BALKANS AND PONTIC AREA

ILLYRIAN GROUPS

Septentrioanl Balkanic would include Dacian, Thracian, Illyrian, Messapian,
and Venet, and would have some
similar isoglosses with Baltic and Slav.

Thraco-Illyro-Phrygians, settled on Balkan peninsula. It took place in the
XXIIIth or the XXIIth century BC. Scientists believe
it was the time of linguistic unity of all Balkan peoples. Later they
divided into two groups: Thraco-Illyrian and Thraco-Phrygian,
the first spread to all Balkan mountains, Illyria, Pannonia, Dacia and parts
of Italy, the second existed in South-East Balkans
and partly in Asia Minor. Modern Albanian means everything that left after
the first group, whether it is the direct successor of
Illyrian language or just related to it.

Isolated Illyrian tribes deep into hinterland shared with the Thracian
tribes the custom of tattooing their bodies and of offering
human sacrifices.

-2000/-1200 Proto-Illyrians in former Yugoslavia. This is the group
ancestral to Istri, Dalmatians, Pannonians and other Illyrian
language family tribes, listed starting in -1200.

MAP: Click here to open a new window displaying a map of the linguistic
communities in the Balkans in the Bronze Age.

Vucedol est formée par la fusion de Baden-Kostolac avec des sépultures à
catacombes venus du nord-est. Ces peuples de cavaliers
portaient des haches de combat de section polygonales et des couteaux
losangiques en cuivre. Ils utilisaient des poteries noires polies
(parfois avec des anses) décorées de signes solaires (cercles concentriques)
incisés, pointillés et sillonnés. Leurs descendants étaient
connus dans l'antiquité sous le nom de "Vénètes" en Italie du nord-est et en
Slovénie. Plusieurs tribus issues de la culture de Vucedol
partiront envahir l'Italie. Ces hommes, appelés "italiotes" ou "italiques",
seront les ancètres directs des latins (Romains et Falisques) et
des osco-ombriens.

Vucedol culture: in Croatia, Hungary, Bosnia, Austria, Czech Rep., Slovenia,
Slovakia, and Germany, where men and womed were
buried toguether along offers. From there surely came the Apenine Culture of
Italy.

In Vucedol the tumular burials were replaced slowly by simple inhumations
and cremations.

Since -1400 Illyrians in the Balkans.

-1500 Pannonians in north Croatia.

About -1300 the Illyrians settled on the northern and eastern coasts of the
Adriatic Sea. Included among its members were
various tribes of Dalmatians and the Pannonians. Those of Illyrians who
crossed the Adriatic and settled in Italy spoke the Messapic
language.

IDEA: The Wends in Germany, the Venets in Brittany then could be linked with
the dispersal of Illyrian peoples with the
Urnfield.

In Croatia -1200/-700 Urnfield Culture with cremation and weapons inside
urns.

IDEA: Such culture might have carried Illyrian there ?

The Illyrians were Indo-European tribesmen who appeared in the western part
of the Balkan Peninsula about -1000, a period coinciding
with the end of the Bronze Age and beginning of the Iron Age. They inhabited
much of the area for at least the next millennium.
Archaeologists associate the Illyrians with the Hallstatt culture, an Iron
Age people noted for production of iron and bronze swords
with winged-shaped handles and for domestication of horses.
All the western part of the Balkan Peninsula was considered, until recently,
inhabited by the Illyrians. Basing on the latest researches,
some scientists distinguish Dalmatians and Pannonians from Illyrians,
although their languages were close or just Illyrian dialects.
They also make the difference between Istrians and Liburnians who are close
to the Venetians, having lived in present Northern Italy.

In about -1300 Illyrian and Venetic groups (or one group which was later
divided into two) started migrating to the south, from Pannonia
(modern Hungary) to Dalmatia (modern Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia).

Urnfield (-1300), with cremation, spreads to Poland as the Lausitz culture;
related to Illyrians and Venets. Secondary expansion to
Greece, Asia Minor, Lacio, SE France, Catalonia, Netherland, and Dover area.

IDEA: That would point to an Illyrian occupation of Dalmatia around such
epoch.

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.

IDEA: So by the time of Cadmus (some two centuries before the Trojan Wars),
there is attested the presence of Illyrians north of Greece,
at least in legends.

ILYRIANS: Utilisation de tumuli comme lieux de sépulture jusqu’au début de
l’ère chrétienne est caractéristique de ces populations.
Objets déposés là sont bijoux, armes et monnaies. La grande difficulté pour
la connaissance de l’histoire des Illyriens tient à l’absence
de texte écrit en langue illyrienne.

