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38-556: The Enchele 's polity was the earliest to emerge among Illyrians. The earliest known Illyrian king – Bardylis – emerged in southern Illyria around 400 BC, most likely centered in Dassaretis , a region along Lake Ohrid and east to the Prespa Lakes , located on the border between Macedon and Epirus . He aimed to make Illyria a regional power interfering with Macedon. He united many southern Illyrian tribes under his realm and defeated

76-578: A proto-state stretching from the central part of present-day Albania up to Neretva river in Herzegovina . The political entity was financed on piracy and ruled from 250 BC by the king Agron . He was succeeded by his wife Teuta, who assumed the regency for her stepson Pinnes following Agron's death in 231 BC. Queen Teuta was famous for having waged wars against the Romans . At the Neretva Delta , there

114-700: A newly established Illyrian realm at the latest in the 5th century BC, marking the arising of the Dassaretii , who appear to have replaced the Enchelei in the Lakeland area of Lychnidus . The weakening of the Enchelean realm was also caused by the strengthening of another Illyrian dynasty established in its vicinity—that of the Taulantii —which existed for some time along with that of the Enchelei. The Taulantii—another people among

152-459: A numerous body they poured down, covered by wreaths, and brandishing their thyrsi instead of spears. Galaurus, intimidated by the numbers of those, whom instead of women he supposed to be men, sounded a retreat; whereupon the Taulantii, throwing away their weapons, and whatever else might retard their escape, abandoned themselves to a precipitate flight. Argaeus, having thus obtained a victory without

190-623: A town within the kingdom. The monarchy was established on hereditary lines and Illyrian rulers used marriages as a means of alliance with other powers. Pliny (23–79 AD) writes that the people that formed the nucleus of the Illyrian kingdom were 'Illyrians proper' or Illyrii Proprie Dicti . They were the Taulantii , the Pleraei , the Endirudini , Sasaei , Grabaei and the Labeatae . These later joined to form

228-414: Is attested in coinage and inscriptions found around lake Ohrid. A legend widespread in antiquity reports that Cadmus – a Phoenician prince who became king of Thebes , and a Boeotian and Enchelean figure – with his wife Harmonia arrived among the Enchelei and helped them build many towns on the shores of Lake Ohrid and Lake Shkodra , among them Lychnidus ( Ohrid ) and Bouthoe ( Budva ). As

266-538: Is mentioned for the first time by Hecataeus of Miletus in the 6th century BC. Hecataeus reported that the tribe of Chelidonioi ( Χελιδόνιοι ) lived to the north of the Sesarethioi ( Σεσαρήθιοι ). Furthermore he reports that Sesarethos ( Σεσάρηθος ) was a Taulantian city, with Sesarethioi as its ethnicon . The name Sesarethii/Sesarethioi is also considered a variant of Dassaretii/Dassaretioi , an Illyrian tribe that has been recorded since Roman times and that

304-545: Is thought to have meant "eel people", as in Ancient Greek ἔγχελυς means "eel", like in modern Albanian ngjalë "eel" < Illyrian *engella , possibly cognates to Latin : anguilla "eel" and Lithuanian : ungurỹs "eel". The connection with Albanian ngjalë makes it possible that the name Enchele was derived from the Illyrian term for eels, which may have been anciently related to Greek and simply adjusted to

342-541: The Adriatic Sea . In ancient sources they sometimes appear as an ethnic group distinct from the Illyrians , but they are mostly mentioned as one of the Illyrian tribes. They held a central position in the earlier phase of Illyrian history. In ancient Greek literature they are linked with the end of the mythical narrative of Cadmus and Harmonia , a tradition deeply rooted among the Illyrian peoples. The name Sesarethii

380-562: The Docleatae . The last known King of the Illyrians was Gentius , of the Labeatae tribe, and his capital city was Shkodra . Enchele The Enchelei were an ancient people that lived around the River Drin and the region of Lake Shkodra and Lake Ohrid , in modern-day Albania , Montenegro , and North Macedonia . They are one of the oldest known peoples of the eastern shore of

418-479: The Labeatae tribe. In southern Illyria organized realms were formed earlier than in other areas of this region. One of the oldest known Illyrian dynasty is that of the Enchelei , which seems to have reached its height from the 8th–7th centuries BC, but the dynasty fell from dominant power around the 6th century BC. It seems that the weakening of the dynasty of Enchelae resulted in their assimilation and inclusion into

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456-610: The Macedonians and Molossians several times, expanding his dominion over Upper Macedonia and Lynkestis and subjugating Macedon for several decades until he was decisively defeated by Philip II of Macedon . Before the Rise of Macedon Illyrians were the dominant power in the area. The kingdom of the Taulantii on the south-eastern coast of the Adriatic evidently reached its apex under Glaukias ' rule and dominated southern Illyrian affairs in

494-620: The western Greek dialects spoken by the Greek neighbors of the Enchelei. As such this makes it a native form of the name compared to Enchelei which has been influenced by Ionic Greek . In Polybius the word is written with a voiceless aspirate kh , Enchelanes , while in Mnaseas it was replaced with a voiced ng , Engelanes , the latter being a typical feature of the Ancient Macedonian and northern Paleo-Balkan languages . The name Enchelei

