The Varisci (German: Varisker) were a Germanic tribe, the presumed prior inhabitants of a medieval district, Provincia Variscorum, the same (in presumption) as the Vogtland district of Saxony in Germany. They do not appear under that name exactly in ancient history, however, but rather come on stage boldly and abruptly in the Germania (Chapter 42) of Tacitus as the Naristi, with manuscript variants of Narisci and Varisti. Perhaps the historical name of the mediaeval province is to be regarded as the final authority, but there are other possibilities:
Tacitus describes the location of the Varisci as being along the line of the Danube between the Hermunduri at its source and the Marcomanni and Quadi in Bohemia. Ptolemy (Book 2, Chapter 10) adds that the Ouaristoi were south of the Sudeten Mountains and west of Gabreta Forest. The sources thus agree on their location.
Tacitus says that they were allies of the Marcomanni and Quadi in their bold expulsion of the Celtic Boii from their ancient home. Very likely, then, all three allies were not from that region, but moved into it in the time of Julius Caesar (in the 1st century BC). We do not know where they had been or what they had been called. One presumes that the Marcomanni ("border men") took their name from being on the Danubian frontier. The Narisci are stated to be of the Suebi. That is all history tells us.
Ptolemy states the names of some towns in the district, but what language they are or whether they were taken over or founded anew he does not say. The towns that might reasonably be interpreted as in the Variscan domain are Bicurgium, Menosgada, Marobudum, Setuacotum, Brodentia, Abilunum and Usbium on the Danube.
La historia registra el probable fin de los Varisci sin darnos nada intermedio. Fue tan audaz y repentino como el comienzo. Alrededor del año 167, todos los pueblos a lo largo del Danubio, germánicos y otros, atacaron repentinamente la frontera romana durante el reinado de Marco Aurelio . Quizás confundieron la bondad con la debilidad. Se apresuró a defender el reino y después de una larga serie de episodios, llamados por nosotros las Guerras Marcomanas , porque los marcomanos habían instigado y coordinado el ataque, obligó al enemigo a aceptar. Durante la pelea, el jefe de los Naristi... Valao fue asesinado por el general romano Marco Valerio Maximiano . [1]
Las Guerras Marcomanas están narradas y explicadas en Marcellinus Ammianus , aunque allí no se menciona a los Varisci. Sí encuentran una breve mención como las Varistae de la Vita Marci Antonini Philosophi (Capítulo 22) de Julio Capitolino . Estuvieron entre las tribus que cruzaron el Danubio, pero no se mencionan después, ni continúan en su provincia, pues la habitan los Armalausi en las Tablas de Peutinger .
La mejor suposición sobre su destino final es que Marco Aurelio los trasplantó a Italia, junto con muchos otros pueblos guerreros que habitaban el Danubio, donde podía velar por ellos. Este tipo de solución nos resulta familiar en los tiempos modernos. Los ataques germánicos posteriores abrumaron e invadieron el imperio. Los Varisci probablemente perdieron su identidad después de la caída del Imperio Romano.