Re: Hessen

From: Rick McCallister
Message: 68589
Date: 2012-02-22

Please refresh my memory.
How long were the Romans in (Northern and Central) Germania before Arminius's attack? About 50-60 years? Or less?
How far did they make it?
I've seen sloppy maps in popular publications that show the Romans either at the Elbe, the Oder or even the Vistula but how far did they really extend, or do we even know?

From: stlatos <stlatos@...>
To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 8:27 PM
Subject: [tied] Re: Hessen

 


--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "dgkilday57" <dgkilday57@...> wrote:
>
>
> Equating the medieval and modern Hessen with Tacitus's Chatti involves three phonological problems. The latter presumably represents Germanic *Xatto:z, which has the wrong declension, the wrong internal consonantism, and nothing to umlaut the /a/. If Tacitus had actually known about any ancient Hessen, and their name was native, his term should have been *Chationes.
>
> Modern <Kassel> apparently continues Latin <castellum> 'fortress'. The local development -st- > -ss- suggests that <Hessen> could similarly continue Lat. *hastio:ne:s 'spear-men', from <hasta> 'spear'. A parallel Gmc. borrowing is seen in Old English <cempa> 'soldier, warrior' from Lat. <campio:> '(battle)field-man', in turn from <campus> 'field'.
>
> Kassel, of course, is well beyond the Rhine. What I propose is that Roman colonization was under way in Augustan times, and a fortress was established there. Local warriors were hired as elite guards for the Roman officials in the area, and were known as *Hastio:ne:s, since they carried spears. Then Arminius's attack changed everything, and Augustus in panic ordered the withdrawal of Romans from farther Germany. But the *Hastio:ne:s remained in a privileged position among the native military, and quickly established themselves as the ruling class of the Kassel area after the Romans left.
>

There are many problems w what you wrote. First, see:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/cybalist/message/36534

Also, assuming conn. w hætt OE; hat E; there could also have been a variant related to:

cassis cassidis (g) = helmet L;

There's a lot that could complicate the search, but I don't think much does, certainly not what you said.