532-665: The Dalmatian islands. The Illyrian kingdom was composed of small areas within the region of Illyria. Only the Romans ruled the entire region. The internal organization of the south Illyrian kingdom points to imitation of their neighbouring Greek kingdoms and influence from the Greek and Hellenistic world in the growth of their urban centres. Polybius gives as an image of society within an Illyrian kingdom as peasant infantry fought under aristocrats which he calls in Greek Polydynastae (Greek: Πολυδυνάστες) where each one controlled

570-625: The Enchelei was known as Enchele . Their neighbors to the west were the Taulantii , to the north the Autariatae , to the north-east the Dardani , to the south-east the Paeones , and to the south the Dexaroi . The Enchelei are mentioned for the first time by Hecataeus of Miletus in the 6th century BC. A variant in ancient Greek literature is Εγχελάνες Enchelanes , which bears the suffix -anes typical in

608-652: The Enchelei, whose realm was centered at that time in the area of Lake Lychnidus , or the Taulantii , who were based farther west, in the coastal area within and around Epidamnos and Apollonia . The Illyrian raids against the Argeads who were based at Aegae indicate that Illyrian attacks also involved the Upper Macedonian regions of Lynkestis , Orestis and Eordaea , Elimea , and Tymphaea , as they were located between Illyrian territory and Argead lands. Galaurus Galaurus ( fl.  678 - 640 BC )

646-530: The Great had defeated Illyrian chieftain Clitus forces in 335 B.C. and Illyrian soldiers and tribal leaders participated in his conquest of Persia . After the death of Alexander, Illyrian tribes started to rise to become independent from Macedonian rule. Following that in 312 B.C king Glaucius expelled Greeks from Durres . During the second part of the 3rd century BC, a number of Illyrian tribes seem to have united to form

684-423: The Greek pronunciation. An Indo-European pre-form of the root still can not be reconstructed. For this reason, Robert S. P. Beekes considers it Pre-Greek, which matches the timeframe of an early Illyrian origin of the ethnonym through the legendary story of Cadmus and the Enchelei. An alternative name for the Enchelei in the lakeland area of Ohrid is recorded by Strabo as Sesarethii . The name Sesarethioi

722-648: The Macedonians and the Illyrians as early as the 7th century BC, if the consensus in modern scholarship in dating the reigning period of Argaeus I is correct. In the 7th century BC the Taulantii invoked the aid of Corcyra and Corinth in a war against the Liburni . After the defeat and expulsion from the region of the Liburni, the Corcyreans founded in 627 BC on the Illyrian mainland a colony called Epidamnus , thought to have been

760-459: The country of the Enchelei. In southern Illyria organized states were formed earlier than in other areas of this region. The oldest known state in the region which can be discussed about from ancient sources is that of the Encheli. The height of the Enchelean state was from the 8th–7th centuries BC, but the kingdom fell from dominant power around the 6th century BC. It seems that the weakening of

798-404: The early Roman period. As reported in a fragment of Hecataeus of Miletus (around 6th century BC), Enchelei neighbored the Dexaroi , a Chaonian tribe. The Enchelei were often at war with the northern Greeks. From written sources from Greek writers such as Herodotus , the Enchelean army is even recorded attacking the temple of Delphi . Justin (2nd century AD) reports that at a time when

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836-709: The events involving the Illyrian king Bardylis and his dynasty. After Philip II of Macedon defeated Bardylis (358 BC), the Grabaei under Grabos II became the strongest state in Illyria. Philip II killed 7,000 Illyrians in a great victory and annexed the territory up to Lake Ohrid . Next, Philip II reduced the Grabaei, and then went for the Ardiaei , defeated the Triballi (339 BC), and fought with Pleurias (337 BC). After that Alexander

874-467: The first generation of the descendants of Illyrius , the eponymous ancestor of all the Illyrian peoples . According to Appian's account the progenitor to the Enchele was Encheleus , a son of Illyrius. According to a legendary account reported by Polybius , cited by Stephanus of Byzantium , after the disappearance of Amphiaraus during the siege of Thebes, his carioteer Baton settled in Illyria, near

912-574: The kingdom of Enchelae resulted in their assimilation and inclusion into a newly established Illyrian realm at the latest in the 6th–5th century BC, marking the arising of the Dassareti , who appear to have replaced the Enchelei in the lakeland area of Ohrid and Prespa . While the Enchelean area of river Drilon and lake Shkodra in northern Albania saw in later times the emergence of the Labeates , an Illyrian tribe who retained their distinct identity until

950-463: The kingdom of the Enchelei presumably led to Enchelei's assimilation and inclusion into a newly established Illyrian realm at the latest in the 6th–5th centuries BC, marking the arising of the Dassaretii, who appear to have replaced the Enchelei in the lakeland area. During Classical and Hellenistic antiquity the Enchelei were more a historical memory than a contemporary group. The region inhabited by

