he describes the Roman campaign against the Chatti under the command of

Germanicus Germanicus Julius Caesar (24 May 15 BC – 10 October AD 19) was a Roman people, Roman general and politician most famously known for his campaigns against Arminius in Germania. The son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia the Younger, Germanicu ...

in 15 AD. According to him the Roman army destroyed the ''caput gentis'' Mattium, directly after it crossed the river ''Adrana'' ( Eder).Tacitus, The Annals 1.56 Aside from Tacitus' description placing Mattium north of the Eder, there is also some linguistic analysis suggesting that the names of the villages ''Maden'' and ''Metze'' and the brook ''Matzoff'' might be derived from Mattium and hence Mattium might be located in their neighbourhood. However, so far there are no archeological findings which would provide an exact location and confirm the description of Tacitus or the linguistic analysis.Werner Guth: ''Mattium – Onomastische Überlegungen zu einem historischen Problem''. In: Zeitschrift des Vereins für hessische Geschichte und Landeskunde, 113, Kassel 2008, p. 1-16
online copy
(German) The Altenburg, an ancient fortified site, in the same neighbourhood, was often equated with Mattium in older literature. However, more recent research, in particular the dating of archeological artefacts from the site, has concluded that the site was already abandoned decades before the Roman troops destroyed Mattium. Therefore, the Altenburg is not considered a suitable candidate for Mattium anymore.Armin Becker: ''Mattium''. In: ''Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde'' (RGA). 2. edition, volume 19, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin – New York 2001, p. 443–444. () (German) The term ''caput gentis'' being used by Tacitus may not only denote a capital in the sense of a single large fortified settlement, but it could also refer to a central place of worship. In the latter case it is conceivable that Mattium comprised a larger area consisting of various ritual sites and settlements connected to them rather than being a single central settlement.Karl Ernst Demandt: ''Geschichte des Landes Hessen''. Stauda Verlag Kassel, 1981, p. 23, 31, 63, 84, 95, 115. (German)

Mattiacum

Mattium is not to be confused with ''Mattiacum'' (

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...

), also called ''Aquae Mattiacorum'', which was the principal settlement of the Mattiaci. The Mattiaci were a separate tribe that lived between the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

river and the

Taunus The Taunus () is a mountain range in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located north west of Frankfurt and north of Wiesbaden. The tallest peak in the range is '' Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are '' Kleiner Feldberg' ...

mountain range. Contrary to the Chatti they became incorporated into the Roman empire when the

Limes Germanicus The (Latin for ''Germanic frontier''), or 'Germanic Limes', is the name given in modern times to a line of frontier () fortifications that bounded the ancient Roman provinces of Germania Inferior, Germania Superior and Raetia, dividing the Roman ...

was built.Cornelius Tacitus, J. B. Rives (ed.): ''Germania''. Oxford University Press 1999, , p. 242 () The similarity between ''Mattiaci'' and ''Mattium'' and the fact that ''Mattiaci'' could be understood as "people from Mattium" has led some scholars to believe, that the Mattiaci might be related to the Chatti and had split off from them at an earlier time.

Historical sources

: ''

''. Book I Chapter 56
online copy

References

*Armin Becker: ''Mattium''. In: ''Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde'' (RGA). 2. edition, volume 19, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin – New York 2001, p. 443–444. ({{Google books, d1URMz8B36oC, restricted online copy, page=443) (German) * Werner Guth: ''Mattium – Onomastische Überlegungen zu einem historischen Problem''. In: Zeitschrift des Vereins für hessische Geschichte und Landeskunde, 113, Kassel 2008, p. 1-16.
online copy
(German) * Karl Ernst Demandt: ''Geschichte des Landes Hessen''. Stauda Verlag Kassel, 1981, p. 23, 31, 63, 84, 95, 115. (German)

Notes

Settlements in Germania Magna Chatti