Chatti

Chatti

The Chatti were a Roman era Germanic people that lived in a region approximately corresponding to the modern German federal state of Hesse. The Chatti were among the most important opponents of the Roman Empire during the Roman campaigns in Germania which were pursued under the emperor Augustus and his heirs. In this context they were among the defeated opponents of Drusus the Elder, during his 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 by Arminius of the Cherusci, although there is no record of them being present at the Battle 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 the La Tène material culture, similar to the Celtic-speaking Gauls 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 the Elbe Germanic peoples including the Suebi who lived to their east, near the Elbe river. This period of change is believed to have also involved a switch from Celtic to Germanic languages, which also originated near the Elbe. The first surviving Roman reports of the region were made during the Gallic Wars of Julius Caesar in 58-52 BC, do not mention the Chatti, but they do mention the entry of Suebi 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 the Batavi and Cananefates 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 the Mattiaci, neighbours of the Chatti who, like the Batavi lived under Roman jurisdiction, were also originally a part of the Chatti.

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Allyn, Washington.

Edward Hulton (senior).

Chatti

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