Sufficient is not known either of the language or customs of the Illyrians,
by which their race may be ascertained. The most accurate
among the ancient writers have always distinguished them as a separate
nation, or group of nations, from both the Thracians and Epirots.
In the practice of tattooing their bodies, and offering human sacrifices,
the Illyrians resembled the Thracians.

IDEA: as the Illyrians do not appear in history before the PeloponnesianWar,
it seems that the classics before that might
have taken Illyrians as Thracians... Otherwise similar customs could have in
fact a substrate origin.

After Illyrians began their movement to the south from the Danube valley,
Phrygian tribes which probably came to the Balkans
together with some branches of the Hellenic group were forced to leave their
settlements and start the migration which was to
play an important role in Anatolia. At first they lived in the northern
Balkans, contacting with Thracians, Illyrians and
Doric Greeks, and now had to cross the Bosporus and to settle in West Asia
Minor, among non-Indo-European tribes who
lived in Troy and other towns here.

DALMATIANS = PANNONIANS = ILLYRIANS

-1500/-1200 Liburni in Istria

Appian, The Foreign Wars: "The Liburni, another Illyrian tribe, were next to
the Ardiæi as a nautical people". In another text:
"At the time when Cæsar held the command in Gaul these same Dalmatians and
other Illyrians, who were then in a very prosperous
condition, took the city of Promona from the Liburni, another Illyrian
tribe." And also: "They were supplanted by the Taulantii,
an Illyrian tribe, who were displaced in their turn by the Liburnians,
another Illyrian tribe, who were in the habit of making piratical
expeditions against their neighbors, with very swift ships."

LIBURNIANS = ILLYRIANS

Corcyra [Korfu], before the Greeks took possession of it, was peopled by
them. (Strab. vi. p. 269.) So was Issa and the neighbouring
islands. (Schol. ad Apollon. iv. 564.). They were also considerably extended
to the N., for Noricum, it is evident, had been previously
inhabited by Liburnian tribes; for the Vindelicians were Liburnians (Serv.
ad Viry. Aen. i. 243), and Strabo (iv. p. 206) makes a distinction
between them and the Breuni and Genauni, whom he calls Illyrians. The words
of Virgil, too, seem distinctly to term the Veneti Liburnians,
for the innermost realm of the Liburnians must have been the goal at which
Antenor is said to have arrived.

LIBURNIANS were not [pure] ILLYRIANS

IDEA: By such accounts the Liburnians together with Veneti expelled from
North Italy (or subjugated) the native tribes, the Euganei.

At Ancona begins the coast of that part of Gaul known as Gallia Togata
[North Italy, Po Bassin]. The Siculi [Epiro-Macedonians, also
Pelasgians] and the Liburni possessed the greater part of this district
[since -1200, as the presence of Illyrians and Epirotes is
posterior to the Trojan War], and more particularly the territories of
Palma, of Praetutia, and of Adria. These were expelled by the Umbri
[Italics,
as Urnfield invader, -1000], these again by the Etrurians [around -600, the
colonists will be known as Raethians], and these in their turn by the Gauls
[by -400, Celtics that will be the dominant ethnic element in the Po Basin
at the arrival of the Romans]. (Pliny).

Ptolomey in the II Century: Illyrian tribe in Albania named "Albanians".

Après les invasions gothiques, puis l’arrivée des Slaves du Sud, se
développe, en Albanie septentrionale notamment, la civilisation
dite de Koman. Celle-ci est surtout remarquable par les bijoux, fibules,
agrafes, qui témoignent de la permanence d’une
technique du métal et d’un art de la décoration apparentés aux productions
illyriennes antérieures

IDEA: So Illyrian as say many scholars have the unique descendant left in
Albanian.

Many Illyrian names have been preserved in Albanian language: Didi=Dede,
Lalus=Lala, Dassios=Dash, Bardhyllis=Bardhan, Bardhosh, etc.
Even such names could be explained by Albanian etymology:
Bardhyllis=bardhë+yllis=white star, or Bardibalus=bardi+balus=white
forehead.

The Illyrian origins of Albanian can now be proven only with the use of
lexical similarities of modern Albanian words with what was found
of the Illyrian glossary, some Illyrian - Albanian correspondences: buris /
burrë "man"; datan / datë "place"; drenis / dreni "deer";
pupa / pupë "hill"; rera / lera "stones".

Modern Albanians still use the vigesimal numeric system of ancient
Illyrians.

Arutiunov: the only remnant of Illyrian is Albanian.

Strabo, Geography: The [Thracian] Bessi live in huts and lead a wretched
life; and their country borders on Mount Rhodope, on the
country of the Paeonians, and on that of two Illyrian peoples-the
Autariatae, and the Dardanians.

