Tubantes
TheTubanteswere aGermanic tribe,living in the eastern part of theNetherlands,north of theRhineriver. They are often equated to theTuihanti,who are known from two inscriptions found nearHadrian's Wall.The modern nameTwentederives from the word Tuihanti.
History
[edit]Little is known about the Tubantes. They are first mentioned in a description of the first expedition of Germanicus against the Marsi in 14 AD,[1]when they, in coalition with theBructeriandUsipetes,ambushed the Roman forces returning to their winter-quarters, probably somewhere in theMünsterland.
In 17 AD, the Tubantes are apparently referred to as theTubattii,inStrabo's in a list of Germanic peoples defeated by Rome underGermanicus.[2][3]After being vanquished by the Romans, some Tubantes were prisoners of Germanicus' triumphal procession.[2]
In 58 AD,Tacitusreports in hisAnnalsthat theAmpsivarii,in their plea to the Romans concerning some land north of the Rhine reserved by the Roman military, that it had belonged in sequence to theChamavi,Tubantes, and then theUsipii.[4](The Usipii are known to have moved into the Rhine region around the time of Caesar (55 BC), but not yet to have found permanent settlement in that time, and to have been resident at the afore-mentioned northern bank of the Rhine by the time ofDrususaround 11 AD.)
In 69 AD, they provided acohortduring theBatavian Revolt,which was destroyed by theUbii.
Claudius Ptolemyin hisGeographia(2.10) appears to describe a north to south series starting with the Chamavi "under" whom are theChattiand Tubanti, and then between these and the Sudetes mountains, thought to be theOre Mountains,the Teuriochaemae (an otherwise unknown name, but in the place previously inhabited by theHermanduriand later by theThuringii,with these three names often thought to be equivalent).[5]But the position of the Chamavi and Tubantes so far to the southeast does not match other sources, and Chamavi also seem to be mentioned under another name in a more expected place, south of the coastalChauci,and north of the Bructeri, in between Ems and Weser. Confusingly, other tribes normally from the region of the Tubantes, theChattuariandChasuarii,are also described as if they are in southern Germany in this passage.[6]
Two third-century sacral inscriptions found nearHadrian's Wallmake mention ofTuihantiserving in an auxiliary unit of the Roman army, theCuneus Frisiorum.[3](TheFrisiiwas a name applied to all or most tribes north of the Rhine in Roman times, in the same general area of the Tubantes.) The inscriptions say:
- "To the god Mars and the twoAlaisiagae,and to the divine power of the Emperor, the German tribesmen of Tuihantis of the formation of Frisians ofVercovicium,Severus Alexanders's own, willingly and deservedly fulfilled their vow. "
- "To the god Mars Thinescus and the two Alaisiagae, Beda and Fimmilena, and the divine power of the Emperor, Germans tribemen from Tuihantis willingly and deservedly fulfilled their vow."[7]
"Mars Thingsus" is understood as referring to the Germanic God "Tyr",who was often considered equivalent to RomanMars,and was associated with the Germanic traditions of assemblies called "Things".
In 308 AD the Tubantes joined the alliance againstConstantine the Greatduring his campaign against theBructeri.[8]
The name reappears asTuiantiandTueantiin two acts from 797 and 799 AD concerning the donation of some farms in Twente andSallandto the church ofWichmond,Gelderland.[3]
Archaeology
[edit]Archaeology shows that the region associated with the Tubantes was inhabited more or less continuously since the last ice-age. The region is very fertile and will support agriculture and cattle. The countryside is marked by artificial hills, calledesoresch,which were formed by depositing dung mixed with dirt. Prime examples include theFleringer Esch,nearFleringenand theUsseler Es,also known as theUsseler Esch,nearUsselo.
There is archaeological evidence of (relatively) large scale iron production in the region, specifically nearHeeten,indicating that the locals understood the process of producingsteel,with a carbon content of 2% [1]. The ore used was the abundantbog iron.The production sites can be dated to 280-350 AD.[9][10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Tacitus,Annales1.51.
- ^ab"Strabo, Geography, BOOK VII., CHAPTER I".Perseus.tufts.edu.Retrieved2016-11-29.
- ^abcLanting; van der Plicht (2010)."De14C-chronologie van de Nederlandse Pre- en Protohistorie VI: Romeinse tijd en Merovingische periode, deel A: historische bronnen en chronologische schema's ".Palaeohistoria.51/52: 61.
- ^"Cornelius Tacitus, The Annals, BOOK XIII, chapter 55".Perseus.tufts.edu.Retrieved2016-11-29.
- ^"Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), TEURIOCHAEMAE".Perseus.tufts.edu.Retrieved2016-11-29.
- ^"Ptolemy's maps of northern Europe, a reconstruction of the prototypes: Schütte, Gudmund, 1872-: Free Download & Streaming: Internet Archive".Archive.org.Retrieved2016-11-29.
- ^Attema, P. A. J.; Lanting, J. N.; Los-Weijns, M. A. (15 December 2008).Palaeohistoria 49/50 (2007/2008).Barkhuis. p. 701.ISBN978-90-77922-44-6.Retrieved13 December2012.In Latin: 1.Deo / Marti / Thincso / et duabus / Alaisiagis / Bed(a)e et Fi/mmilen(a)e / et n(umini) Aug(usti) Ger/m(ani) cives Tu/ihanti / v(otum) s(olverunt) l(ibentes) m(erito).2.Deo / Marti et duabus / Alaisiagis et n(umini) Aug(usti) / Ger(mani) cives Tuihanti / cunei Frisiorum / Ver(covicianorum) Se(ve)r(iani) Alexand/riani votum / solverunt / libent[es] / m(erito).
- ^Nazarius,Panegyric of Constantine,18 (C.E.V. Nixon & B.S. Rogers,In praise of later Roman emperors. The Panegyrici Latini. Introduction, translation, and historical commentary, with the Latin text of R.A.B. Mynors.Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994, p. 363).
- ^Keulemans, Maarten (13 May 2004)."Overijsselaren toch geen barbaren - Stukje staal geeft de doorslag".Nieuws.Noorderlicht.Retrieved23 August2010.
- ^Rincon, Paul (12 May 2004)."Iron Age tool marks move to steel".BBC News.BBC.Retrieved23 August2010.
