| Mytilos | |
|---|---|
| King | |
| Reign | c. 270 – 231 BC |
| Predecessor | Monunios |
| Father | Monunios (probable) |
Mytilos orMytilus (Ancient Greek:Μύτιλος;Latin:Mytilus; ruledc. 270 – 231 BC[1]) was anIllyrianking who reigned in southernIllyria, around the hinterland ofDyrrhachion andApollonia.[2] He was the successor ofMonunios, and probably his son.[3] Mytilus is mentioned byPompeius Trogus (1st century BC) andFrontinus (1st century AD) reporting the events of the military conflict between the Illyrians and theEpirotes underAlexander II, son ofPyrrhus.[4] From around 270 BC Mytilus minted inDyrrhachion his own bronze coins bearing the king's name and the symbol of the city.[5]
Mytilus reigned in the hinterland ofDyrrachion andApollonia.[2] Mytilus minted his own bronze coins dating back to around 270 BC, with the symbols ofDyrrhachion and the king's name.[6] The fact that his coins were struck in the city mint ofDyrrhachion stresses that he exercised to some extent his authority over the city, as had done his predecessorMonunios.[7] After Monunios, Mytilus is the second Illyrian king to have struck coins bearing his name.[3][2] Coinage ofApollonia from the same period bore only his monogram, as well as symbols similar to those of the Aetolian League, an adversary ofEpirus.[8] Copies of the Illyrian coins are kept at theArchaeological Museum in Zagreb,Croatia.[9] The bronze coins had the head of Hercules on the obverse and on the reverse, Heracles' symbols: quiver, bow and mace with the words ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΜΥΤΙΛ.[6]
The Illyrian king Mytilus also appears in the historical accounts of ancient writersPompeius Trogus (1st century BC) andFrontinus (1st century AD), which describe the war he waged around 270 BC against the successor ofPyrrhus,Alexander II of Epirus.[4] Mytilus, presumably, retained his authority in Durrës after Alexander II invaded his territory in or around 270 BC. On one occasion, some Epirotes were dressed in Illyrian clothes and were put them to plunder their own sites. Unsuspecting, the Illyrians relaxed their defences and rushed to emulate them, believing that men in front of them were just their own probes.[clarification needed] So they were easy victims of Epirus.[10][11] The control of Durrës andApollonia means that at the time of Mytilus, the Illyrians had regained the extent and authority it enjoyed in the time ofGlaucias. Mytilus had even taken an excursion into the territory of Epirus.[12] It is during this time thatRome was first invited to intervene against the Illyrians, Epirotes and the Aetolians in theBalkans.[13]