988-566: The late 4th century BC, exerting great influence on the Epirote state through the close ties with the Molossian king Pyrrhus . The Ardiaei , Autariatae , and Dardani are described as the strongest Illyrian peoples by Strabo . From the 6th–5th centuries BC they followed their own social-political development in the regions they inhabited, and only the political entity of the Ardiaei, which expanded in

1026-526: The legend says it, at that time the Enchele were at war with neighboring Illyrian tribes and Cadmus after orders from the Oracle became leader of the people and came to their aid. After the victory against the Illyrians, the Enchele chose Cadmus as their king. A mythological tradition reported by Appian (2nd century AD) tells that the Enchelei were among the South- Illyrian tribes that took their names from

1064-562: The more anciently known groups of Illyrian tribes—lived on the Adriatic coast of southern Illyria (modern Albania ), dominating at various times much of the plain between the Drin and the Aous , comprising the area around Epidamnus/Dyrrhachium . When describing the Illyrian invasion of Macedonia ruled by Argaeus I , somewhere between 678–640 BC, the historian Polyaenus ( fl. 2nd-century AD) recorded

1102-518: The name of an Illyrian (barbarian) king of the region. A flourishing commercial centre emerged and the city grew rapidly. The Taulantii continued to play an important role in Illyrian history between the 5th and 4th–3rd centuries BC, and in particular, in the history of Epidamnus, both as its neighbours and as part of its population. Notably, they influenced the affairs in the internal conflicts between aristocrats and democrats. The Taulantian dynasty seems to have reached its climax during Glaukias ' rule, in

1140-465: The north to the borders of Epirus in the south, while its influence extended throughout Epirus and down into Acarnania . The Ardiaean realm became one of Rome 's major enemies, and its primary threat in the Adriatic Sea . The dominant power of the Illyrian kingdom in the region ceased after its defeat in the Illyro-Roman Wars (229–168 BC). The last known "King of the Illyrians" was Gentius , of

1178-547: The remaining Illyrians to leave, although further invasions continued right to the time of Philip II . The historian Polyaenus relates this battle: "In the reign of Argaeus , the Illyrian Taulantii under Galaurus invaded Macedonia. Argaeus, whose force was very small, directed the Macedonian virgins (parthenoi), as the enemy advanced, to show themselves from mount Ereboea (Ἐρέβοια). They accordingly did so; and in

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1216-510: The ruler of Macedonia was the infant Aeropus I (around 6th century BC), the Illyrians attacked successfully Macedonia until the infant ruler was brought to a battle by his Macedonian subjects, benefitting from his presence and avenging their initial defeat against the Illyrians. The name of the specific Illyrian tribe or group of tribes that attacked Macedonia is not reported in Justin's account, but it has been suggested that they would have been either

1254-516: The south-eastern Adriatic , came to be identified with the Illyrian kingdom in the 3rd century BC. Under the Ardiaean king Agron and his wife Teuta , the Illyrian kingdom reached its apex. It became a formidable power both on land and sea by assembling a great army and fleet, and directly ruling over a large area made up of different Illyrian tribes and cities that stretched from the Neretva River in

1292-421: The supposed oldest known king in Illyria, Galaurus or Galabrus , a ruler of the Taulantii who reigned in the latter part of the 7th century BC. Some scholars consider the authenticity of Polyaenus' passage as disputable. Whether or not this account is historically reliable, and despite Polyaenus' interest in the anecdote, it implies the widespread thought throughout antiquity about a significant animosity between

1330-434: The years between 335 BC and 302 BC. According to some modern scholars the dynasty of Bardylis —the first attested Illyrian dynasty—was Dassaretan. There is also another historical reconstruction that considers Bardylis a Dardani a ruler, who during the expansion of his dominion included the region of Dassaretis in his realm, but this interpretation has been challenged by historians who consider Dardania too far north for

1368-501: Was a strong Hellenistic influence on the Illyrian tribe of Daors . Their capital was Daorson located in Ošanići near Stolac in Herzegovina , which became the main center of classical Illyrian culture. Daorson, during the 4th century BC, was surrounded by megalithic , 5 meter high stonewalls, composed out of large trapeze stones blocks. Daors also made unique bronze coins and sculptures. The Illyrians even conquered Greek colonies on

1406-499: Was an Illyrian king of the Taulantii State who reigned in the middle of the 7th century BC. After the first Illyrian invasion of Macedonia in 691 BC because of the interruption of friendly relations, the Illyrians did considerable damage by their ravages. Galaurus invaded Macedonia somewhere between 678–640 BC during the reign of Argaeus I . However the invasion was unsuccessful because Argaeus cut off great numbers and forced

1444-414: Was used by Strabo as an alternative name for the Enchelei in the lakeland area of Ohrid. Mentioned for the first time by Hecataeus of Miletus in the 6th century BC, the name Sesarethii/Sesarethioi is also considered a variant of Dassaretii/Dassaretioi , an Illyrian tribe that has been recorded since Roman times and that is attested in coinage and inscriptions found around lake Ohrid. The weakening of

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