Illyrian warfare

Illyrian warfare is the history of the wars and battles of the Illyrian tribes and the kingdom of Illyria (4th to 2nd century BC) in the Balkans, Iron Age Italy and piracy in the Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic sea fought against each other and other peoples.

Warfare

The Illyrian king Bardyllis (ruled from 385 to 358 BC) turned Illyria into a formidable local power in the 4th century BC. [Borza, Eugene N. "In the Shadow of Olympus: The Emergence of Macedon", 1990, p. 180, ISBN 0691008809. "Amyntas had barely seized the throne in 394/3 when he found his kingdom under attack by a powerful Illyrian force, probably led by Bardylis, king of the Dardanii".] After Bardyllis, Grabos came to power. [Harding, p. 93. "Grabos became the most powerful Illyrian king after the death of Bardylis in 358."] King Glaukias succeeded Grabos (317 BC to 303 BC), but was defeated by the Greeks. Queen Teuta (who reigned approximately from 231 BC to 228 BC) fought against both the Greeks and the Romans and practiced piracy. [Wilkes, J. J. "The Illyrians", 1992,ISBN 0631198075. "...Illyrian success continued when command passed to Agron's widow Teuta, who granted individual ships a licence to universal plunder. In 231 ac the fleet and army attacked Ells and Messenia ..."]

Infantry

The Illyrians [Papazoglu, Fanula. "The central Balkan tribes in pre-Roman times: Triballi, Autariatae, Dardanians, Scordisci and Moesians', 1978, Figure 20, p. 663, ISBN-10: 9025607934. "Silver belt-plate, beginning or first half of second century BC, possibly depicting Scordiscian warriors, from Gostilje."] used javelins [ [http://home.exetel.com.au/bmboats/illyria.htm Illyrian Warriors] ] and oval shields but no armor or greaves except for the elite. They used Negau helmets, Pot helmets with a rim, wicker helmets with metal plates also called disc and stud helmets. [Sekunda, Nick and Northwood, Simon. "Early Roman Armies", 1995, p. 35, ISBN 1855325136.] and adopted the Ancient Greek "Illyrian" type helmet. Overall, they functioned as a military variant of the peltasts. They used short spears, single-handed axes that could be hurled, and swords. They used only open faced helmets and they resembled Celtic equipment of the Hallstatt culture to a great degree. [Kuhn, Herbert. "Geschichte der Vorgeschichtsforschung", 1976, p. 455, ISBN-10: 3110059185 "... of the Middle Danube Urnfield group persisted in the eastern Alpine and the north and east Adriatic area where the Illyrian Hallstatt culture arose in the following centuries best known through its celebrated Hallstatt cemetery and the situla art."]

From an organizational standpoint, the Illyrians were not a united tribal force and thus fought with a distinct lack of real military coordination. Their fighting techniques seemed to rely heavily on individual accomplishments rather than on coordinated units like the Greek phalanx or the Roman legion. In 359 BC, King Perdiccas III of Macedon was killed by attacking Illyrians in his failed attempt to reconquer Upper Macedonia. [Orrieux, Claude. "A History Of Ancient Greece", 1999, p. 256, ISBN-10: 0631203095. "Perdiccas III (368-359) tried to reconquer upper Macedonia from the Illyrians under Bardylis, but the expedition ended in disaster, with the king killed."] In 358 BC, however, Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, utterly crushed the Illyrians and assumed control of their territory as far as Lake Ohrid.

The Illyrians fought against many ancient peoples, but they ultimately fell to the Romans after the Illyrian Wars [Wilkes, J. J. "The Illyrians", 1992, p. 160, ISBN 0631198075. "The Roman invasion of Illyria in 229 ac appears to have caught Teuta and the Illyrians completely off guard. As soon as the weather permitted, the queen had ordered south a naval expedition..."] and failed to breakaway from the Roman Empire during the Great Illyrian Revolt. [Wilkes, J. J. "The Illyrians", 1992, p. 216, ISBN 0631198075. "Further east the formidable Daesitiates of central Bosnia retained their name. The great rebellion of AD 6 had been led by their chief Bato, and their relatively low total of 103 decuriae likely reflects..."] Aside from being conquered by the Romans, the Illyrians were also Romanized.

