▁W ess em ▁is ▁a ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁municipality ▁of ▁Ma as g ouw . ▁As ▁of ▁ 2 0 0 2 , ▁W ess em ▁had ▁a ▁population ▁of ▁ 1 , 7 5 0 . ▁ ▁History ▁of ▁W ess em ▁Historical ▁W ess em ▁is ▁more ▁than ▁a ▁thousand ▁years ▁old . ▁ ▁Little ▁is ▁known ▁about ▁the ▁early ▁history . ▁The ▁name ▁sounds ▁Frank ish ▁and ▁exc av ation ▁show ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁inhab ited ▁in ▁pre - R oman ▁times . ▁It ▁was ▁inhab ited ▁in ▁that ▁time ▁by ▁the ▁E bur ones , ▁a ▁Belg ic ▁tribe ▁based ▁on ▁north - e astern ▁Ga ul ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 st ▁century ▁BC . ▁Julius ▁Ca esar ▁described ▁them ▁as ▁being ▁of ▁German ic ▁origin . ▁They ▁are ▁believed ▁to ▁have ▁lived ▁between ▁the ▁Me use ▁and ▁Rh ine ▁rivers . ▁Amb ior ix , ▁an ▁E bur onian ▁chief , ▁is ▁known ▁for ▁having ▁led ▁a ▁re bell ion ▁against ▁the ▁Rom ans ▁in ▁ 5 4 ▁BC . ▁Because ▁of ▁this ▁re bell ion ▁the ▁E bur ones ▁were ▁all ▁but ▁ex termin ated ▁by ▁the ▁Rom ans ▁and ▁their ▁land ▁was ▁destroyed . ▁They ▁were ▁replaced ▁by ▁the ▁T ung ri , ▁a ▁German ic ▁tribe ▁that ▁was ▁C elt ic ised ▁but ▁in ▁villages ▁on ▁the ▁other ▁side ▁of ▁the ▁river ▁Me use ▁the ▁E bur ones ▁continued ▁to ▁exist ▁what ▁would ▁explain ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁the ▁Lim burg s ▁language ▁spoken ▁on ▁the