Part II - The Celts, Romans and Franks - A Brief History of the Movement of People in the Odenwald

Iron Age (The Celts)

During the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age, the people known as the Celts could already be found in the Odenwald Region. Again, there was not an immediate change from one age to another, but a fluid transition in which the use of iron replaced that of bronze.  During this time, settlement in the area became denser, and we can now find more evidence of what life would have been like for our Iron Age predecessors, not only as archaeological artefacts, but now from written accounts by Roman historians.

The yellow band shows the core Hallstatt
territory by the 6th century BC

The origin of the Celts is a subject of debate.  One theory suggests that the people we know as the Celts were descendants of the Urnfield People and that their culture slowly evolved to take on those characteristics we now classify as Celtic.  Whether this is true or not, it is now widely agreed that the Celts originated in a narrow band that stretched across central Europe, an area which includes the Odenwald.  This area is considered the Celtic homeland.

The Celtic period is divided into two different time periods, the Hallstatt period (750 - 500 BC) and the Laténe period (480 BC - to Roman Conquest). The Hallstatt Celts were so named from the rich grave finds discovered in Hallstatt, Austria. The Laténe Culture, which arose from the Hallstatt Culture, was named after the La Téne archaeological site on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland.  

The Muemling River in
Erbach

Almost all of the Celtic archeological finds in the Odenwald date from the Hallstatt or very early Laténe cultures, although many local place names originate from the Laténe period.  Messel, Mümling and Viernheim are all examples of Celtic-origin names.  Even the name "Darmstadt" is actually derived from the Celtic "Darmundstadt",: Dar is from the Celtic word for Oak, Mund (Mountain), Stadt (Place), so it’s not really Intestine (Darm) Town at all.

Celtic Grave Goods from
Hochdorf, Germany

A fairly large Celtic settlement existed along the road from Gross-Umstadt to Lengfeld, as well as in Habitzheim. Other Celtic discoveries have been found in Triasa, Ober-Ramstadt and in the forests between Rossdorf and Darmstadt.  A hill grave at Altheim was discovered in 1935, revealing artifacts such as urns, small vessels, an iron sword and four small bronze implements.  Other grave mounds have been found at Herring, Hummetroth, Ober-Nauses, Höchst and Wiebelsbach.

The Romans and Early Germanic Tribes

It is sometimes difficult to know which tribe of people lived in which area, though Roman historians can give us a very good idea.  Tacitus has this to say about the people living in the Odenwald at the time of the Roman occupation:

"I am inclined not to reckon among the people of Germany the cultivators of the Agri decumates, settled though they may be between Rhine and Danube. All the wastrels of Gaul, all the penniless adventurers seized on what was still no man's land. It was only later, when the frontier line of defence was drawn and the garrisons were moved forward, that they have become a sort of projection of the empire and a part of a province."

The Romans described Celts as Gauls, so it seems that there were still Celts in the area, and the Odenwald had not yet been taken over by the Germanic tribes coming from the East when Tacitus was writing in 98 AD.

In addition to the Celts, there would have been some Germanic people living in the region, even if on the fringes of the Odenwald. In the reigns of both Vespasian (69 - 79 AD) and Domitian (83 - 85 AD), historians talk about battles between the Romans and the Chatti tribe, fighting which occurred as the Romans attempted military incursions across the Rhine.

Despite these battles, by the end of the 1st century, Vespasian occupied the area between the Rhine and the Danube, creating the Agri Decumantes.  Historians dispute whether this term refers to the

The Limes Fortification System

division of the area into ten districts or whether it refers to a type of tithe system imposed upon the native inhabitants.  Regardless of which idea is correct, the area remained under this administration until the construction of the border fortification system known as The Limes, which allowed the Romans to have greater control of the area.  It was after this fortification of the frontier, no later than 125 a.d.,  that the territory came under civil rather than military administration, and it became a civitas known as the Civitias Auderiensuim with the town of Dieburg as its administrative center.

In 260 - 285, civil unrest in Rome caused the recall of Roman soldiers from many of the outlying provinces, including the area between the Rhine and The Limes.  Lying in wait on the other side of the Limes were the Alemanni, a Germanic tribe who had inhabited the Baltic Sea region east of the Elbe River during the early days of the Roman Empire until they were driven west by the Huns.   The soldiers return to Rome allowed the Alemanni Tribe to move west across The Limes and gain dominance in the Odenwald region. This dominance lasted until 496 whenthe Alemanni were defeated by the Frankish King, Clovis, and they were then absorbed into the Frankish kingdom; however, the name "Alemanni" lives on. It is from that name that many languages such as French get their name for Germany, Allemagne.

Charles the Great (Charlemagne)

Following the fall of the Western Roman Empire at the end of the 5th century, the Franks began to conquer the other Germanic tribes and had, by the end of the 8th century, developed into the Carolingian Empire.  When the Frankish king, Charlemagne, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III in 800 AD, he and his successors began to be recognised as the legitimate successors of the Western Roman Empire.

Sources:

Bishop, Ray. “Roman Colonization of the Main Valley and Odenwald | Romans, Knights, Doughboys: Lingering Memories in a European Landscape.” Romans Knights Doughboys Lingering Memories in a European Landscape RSS, www.raybishophistory.co.uk/german-frontier-of-the-roman-empire/the-drive-to-the-east/roman-colonization-of-the-main-valley-and-odenwald/.

Cartwright, Mark. “Celts.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, 22 July 2016, www.ancient.eu/celt/.

Das Muehltal im Odenwald, http://www.muehltal-odenwald.de/geschich/mu/fruh_vor.html, Accessed August 16, 2017.

Hahn, Ludwig Dr.. Die Vorgeschichte der Stadt und Ihrer Umgehung, http://www.ueberau.de/vorgeschichte.htm, Accessed August 16, 2017.

Tacitus, Cornelius. “Germania by Cornelius Tacitus (A.D. 98).” Germania (Ancient Germany) by Cornelius Tacitus, www.ourcivilisation.com/smartboard/shop/tacitusc/germany/chap1.htm.