, 2nd half of the 3rd century BC, from the theatre of Byllis.
National Museum of Archaeology, Albania.
Language The idiom spoken by the Bylliones belonged to the southeastern
Illyrian linguistic area. Through contact with their
Greek neighbours, in
Hellenistic times the Bylliones acquired a certain degree of
Hellenization and bilingualism, especially in the urban centres of their
koinon. After the Roman annexation of the region in 167 BCE, the large urban centres of the Bylliones were abandoned, except Byllis. During the Roman period the Greek language previously used in the inscriptions found in the centres of the
koinon of the Bylliones was replaced by
Latin, showing the establishment of the new Roman administration. A Roman colony was established in Byllis around the time of
Augustus, called
Colonia Iulia Byllidensium. The tribe of the Bylliones is still described as "barbarian" by
Pliny the Elder in the 1st century CE.
Religion Archaeological explorations have not yet found a sanctuary or temple in the city of Byllis, however, a series of inscriptions show the adoption of the cults of
Zeus,
Hera,
Dionysius and
Artemis. Another inscription indicates that the area included a
fire sanctuary with an
oracle, the
Nymphaion located on the border with nearby
Apollonia. The nymphaeum also appears as a fire symbol engraved on coins of Byllis minted in the 3rd-2nd century BC. A relief found near Byllis also shows the nymphs and a cloth wrapped around this fire, a scene that is repeated only with the nymphs depicted on a 1st-century BC silver coin of Apollonia, suggesting an admixture of
local traditions and religions with the forms and practices brought by
Greek colonists. Under Greek influence the local Illyrian spontaneous and
naturalistic cult started its canonization. In the sanctuary of
Dodona a 4th-century BC inscription on a lead foil reports Bylliones asking to which deity they should sacrifice in order to ensure the safety of their possessions. By the end of the 3rd century BC, the Bylliones appear among the lists of
theorodokoi at Delphi.
Hellenistic political organisation One of the earlier inscriptions in the territory of the Bylliones, which dates back to the second half of the 3rd century BC and which was found on the fortification of Rabie, provides evidence for the institution of territorial control by the central authority of the Bylliones, through an army of border guards, the
peripoloi, commanded by the
peripolarchos and assisted by a
grammateus. All the personal names of these figures are
Illyrian and provide evidence for an administration made up of members of the indigenous community in a still initial phase of the acculturation process. The
prytanis, a magistrate figure, was adopted from nearby
Apollonia originally introduced in the region under the influence of its metropolis
Corinth, and it appeared as an eponymous official in several inscriptions found in the territory of the Bylliones. The earliest of these inscriptions dates back to the mid-3rd century BC and was found in Klos. Both the
strategos and the
prytanis were the main magistrates of the central power, with the former being second to the latter. It was similar to the
strategos in the hierarchy of magistrates of the
Epirote League, but different from Apollonia, where the
prytanis was followed by the commander of the archers, the
toxarchos. The importance of the
strategos highlights the existence of a militarized community among the Bylliones. == Economy ==