Mazaei orMaezaei (Ancient Greek: Μαζαῖοι/Μαιζαῖοι) were a sub-tribe of theIllyrians, autochthonous to the interior of today'sBosnia and Herzegovina, settled mainly in theSana river basin, the middle course ofVrbas, and around theVrbanja andUgar rivers.
Mazaei[1] were a sub-tribe of theIllyrians, settled in what later becameRoman province, thePannonia.[2] They settled in theSana river basin, the middle course ofVrbas, and around theVrbanja andUgar rivers, and were bordered on the east by theDardans[citation needed], on the west byIapodes, theUna river,Krka waterfalls, andIasis, on the north bySava –Drava –Danube, and on the south byLiburni,Delmatae,and Breuci on the north-east.
Like other Illyrians, Mazaei lived in fortified or semi-fortified settlements, subsisting on agriculture, hunting and fishing, and craftsmanship. Ancient writers likeHerodian,Livy,Pliny,Strabo,Theophrastus and others described the Illyrians as tall, strong warriors, and heavy drinkers. And they lived in patriarchal communities. Every eight years they divided their lands according to each other's struggles and resistance to the enemy. Mazaei had 269 judges.[3]
In 10 AD Roman administrators divided the province ofIllyricum into the new provinces:Pannonia in the north andDalmatia in the south. The termIllyria remained in use in Late Latin and throughout the medieval period.