Navy

The Illyrians practiced piracy under Queen Teuta, a Greek called Demetrius of Pharos [Arthur Edward Romilly Boak and William Gurnee Sinnigen. "A History of Rome to A.D. 565", p. 111. "The island of Pharos and some adjacent territory in Illyria were given to a Greek adventurer, Demetrius of Pharos."] and Scerdilaidas [Wilkes, J. J. "The Illyrians", 1992, p. 163, ISBN 0631198075. "...Demetrius and Scerdilaidas (presumably the same who commanded a land army ten years earlier) sailed south of Lissus with 90 Illyrian warships (lembi)."] though the practice of piracy was not new to the Illyrians [Scullard, H. H. "History of the Roman World: 753 to 146 BC", 2002, p. 192, ISBN-10: 0415305047. "...territorial expansion of Illyria that drew Rome's first glance across the Adriatic. The immemorial pursuit and chief industry of the Illyrians was piracy. Their rugged broken coast with its screen of islands formed a perfect base from which their light and speedy little..."] who were notorious for it centuries ago. Demetrius of Pharos also commanded 1600 Illyrians at the Battle of Sellasia in 222 BC. [Polybius, [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plb.+2.65 2.65] .]

A lembus was an ancient Illyrian galley, with a single bank of oars and no sails. It was small and light, with a low freeboard. It was a fast and maneuverable warship capable of carrying 50 men in addition to the rowers. [Wilkes, p. 157; Polybius, [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plb.+2.3 2.3] .] It was the galley used by Illyrian pirates, [Wilkes, p. 163.] and by Philip V of Macedon during the First Macedonian War. [Walbank, p. 69; Polybius, [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plb.+5.109 5.109] .] They had also killed ambassadors of the Romans and the Issaeans. [Astin, A. E. "The Cambridge Ancient History, Volume 8: Rome and the Mediterranean to 133 BC", 1990, p. 87, ISBN-10: 0521234484 "...and the Roman ambassadors were intercepted on the high seas by Illyrian pirates and the leader of the Issaean delegation, Cleemporus, and a Roman, Coruncanius, were killed."] The Illyrians were limited by the Romans to venture past Lissus with more then two unarmed lembi. [Astin, A. E. "The Cambridge Ancient History, Volume 8: Rome and the Mediterranean to 133 BC", 1990, p. 90, ISBN-10: 0521234484 "...the Illyrians were not allowed to sail south of Lissus with more than two unarmed lembi..."] It was the practice of piracy that led the Romans to invade and conquer Illyria.

Variations and evolution

In 385 BC, the Molossians were attacked by Illyrians instigated and aided by Dionysius. [Hammond, N. G. L. "A History of Greece to 322 B.C.", 1996, p. 479, ISBN-10: 01987309509. "...Molossi, Alcetas, who was a refugee at his court, Dionysius sent a supply of arms and 2,000 troops to the Illyrians, who burst into Epirus and slaughtered 15,000 Molossians. Sparta intervened as soon as they had learned of the events and expelled the Illyrians, but Alcetas had regained his..."] of Syracuse to place Alcetas that was a refugee in his court to the throne. Dionysius planned to control all the Ionian Sea. Sparta had intervened [Hammond, N. G. L. "A History of Greece to 322 B.C.", 1986, p. 470, ISBN-10: 0198730950. "Sparta had the alliance of Thessaly, Macedonia, and Molossia in Epirus, which she had helped to stave off an Illyrian invasion."] as soon as the events became known and expelled [Diodorus Siculus. "Library", Book [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Diod.+15.13.1 15.13.1] .] the Illyrians who were led by Bardyllis. [Boardman, John. "The Cambridge Ancient History", 1923, p. 428, ISBN 0521233488. "Bardyllis who seize power and set himself up as king of the Dardani...Forming and alliance with Dionysius tyrant of Syracuse he killed 15,000 Molossians."] Despite being aided by 2000 Greek hoplites and five hundred suits of Greek armour, the Illyrians were defeated by the Spartans led by Agesilaus but not before ravaging the region and killing 15,000 Molossians.

In 360 BC, another Illyrian attack forced the Molossian king Arymbas to evacuate his non-combatant population to Aetolia and let the Illyrians loot freely. The stratagem worked and the Molossians fell upon the Illyrians who were encumbered with booty and defeated them. [Diodorus Siculus. "Library", Books 14.92, 15.2, 16.2.]

