Mytilus

This article is about an Illyrian king. For the mollusk genus, see Mytilus (mollusc).

Mytilus
King Mytilus
Reign	270 BC - c.231 BC
Greek	Μύτιλος
Titles	Basileos Mytilus
Predecessor	Monunius
Successor	Longarus (probable)

Mytilus (Ancient Greek Μύτιλος; ruled c. 270 – 231 BC) was an Illyrian king of the Dardanian Kingdom. Mytilus is probably the son of Monunius.

Mytilus is the second Illyrian monarch to have struck in 270 BC coins bearing his name after Monunius. the coins of Durrës bore the city's symbols and the kings name which stressed his soverignty over the city as his predecessor had done. Coinage of Appoloniain the same period bore only his monogram, as well as symbols similar to those of the Aetolian Laeague, an adversary of Epirus.^[1] Copies of the Illyrian coins are kept at the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb, Croatia.^[2] The bronze coins had the head of Hercules on the obverse and on the reverse, Heracles attributes: quiver, bow and mace with the words BAΣIΛEΩΣ MITYΛOY (of King Mytilus).

Mytilus is known from a brief historical note which tells of a war he waged around 270 BC against the successor of Pyrrhus, Alexander II as well as his bronze coinage. Mytilus, presumably, retained his authority in Durrës after Alexander II invaded his territory in or around 270 BC. On one occasion some Epirotes were dressed with Illyrian clothes and were put them to plunder their own sites. Unsuspecting the Illyrians relaxed their defenses and rushed themselves to emulate them, believing that men in front of them were just their own probes. So they were easy victims of Epirus.^[3][4] The control of Durrës and Appolonia means that at the time of Mytilus,the Illyrians had regained the extent and authority it enjoyed in the time of Glaucias. Mytilus had even takebn an excusion into the depth of Epirus.^[5] It is during this time that Rome was first invited to intervene against the Illyrians, Epirotes and the Aetolians in the Balkans.^[6] Mytilus was probably succeeded by Longarus in 231 BC.

See also

• Illyrian coinage
• Illyrian warfare
• List of rulers of Illyria

References

1. ^ The Illyrians by J. J. Wilkes, 1992, ISBN 0-631-19807-5, page 129: "No Illyrian production of coins is known before King Monunius struck his coins at Dyrrhachium (see figure 11), followed by Mytilus around ten years later."
2. ^ Duje Rendić-Miočević, Illyrian rulers' coins from the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb.
3. ^ Justin, Prol. XXV
4. ^ Papazoglu, Les Origines ...
5. ^ Frontinius II 5,10
6. ^ Cass. Dio. Fr 42.1

Sources

• The Illyrians by J. J. Wilkes,1992,ISBN 0-631-19807-5