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''). They lived in central and northern Hesse and southern Lower Saxony, along the upper reaches of that river and in the va ...

. 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. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

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

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...

(

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Location

Tacitus mentions Mattium in his

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

, when he describes the Roman campaign against the Chatti under the command of Germanicus 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
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(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 a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

), also called ''Aquae Mattiacorum'', which was the principal settlement of the

Mattiaci The Mattiaci were by Tacitus recorded as an ancient Germanic tribe and related to the Chatti, their Germanic neighbors to the east. There is no clear definition of what the tribe's name meant. The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography'' sugge ...

. The Mattiaci were a separate tribe that lived between the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

river and the

Taunus The Taunus is a mountain range in Hesse, Germany, located north of Frankfurt. The tallest peak in the range is '' Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are ''Kleiner Feldberg'' (825 m) and '' Altkönig'' (798 m). The Taunus range span ...

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

Limes Germanicus The (Latin for ''Germanic frontier'') 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 Empire and the unsubd ...

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
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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