DARDANIANS (around modern Kosovo) = ILLYRIANS

According to HOLLIS, the Illyrian languages include the Messapian and
Venetic language.

Strabo: "And further, the Iapodes (we now come to this mixed tribe of
Illyrii and Celti) dwell round about these regions [west Slovenia];
and Mount Ocra is near these people. The Iapodes, then, although formerly
they were well supplied with strong men and held as their
homeland both sides of the mountain and by their business of piracy held
sway over these regions, have been vanquished and
completely outdone by Augustus Caesar. Their cities are: Metulum, Arupini,
Monetium, and Vendo. After the Iapodes comes Segestica,
a city in the plain, past which flows the River Saüs [Sava], which empties
into the Ister."

Les Alpes s'étendent jusqu'au pays des Iapodes, nation tout à la fois
celtique et illyrienne. [Strabo, Book VII, 31]

Les Iapodes sont établis près de l'Albie, très haute montagne qui se trouve
à l'extrémité des Alpes, et vont d'un côté jusqu'aux Pannonies
et à Pister, de l'autre jusqu'à l'Adrias. ils sont tatoués tout comme les
autres Illyries et les Thraces. [Strabo, Book VII, 33]

IAPODES = ILLYRIAN TRIBE (but Celtized)

Appian, The Foreign Wars: They are called Pæones [Paeones] by the Greeks,
but Pannonians by the Romans.

Paeones: They appear neither as Macedonians, or Illyrians, but professed to
be descended from the Teucri of Troy.

Next followed the Paeonians, who occupied both banks of the Strymon, from
its source down to the lake near its mouth, but were pushed
away from the coast towards the interior. (Strabo).

“But who,” he [Darius] answered, “are the Paeonians, and where do they
dwell, and with what intent have you come to Sardis?
[in Lydia]” They told him, that they had come to be his men, that the towns
of Paeonia lay on the Strymon, a river not far from the
Hellespont, and that they were colonists from the Teucrians of Troy.
(Herodotus).

Appian, The Foreign Wars: "Among the many myths prevailing among many
peoples this seems to me the most plausible.
Illyrius had six sons, Encheleus, Autarieus, Dardanus, Maedus, Taulas, and
Perrhaebus, also daughters, Partho, Daortho, Dassaro,
and others, from whom sprang the Taulantii, the Perrhaebi, the Enchelees,
the Autarienses, the Dardani, the Partheni, the Dassaretii,
and the Darsii. Autarieus had a son Pannonius, or Paeon, and the latter had
sons, Scordiscus and Triballus, from whom nations
bearing similar names were derived. But I will leave these matters to the
archaeologists."

ILLYRIANS = DARDANIANS = PAEONES/PANNONIANS

Francisco Villar: The Paeonian was IE; per example in its sonority of
aspired sonors (*bh, *dh, etc. > /b/, /d/, etc.),
and in names as Agrianes, Paeonian tribe (from *agro- ‘field’, as the Latin
ager) or in Doberos, Paeonian city (from *dheubh- ‘deep’,
as the Greek and Lithuanian dubus).

Appian, The Foreign Wars: "These peoples [Illyrian tribes], and also the
Pannonians, the Rhaetians, the Noricans, the Mysians
of Europe, and the other neighboring tribes who inhabited the right bank of
the Danube, the Romans distinguished from one another
just as the various Greek peoples are distinguished from each other, and
they call each by its own name, but they consider the whole
of Illyria as embraced under a common designation."

IDEA: Such fact can be explained as that once such Great Illyria was
ethnically homogeneus: it is attested that the Rhaetians crossed
the Alps in classical sources, also we know that the Norics were Celtics
that sprang with the Hallstadt culture, and the Mysians could
have suffered a process of Thracization.

The earliest writer who has left any account of the peoples inhabiting the
Adriatic coast is Scylax; according to whom the Illyrians,
properly so called (for the Liburnians and Istrians beyond them are
excluded), occupy the sea-coast from Liburnia to the Chaonians of
Epirus. The Bulini were the northernmost of these tribes, and the Amantini
the southernmost. Herodotus (i. 196) includes under the name,
the Heneti or Veneti, who lived at the head of the gulf; in another passage
(iv. 49) he places the Illyrians on the tributary streams of the
Morava river [Bosnia].

MAP: Click here to open a new window displaying a linguistic map of the
Balkans in the Iron Age.

Croatia: Celts there since -400 with La Tène Culture; cremation funerals,
and being substrat for the actual Croat language.

NOTE: The possible Illyrian branch of the Venets is taken into consideration
in Italy's section. Also the Messapic tribes.