Batavii: Encyclopedia II - Batavii - Location

Batavii - Location

They were mentioned by Julius Caesar in his commentary Gallic Wars, as living on an island formed by the Meuse River after it is joined by the Waal, 80 Roman miles from the mouth of the river. He said there were many other islands formed by branches of the Rhine, inhabited by savage and barbarous nations, some of whom were supposed to live on fish and the eggs of sea-fowl.

Tacitus named the Mattiaci as a similar tribe under homage, but on the other side of the Rhine. The areas inhabited by the Batavians were never occupied by the Romans, as the Batavians were allies.

The Batavians falsely became regarded as the eponymous ancestors of the Dutch people. The Netherlands were briefly known as the Batavian Republic. Moreover, in the time Indonesia was a Dutch colony, the capital (now Jakarta) was named Batavia.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Location", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki