Apollonia was one of the most powerful Hellenic colonies in the Adriatic. It occupied a strategic position allowing for communication with the Illyrian, Greek, and Roman world. Thus, it led to notable economic prosperity but also put the city, on several occasions, in the midst of inter-state conflicts. Early Development Apollonia was founded in about 620 B.C.E., as a Corinthian […]
Bylis was an Illyrian city inhabited by the Illyrian tribe of the Bylines. The earliest literary source related to the Bylis region belongs to “Periplus” of Pseudo-Scylax (Scyl. XXVII) compiled around 380 B.C.E. In a passage, the author infers the presence of a joint koinon (league) that involved the tribes of the Bylines and the neighboring tribe of the Amantes. […]
The period following the rule of Alexander I of Epirus Epirus before Pyrrhus and after the demise of Alexander the Molossian is dominated by periods of social and political turmoils. Alexander the Molossian left a young son known as Neoptolemus II as a legitimate successor. At the time of his father’s fall in southern Italy, he could not have been […]
Despite the intervention of Philip, the reign among the Molossians remained within the same royal family, known as the Aeacides family. However, Alexander, coming from the Macedonian court, would be a natural ally of Macedon. We can link the accession of Alexander in Epirus in about 350 B.C.E., with the establishment of a new constitution among the Molossians and other […]
Epirus was the name of an ancient region in the lands corresponding to current southern Albania and northwestern Greece. The name of Epirus seems to originate from the ancient Greek word “Epeiros” which means “land” or “continent”. It is clear that this term came from an islanders’ perspective, namely the Greek islanders settling in the many islands off Epirus’ coast. […]
Epirus: Geography and Populations Epirus was the name of an ancient region in the lands corresponding to current southern Albania and northwestern Greece. The name of Epirus seems to originate from the ancient Greek word “Epeiros” which means “land” or “continent”. It is clear that this term came from an islanders’ perspective, namely the Greek islanders settling in the many […]
Episode I: Establishing Roman Rule over Dardania The successful campaign of Sribonus Curio (75-73 B.C.E.) against Dardania was not followed by the immediate annexation of this region from the Roman Republic. The Dardanians continued the resistance against the Romans. It can be stated that, after Curio’s campaign, their territory was turned into a semi-independent state (foedus iniquum). The Dardanians resisted […]
Lissus or Lissos was an ancient city located in the current city of Lezha on the northwestern Albanian coast. From the evidence on-site and classical sources, the city of Lissus must have been a heavily fortified city, serving more as a military base rather than as a civic or agricultural community. Early Establishment Lissus occupied a strategic position: its eastern […]
An Ancient Bridgehead The Paeonians were an Illyrian tribe who in Antiquity were found along the upper valley of the river Axios (Vardar) all away into the river Struma in the east (current western Bulgaria). Their region was positioned in between the lands of the Dardanians and the ancient Macedonians. In the northwest Paeonia bordered the lowland of Pelagonia; in […]
Damastion was a city that thrived during classical antiquity in the Balkan hinterland. It was famous for its nearby silver mines and silver coinage. The city was likely founded during the Peloponnesian War though the founders remain unknown. Damastion as a colony of refugees from Aegina and Mende According to a palmfest discovered in the Vatican which amends Strabo’s description […]