Apollodorus mentions a war between the Enchelaeae led by Cadmus and Harmonia and the Illyrians. [Apollodorus. "Library and Epitome", [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Apollod.+3.5.4 3.5.4] . "As the Encheleans were being attacked by the Illyrians, the god declared by an oracle that they would get the better of the Illyrians if they had Cadmus and Harmonia as their leaders. They believed him, and made them their leaders against the Illyrians, and got the better of them. And Cadmus reigned over the Illyrians, and a son Illyrius was born to him."] Pausanias mentions a number of Illyrian raids against the Epirotes. [Pausanias. Description of Greece, [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Paus.+4.35.1 Messenia, 4.35.1] . "When the Epirots were rid of their kings, the people threw off all control and disdained to listen to their magistrates, and the Illyrians who live on the Ionian sea above Epirus reduced them by a raid."] Illyrians were also attacked by the Gauls [Pausanias. Description of Greece, [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Paus.+1.4.1 Attica] . "It was late before the name "Gauls" came into vogue; for anciently they were called Celts both amongst themselves and by others. An army of them mustered and turned towards the Ionian Sea, dispossessed the Illyrian people..."] of Brennus led by Belgius or Bolgious. [Pausanias. Description of Greece, [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Paus.+10.19.1 Phocis and Ozolian Locri 10.19.1] . "The invaders of Paeonia were under the command of Brennus and Acichorius. Bolgius attacked the Macedonians and Illyrians, and engaged in a struggle with Ptolemy, king of the Macedonians at that time."] [Smith, William. "Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology", v. 1, p. 479. BELGIUS or BO'LGIUS, the leader of that division of the Gaulish army which invaded Macedonia and Illyria in b.c. 280. He defeated the Macedonians in a great battle, in which Pto­lemy Ceraunus, who had then the supreme power in Macedonia, was killed; but the Gauls did not follow up their victory, and the rest of Greece was spared for a time. (Pans. x. 19. § 4 ; Justin. xxiv. 5.)"] The Illyrians also attacked the Aetolians when they were about to change strategus and raided the city of Medion taking booty and slaves. [Polybius. Histories, [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plb.+2.3 2.3] ]

Civil wars

Illyrian tribes were reluctant to help each other in times of war [Burns, Thomas S. "Rome and the Barbarians, 100 B.C.--A.D. 400", 2003, p. 200, ISBN-10: 0801873061. "...Appian's account depicts a situation in which the inhabitants of Siscia (Segestiké, therefore "the Segestani") appealed in vain for aid from fellow Pannonians in their vicinity, but these people were reluctant to get involved, preferring..."] and they sometimes allied themselves with the Romans [Wilkes, J. J. "The Illyrians", 1992, p. 98, ISBN 0631198075. "...North of Dassaretis in the middle and upper valley of the Genusus was the territory of the Illyrian Parthini, likely to have been part of the Taulantii until they first appear as Roman allies late in the third century ..."] and the Greeks. [Arthur Edward Romilly Boak and William Gurnee Sinnigen. "A History of Rome to A.D. 565", p. 111. "The island of Pharos and some adjacent territory in Illyria were given to a Greek adventurer, Demetrius of Pharos"] The Autariatae fought against the Ardiaei for control of valuable salt mines. [Wilkes, J. J. "The Illyrians", 1992, p. 223, ISBN 0631198075. "The salt source that was a cause of conflict between the Illyrian Ardiaei and Autariatae may be that at Orahovica in the upper Neretva valley near Konjic."] They killed their wounded in order to avoid getting caught. [Wilkes, J. J. "The Illyrians", 1992, p. 243, ISBN 0631198075. "...the skull of an enemy as a drinking tankard. The practice of mutilating prisoners may be the reason why the Autariatae killed their own weak and wounded, so that they did not fall into the hands of the enemy live and..."] The Ardiaei were notorious before being defeated by the Romans. [Wilkes, J. J. "The Illyrians", 1992, p. 216, ISBN 0631198075. "The Ardiaei, or Vardaei as they were known to the Romans, once the ravagers of Italy' and now reduced to a mere..."]

References

ee also

*Great Illyrian Revolt
*Illyrian Wars
*List of Illyrian tribes
*List of Illyrians
*Prehistoric Balkans