This is a list of ancient tribes in the ancient territory of Illyria (; ). The name Illyrians seems to be the name of a single Illyrian tribe that was the first to come into contact with the ancient Greeks, causing the name Illyrians to be applied to all people of similar language and customs. The locations of Illyrian tribes/peoples prior to the Roman conquest are approximate, as sometimes many wholly different locations are given by ancient writers and modern authors (as in the case of the Enchelei).
After the Great Illyrian Revolt, the Romans deported, split,Alan Bowman, The Cambridge Ancient History, Vol. 10: The Augustan Empire, 43 BC – AD 69, , 1996, p. 579. and resettled Illyrian tribes within Illyria itself and to Dacia, sometimes causing whole tribes to vanish and new ones to be formed from their remains, such as the Deraemestae and the Docleatae, some of them mixed with Celtic tribes (see Celticization). Many tribal names are known from Roman and the number of their ,'' was a Roman term used by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History completed in 70 AD based on official registers. Each had a number of assigned to it as an indication of its size. A Roman division of native peoples. ) formed of the dispersed tribes in Illyria.
Illyrian
Albani
The Albani (Latinized form of , Albanoi) were an Illyrian tribe whose first historical account appears in a work of Ptolemy.William Smith, LLD, Ed., Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, 1854 They were the citizens of Albanopolis (), located in the center of modern Albania, in the Zgërdhesh hill fort, near the city of Krujë. The national ethnonym of the Albanians is derived from this tribe.History of the Byzantine Empire, 324–1453 By Alexander A. Vasiliev Edition: 2, illustrated. Published by Univ of Wisconsin Press, 1958 , (page 613)History of the Balkans: Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by Barbara Jelavich Edition: reprint, illustrated. Published by Cambridge University Press, 1983 , (page 25)The Indo-European languages By Anna Giacalone Ramat, Paolo Ramat Edition: illustrated. Published by Taylor & Francis, 1998 , 9780415064491 (page 481)
Amantes
The Amantes lived in present-day south-western Albania. The site of Amantia has been identified with the location of their territory. The toponym has a connection with the modern Albanian term amë/ãmë ("river-bed, fountain, spring")
Ardiaei
The Ardiaei or Ouardaioi (; ): "The Ardiaei, or Vardaei as they were known to the Romans, 'once the ravagers of Italy' and now reduced to a mere" were an Illyrian people, originally residing inland,Appian and Illyricum by Marjeta Šašel Kos, " The Ardiaei were certainly also settled in the hinterland, along the Naro River at least as far as the Konjic region ..." and eventually settling on the Adriatic coast. Strabo describes them as one of the three strongest Illyrian peoples, the other two being the Autariatae and Dardani. The political entity of the Ardiaei, which expanded in the south-eastern Adriatic, came to be identified with the Illyrian kingdom in the 3rd century BCE. 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 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 BCE). In Roman times the Ardiaei had 20
Autariatae
The Autariatae or Autariates () were an Illyrian tribe that became prominent between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE. Strabo describes them as one of the three strongest Illyrian peoples, the other two being the Ardiaei and Dardani. After their defeat during the Celtic invasions of the Balkans in the 4th century, a part of the Autariatae who remained in Bosnia gradually adopted Celtic culture, while another part moved southwards and after an agreement with the Kingdom of Macedonia, 20,000 settled in the Parorbelian mountain range, in an area between modern south-eastern North Macedonia, northern Greece and south-western Bulgaria.
Balaites
The Balaites were an Illyrian tribe known from epigraphical findings only who were organizing themselves in a koinon, and it is likely that they lived in the vicinity of Apollonia.Pierre Cabanes: . Paris: SEDES. 1988. p. 301.Neritan Ceka: The Illyrians to the Albanians. Tirana: Migjeni. 2013. pp. 229, 422.
Bathiatae The BathiataeAppian: Roman History, Vol. IV, The Civil Wars, Books 3.27-5 (Loeb Classical Library No. 5) by Appian and Horace White, 1979, Index: 69, 71; IL 4, 22. Bastitani, Spanish tribe, Sp. Mi. Bathiatae, Illyrian tribe were an Illyrian tribe.
Bylliones
The Bylliones () were an Illyrian tribe.: "Beginning in the south the first Illyrians near the coast were the Bylliones beyond the river Aous in the hinterland of Apollonia. Their hill-settlement developed later into the town of Byllis ..." They were affected by a partial cultural Hellenisation.The Cambridge Ancient History, Volume 6: The Fourth Century BC by D. M. Lewis (Editor), John Boardman (Editor), Simon Hornblower (Editor), M. Ostwald (Editor), , 1994, page 423, "Through contact with their Greek neighbors some Illyrian tribe became bilingual (Strabo Vii.7.8.Diglottoi) in particular the Bylliones and the Taulantian tribes close to Epidamnus ..." They constituted one of the most notable Illyrian koina of the Hellenistic period, with their territory featuring a network of several settlements. Byllis and Nikaia were their chief centres.
