The towns: means of communication

The Romans attitude to the Illyrian towns varied from place to place. In certain towns like Pollonia, Amantia and Phoinike, they allowed certain autonomy. In others like Dyrrachium, Buthroton, Byllis and Shkodra, especially in the time of Augustus, they housed war-veterans and Italian subjects alongside the indigenous population, thereby making colonies of the cities. This attitude was dictated by both economic, and political and strategic reasons. The towns were linked by a vast network of roads.

The main road, the Via Egnatia, crossed a large part of the peninsula, starting from Dyrrachium and Apollonia it led to Thessalonica, then Byzantium. Another important road started in Dyrrachium, passed through Lissus, and Shkodra, then took two directions-one went to the coastal regions of northern Illyria, and the other to Dardania (Kosova). These routes were interspersed with stage posts whose names can be found in the itineraries if the travellers at the end of the Ancient period. Worth noting is Scampinus (Elbasan) along the Egnatian Way.

In the first centuries AD the Illyrian towns experienced considerable economic growth, based on the development of commerce and crafts. Among products intended for outside markets, we should mention the cheese made by the Docleates and the Dalmatians, the gold jewellery made by the Dardarians and the clothes made by the Liburnians.

Having been conquered by Rome, Illyria was forced to undergo the influence of her civilisation notably in the colonies and the towns which had received the right of cities. New towns appeared, like Scampian (Peqin of modern central Albania) and Hadrianopolis (near Gjirokastra, south Albania). Under Roman occupation Illyrian sculpture moved towards the portrait style.

Despite the wide spread of Roman civilisation the majority of the population outside the towns and in the inland areas were almost shielded from Romanization. They preserved their own language almost until the end of the Ancient period. Hieronymus, a Dalmatian writer, mentioned still in AD 420 that a "barbarian" language was spoken in Illyria. The Illyrians preserved their names of people and places as well as their costumes. In religion, too, the Romans met with resistance. If they give Latin names to the Illyrian divinities, they did not succeed in modifying their iconography representation, or in depriving them of their ancient attributes.

A large number of new elements of Roman civilisation adopted by the Illyrians were objects of common use like tools and ornaments-eventually took on new features during the early Middle Ages, as they became integrated with traditional elements of the indigenous civilisation of the descendants of the Illyrians, the Albanians.

The crisis which hit the Roman Empire in the third century AD, a crisis provoked notably by the repeated raids by the "barbarians" tribes, forced Rome to reinforce her army. A conflict was growing between the Senate and the army. This new situation enabled a large number of Illyrian generals, such as Decius, Claudius II, Aurelian, Diocletian and Constantine to become leaders of the army and, in this way, of the Empire.

At the end of the fourth century AD, when the Roman Empire was shared out, the southern Illyrian regions were incorporated in the Eastern Empire. Throughout the fifth century they were to undergo successive invasions from the Visigoths, the Huns and the Ostrogoths.