Illyria

In the representations of the ancients, Illyria extended west of Thessaly and Macedonia and east of Italy and Recy all the way to Istria to the north. Subsequently, a distinction was made between the so-called Greek Illyria and the barbaric Illyria. The first was also called the new Epirus and was a country full of calcareous mountain ranges and beautiful pastures, which was limited by Epirus, Macedonia, the mountains of Skard and r. Dridon .

Northern or barbaric Illyria, part of which was part of the kingdom of Agron and his successors, was a very mountainous country. Of the mountain systems, the ancients call the Albanian mountains , to the east of them are the Bebian mountains , which separated Liburnia and Dalmatia from Pannonia , the Ardian and, finally, the Scardian between Illyria, Moesia and Macedonia .

The countries lying here were fertile, producing enough olive oil and wine, although they were not much cultivated by the local population, who hunted more by robberies ( Strabo , pr. VII). About one of the tribes of Illyria, the yapods , Strabo reports that they were tattooed ( Greek κατάστικτοι ), like other Illyrians and Thracians. Other tribes of Illyria: Libourine south of the Iapods, Dalmatians and Avatars .

The most important of the peoples of Illyria were the Dalmatians (the Greek writers have Delmates), originally a union of tribes ( Bullins , Gillins , Nests , Mania ), grouped around the city of Dalmion , or Delminion . The Libourne , or Libirna, originally had settlements in upper Italy , they were engaged in navigation, and were especially famous for their small, high-speed barges ( lembes ); they obeyed the Romans early.

Greek colonists settled in Illyria early. In 627 BC e. immigrants from Corinth and Kerkyra founded at the southern end of a narrow continental spit the city of Epidamnus, later renamed Dirrachius (modern Durres ), and in 588 BC e. Apollonia on the Aoya River.

Numerous semi-wild robber tribes of Illyrians lived inside the country, sometimes united under the leadership of tribal foremen and kings. The king of Illyria, Bardil, entered the battle with Philip of Macedon , was defeated and forced to cede most of his possessions. Imperial power, however, was retained by the successors of Bardalis, and the Illyrian kingdom soon, in addition to part of the new Epirus , began to embrace the land north of the Drina River to the islands of Fara and Issa.

Illyria gained great importance under King Agron (died in 231 BC) from the Ardei tribe, who succeeded in raiding the Greek Akarnania . After him, his widow Teutus ruled, who managed to defeat the Achaeans and Aetolians and take Korkira. Under her, the robberies of the Illyrians caused the intervention of the Romans, who sent an army to Illyria, which conquered the whole country in less than two years. As a result, the Greek cities of Illyria were declared free, as well as part of the peoples of the new Epirus, and Teuta pledged to pay tribute (228 BC).

In 168 BC e. the descendant of Agron Gentius made an alliance with Perseus of Macedon and began a war with the Romans; in 30 days the war was over, he was captured and Illyria, which was under his rule, was divided into three republics.

Part of Illyria from Liss to the Kerava mountains finally passed to the Romans and was connected with the province of Macedonia . Even after the war with Ghent, it took a number of campaigns ( consul G. Marcius , Cecilius Metella Scipio Naziki , then Julius Caesar , Anthony and Augustus ) to finally conquer the Dalmatians; the last campaign against them was undertaken by Statil Taurus in 23 BC. e. The acquisition of Illyria was secured by the subordination of Recy and Vindelitsia in the year 15 and Norika and Pannonia in 14 and 12-10 years BC. e.

Made by the Romans in 167 BC e. the conquest of the territory of the Ardiyes (Illyricum regnum) in 148 BC. e. became part of the Roman province of Macedonia. Later, Illyria is an independent Roman province, probably formed in the II century BC. e. (at the latest under Caesar, the middle of the 1st century BC) on the territory of the settlement of the remaining Illyrian tribes conquered by the Romans by the end of the 1st century BC e.

After the great Pannonian rebellion (6–9 years CE), Illyria, together with the newly acquired and conquered lands, was divided into two provinces, Pannonia and Dalmatia . Since the days of Trajan and Emperor Marcus Aurelius, a third of the Roman army has been constantly camped in Illyria, as a result of which this entire province had the character of an armed camp. Starting with the Septimius Severus , proclaimed emperor in Savaria or Karnunta , Illyria played a key role in the history of the Roman Empire.

In the period of the Roman Empire, the customs district was called Illyric, which included the Danube provinces: Retsii, Norik, Pannonia, Dacia, Dalmatia, Moesia. Under the Emperor Diocletian (end of the 3rd century ), Illyric was divided into Western Illyricum (Illyricum occidentale) and Eastern Illyricum (Illyricum orientale). In Illyria, the Egnatius Road also began, connecting Dirrachius (modern Durres ) on the Adriatic coast and Byzantium on the coast of the Sea of ​​Marmara .

• Illyrians , Illyrian languages
• Illyrian Wars
• Illyrian provinces
• Kingdom of Illyria
• Illyrism

• Lovyagin A.M. Illyria // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.

• The territory of Illyria on the Google map site .