Cavii
The Cavii were an Illyrian tribe.The central Balkan tribes in pre-Roman times: Triballi, Autariatae, Dardanians, Scordisci and Moesians by Fanula Papazoglu, 1978, , page 247, "... which appears in the name of the Illyrian tribe of the Cavii ..." They lived close to Lake Shkodër. Their main settlement was Epicaria.The classical gazetteer: a dictionary of ancient geography, sacred and profane by William Hazlitt, 1851, "Epicaria a town of the Cavii in Illyria ..." They are mentioned rarely by ancient writers.Rome and the Mediterranean: books XXXI-XLV of The history of Rome from its foundation by Livy, Henry Bettenson, , 1976, page 580
Daorsi
The Daorsi or Duersi or Daorsii or Daorsei () were an Illyrian tribe. From back matter: "Surveys of ships on coins of the Daors tribe ..." Another name of the tribe was Daversi.: "... to the Romans, 'once the ravagers of Italy' and now reduced to a mere 20 , and the Daorsi or Daversi ..." The Daorsi had suffered attacksI greci in Adriatico, Volume 2 by Lorenzo Braccesi, Mario Luni, page 152, "The Daorsi suffered directly from the attacks of the Delmatae and were understandably one of the first peoples to have left Gentius' half brother Caravantius and sought protection from the Roman state, placing their armed forces at the disposal of the Romans. After the war, they were rewarded by having been given immunity ..." from the Delmatae that made them along with IssaThe magistrates of the Roman Republic. Thomas Robert Shannon Broughton, 1960:446, "Head of a commission sent, after the receipt of complaints from Issa and the Daorsi, to observe conditions in Illyria and Dalmatia ..." seek the aid of the Roman state. The Daorsi fought on the Roman side, providing them with their strong navy abandoning Caravantius. After the Illyrian Wars, the Daorsi were given immunity. Their most important city was Daorson. They had 17 .
Dardani
The Dardani or Dardanians were a central Balkan people, among the oldest in the region. They were the most stable and conservative ethnic element among the peoples of the central Balkans, retaining an enduring presence in the region for several centuries. Ancient tradition considered the Dardani as an Illyrian people, and Strabo, in particular describes them as one of the three strongest Illyrian peoples, the other two being the Ardiaei and Autariatae. Their name is traditionally connected to the same root as , the Albanian word for 'pear', as well as Alb. , , 'farmer'. The ethnonym Pirustae, which is attested since Roman times for a tribe close to the Dardani or living in Dardania, is considered to be the Latin translation of Dardani (cf. Latin "pear"). Subgroups of the Dardani included the Galabri and the Thunatae, whose tribal names have been, respectively, connected to the Messapic Kalabroi/Calabri and Daunioi/Daunii in Apulia (south-eastern Italy), of Palaeo-Balkan provenance. In pre-Roman times the Dardani constituted their own Kingdom, often in conflict with their south-eastern neighbor—Macedon.
Dassaretii
The Dassaretii () were an Illyrian people who lived in the inlands of southern Illyria, between present-day south-eastern Albania and south-western North Macedonia. They were directly in contact with the regions of Orestis and Lynkestis of Upper Macedonia. The Dassaretii were one of the most prominent peoples of southern Illyria, forming an ethnic state. They made up the ancient Illyrian kingdom that was established in this region. Most scholars hold that the early 4th century BC Illyrian realm of Bardylis—the first attested Illyrian king—was centered along Lake Ohrid and east to the Prespa Lakes in Dassaretan territory, located on the border between Macedon and Epirus.
Deretini The Deretini or Derriopes () were an Illyrian tribeJ. J. Wilkes, Dalmatia, Tome 2 of History of the Provinces of the Roman Empire, 1969, page 157 in Narona conventus with 14 .
Deuri The Deuri or Derbanoi ()Appianus, Illyrica, were an Illyrian tribe.: "... of southwest Bosnia, the Maezaei (269) of the Sana and Vrbas valleys, and the Sardeates (52) around Jajce and the Deuri (25) around Bugojno, both in the Vrbas valley." Other possible names are Derrioi.The Cambridge Ancient History, Vol. 10: The Augustan Empire, 43 BC-AD 69 (Volume 10) by Alan Bowman, Edward Champlin, and Andrew Lintott, 1996, page 577 In a conventus held in Salona after the Roman conquest the Deuri had 25 .Neritan Ceka: The Illyrians to the Albanians. Tirana: Migjeni. 2005. p. 148: "Salona was the center of a made up of the Dalmatians, with 342 ; the Deuri, with 25; the Ditiones, with 239; the Mezei, with 60; and the Sardeates with 53."
Dyestes The Dyestes or Dyestae ()VII.7.5, were an Illyrian tribeMacedonia, Thrace and Illyria: their relations to Greece from the earliest... by Stanley Casson, page 321 located around the silver mines of Damastion. Only Strabo passingly mentions this tribe.
Enchelei
The Enchelei or SesarethiiStrabo, Geography (ed. H.C. Hamilton, Esq., W. Falconer, M.A.), book 7, chapter 7: "... had established their sway, and Enchelii, who are also called Sesarethii or Sesarethioi. Then come the Lyncestæ, the territory Deuriopus, Pelagonia-Tripolitis ..." (, accusative of )Strabo Geography, Book 7.7 were an Illyrian tribe.John J. Wilkes, The Illyrians, 1996, , p. 96: "The Enchelei are an Illyrian people, who inhabit the land after Rhizon. From Bouthoe to Epidamnus, a Greek city ...". Their name, given by the Greeks, meant "eel-men". In Greek mythology. According to E. Hamp, a connection with Albanian ngjalë makes it possible that the name Enchele was derived from the Illyrian term for eelsCadmus: "After having many children, Cadmus and Harmonia left Thebes in order to defend the Encheleans, a people living in southern Illyria, which is the region north of Epirus, and there defeated the Illyrian intruders ..." Cadmus and Harmonia ruled over them. Several locations are hypothesized for the Encheleans: around Lake Ohrid;John J. Wilkes, The Illyrians; 1996, , p. 98. above Lake Ohrid, or in the region of Lynkestis south of the Taulantii.John J. Wilkes, The Illyrians, 1996, , p. 99.
Kinambroi