TheAncient Greeks initially used the termIllyris to define approximately the area of northern and centralAlbania down to theAoös valley (modernVjosa) and theBay of Vlorë, including in most periods much of the lakeland area (Ohrid andPrespa). It corresponded to the region that neighbouredMacedonia andEpirus.[5][6][7] In Roman times the terms Illyria, Illyris, orIllyricum were extended from the territory that was roughly located in the area of the south-easternAdriatic coast (modern Albania andMontenegro) and its hinterland, to a broader region stretching between the whole eastern Adriatic and theDanube.[8][5][9]
The region took its name from its inhabitants, theIllyrians, a group ofBalkan Indo-European speaking peoples that inhabited the western part of thePeninsula in ancient times.
The earliest recorded Illyrian kingdom was that of theEnchele in the 8th century BC.[12] The era in which we observe other Illyrian kingdoms begins approximately at 400 BC and ends at 167 BC.[13] The Autariatae underPleurias (337 BC) were considered to have been a kingdom.[14] The Kingdom of theArdiaei began at 230 BC and ended at 167 BC.[15] The most notable Illyrian kingdoms and dynasties were those ofBardyllis of theDardani and ofAgron of theArdiaei who created the last and best-known Illyrian kingdom.[16] Agron ruled over the Ardiaei and had extended his rule to other tribes as well.[17] As for the Dardanians, they always had separate domains from the rest of theIllyrians.[18]
The Illyrian kingdoms were composed of small areas within the region of Illyria. Only theRomans ruled the entire region. The internal organization of the south Illyrian kingdoms points to imitation of their neighbouring Greek kingdoms and influence from the Greek andHellenistic world in the growth of theirurban centres.[19]Polybius gives as an image of society within an Illyrian kingdom as peasant infantry fought under aristocrats which he calls in GreekPolydynastae (Greek: Πολυδυνάστες) where each one controlled a town within the kingdom.[20] The monarchy was established on hereditary lines and Illyrian rulers used marriages as a means of alliance with other powers.[21]Pliny (23–79 AD) writes that the people that formed the nucleus of the Illyrian kingdom were 'Illyrians proper' orIllyrii proprie dicti.[22] They were theTaulantii, thePleraei, theEndirudini,Sasaei,Grabaei and theLabeatae. These later joined to form theDocleatae.
During theMacedonian Wars, the territory of southern Illyria, which Rome had aimed to protect and control periodically for thirty years since theFirst Illyrian War, was involved in the conflict betweenRome andMacedon. Macedon aimed to conquer, without success, the southern Illyrian ports because they would have been good bases for an attack uponItaly.[23][24][25]
The Romans defeatedGentius, the last king of Illyria, atScodra (in present-day Albania) in 168 BC and captured him, bringing him to Rome in 165 BC. Four client-republics were set up, which were in fact ruled by Rome. Later, the region was directly governed by Rome and organized as aprovince, with Scodra as its capital.
After subduing a troublesomerevolt ofPannonians andDaesitiates, Roman administrators dissolved the province of Illyricum and divided its lands between the new provinces ofPannonia in the north andDalmatia in the south. Although this division occurred in 10 AD, the termIllyria remained in use inLate Latin and throughout themedieval period. After thedivision of the Roman Empire, thebishops of Thessalonica appointed papal vicars for Illyricum. The first of these vicars is said to have been BishopAcholius or Ascholius (died 383 or 384), the friend ofSt. Basil. In the 5th century, the bishops of Illyria withdrew from communion with Rome, without attaching themselves toConstantinople, and remained for a time independent, but in 515, forty Illyrian bishops renewed their loyalty to Rome by declaring allegiance toPope Hormisdas. The patriarchs of Constantinople succeeded in bringing Illyria under their jurisdiction in the 8th century.[26]
Jewish presence in Illyricum is attested during and after its incorporation into the Roman Empire. As Roman military and trade networks expanded into the region following the defeat ofKing Gentius, Jewish merchants, artisans, and possibly freed slaves settled in Dalmatian and Pannonian cities such as Salona, Narona, and Sirmium. These communities, often Greek-speaking and aligned withJerusalem-based traditions, operated within Roman legal frameworks and sometimes held status as collegia. Although no literary corpus survives from Illyrian Jews, archaeological evidence, including menorahs and inscriptions, supports their presence. Some scholars suggest that these Jews formed part of broaderHellenistic Judaism diaspora patterns reaching as far as Tanais in the Crimea and Stobi in Macedonia.[27]
The television seriesAngel (1999 TV series) has a character named Illyria who is a main character for the back half of the final season, as well as a prominent figure in the comic spin-offs.
^abHammond & Wilkes 2012, p. 726: "Illyrii, a large group of related *Indo-European tribes, who occupied in classical times the western side of the Balkan range from the head of the *Adriatic Sea to the hinterland of the gulf of Valona and extended northwards as far as the eastern *Alps and the Danube (see DANUVIUS) and eastwards into some districts beyond the Balkan range. The name was properly that of a small people between Scodra and the Mati river, and it was applied by the Greeks and later by the Romans to the other tribes with which they had regular contact. Thus Illyris meant to the Greeks the southern part of the area, that neighbouring *Mace-donia, *Epirus, and the Greek cities on the Adriatic coast and islands, and *Illyricum meant to the Romans the whole area from the eastern Alps to the gulf of Valona."
^Boardman 1982, p. 623: "Illyris, a term different from Illyria and Illyricum, was that part of Albania which lies north of the lower and middle Vijosë valley, and during most epochs it included much of the lakeland area."
^Hammond 1982, p. 261: "'Illyris', a geographical term which the Greeks applied to a territory neighbouring of their own, covers more or less the area of northern and central Albania down to the mouth of the Aous."
^abIvetic 2022, p. 44: "In 228, the Romans imposed a protectorate on the islands of Issa (Vis) and Corfu, and on the cities of Epidamnos (Durrës), Apollonia (present-day Pojani) andOricum (Orikum) in the bay of Vlorë. This protectorate coincided with the use of the Roman concept ofIllyricum."
^Dzino 2014, pp. 45–46: "The majority of authorities assume that this term expanded roughly from the region of the south-eastern Adriatic (modern Albania and Montenegro) with the hinterland, to the whole Roman Illyricum, between the eastern Adriatic and the Danube."
^Wilkes 1995, p. 208: "By the middle of the first century the Romans were using the name Illyricum for their Adriatic territories north of the Drin, south of which the province Macedonia began."
^Šašel-Kos, "Pannonia or Lower Illyricum?" Tyche, Band 25 (2010), pp. 123–130
^Hawkes, John; Scholes, Robert (1972). "A Conversation on "The Blood Oranges" between John Hawkes and Robert Scholes".Novel: A Forum on Fiction.5 (3):203–204,197–207.doi:10.2307/1345277.JSTOR1345277.
Hammond, N. G. L.; Wilkes, J. J. (2012)."Illyrii". In Hornblower, Simon; Spawforth, Antony; Eidinow, Esther (eds.).The Oxford Classical Dictionary. OUP Oxford. p. 726.ISBN978-0-19-954556-8.
