Macedonians and Epirotes as Illyrians/Thracians

**Xz2k9** · 10-08-2019, 06:57 AM

Appian's Illyrian Wars employed the more common broader usage, simply stating that Illyrians lived beyond Macedonia and Thrace, from Chaonia and Thesprotia to the Danube River.[23]

The first people that history recognises in this region are the Illyrians, a large and mighty nation living on the Adriatic Sea, from the Po to the Ambracian Gulf, and northwards to the Danube. Strabo believes that this people spread westwards to Lake Constance, through Noricum and Vindelicia. He also asserts that the Pannonians stemmed from this people. Appian notes clearly that the Pannonians were Illyrians. The Istrians, Japodes, Dalmatae, Liburnians, Dardanians, Ardiaei, Autariates, in short, all the peoples down to the Ceraunian mountains are generally regarded as Illyrians. But they also inhabited wide reaches of Macedonia, Epirus and Thessaly.

Only a small portion of Macedonia was inhabited by the Greeks. The mass of the population was Illyrian and Thracian. The Dassaretae, the Lyncestae, the Bryges or Phrygians, the Pelagones, The Eordi, the Elimiotes, the Atintanes, the inhabitants of the region around Candavia, Pella, Edessa and Verva have all been expressly referred to as Illyrian. To a great extent, it was almost only the towns on the coast that had Greek inhabitants. The Macedonians had a language of their own that was also spoken in the regions along the Ionian Sea across from Corfu and, thus in Greek Illyria and Epirus.

There were also many non-Greek peoples in Epirus who, as noted above, spoke the Macedonian language, or the Illyrian language, which was probably the same thing. But the Greek colonies here and the dynasty of Aeacides introduced the Greek language such that the various peoples spoke two languages. The Amphilochans further to the south also belonged to this group, and for this reason are also referred to as barbarians by Thucydides. In Thessaly there were also other peoples of foreign origin, such as the Perrhaedans, referred to by Appian as Illyrians, the Athamanes, the Aethices, the Tymphaei and the Penestae, the Helots of the Thessalians, who had probably been the same people as the Illyrian Penestae. Scylax notes that only beyond Ambracia, the Peneus and the town or mountain of Homotion in Magnesia, had the Greeks begun to inhabit the region in a compact manner. In Strabo’s time, the barbarians owned large parts of Greece, and he reports that the Thracians inhabited Macedonia and parts of Thessaly at that time.

1774
Johann Thunmann:
On the History and Language
of the Albanians and Vlachs

http://www.albanianhistory.net/1774_Thunmann/index.html

**~~pulstar~~** · 10-08-2019, 07:08 AM

Some people were really bored in 18th century. Fiction and fantasy were bigger than today.

**~~Epirus DNA~~** · 10-08-2019, 08:52 AM

The Illyrians tried to conquer Epirus and Lower-Macedonia but they were stopped. It never happened. This post of yours is fantasy.

Bardylis was an Illyrian king of Dardania and probably its founder. During his reign, Bardylis was able to make the Dardanians one of the most powerful Illyrian states of that time. Under his leadership, the Dardanians defeated the Macedonians and Molossians several times, reigning over Upper Macedonia and Lynkestis. He also led raids against Epirus, but his soldiers were quickly expelled from the region. According to ancient sources, Bardylis lived to over 90 years implying that he died around 358 BC. According to these sources, Bardylis lived a long time and was at an advanced age when he faced Philip II of Macedon. Bardylis was killed in a battle against Philip II of Macedon in 358 BC after Philip rejected his offer of peace based on Bardylis retaining conquered lands. Grabus became the most powerful Illyrian king after Bardylis's death.

Bardylis' failed campaign on Mainland Greece in 385 BC.