According to a historical reconstruction, Grabus belonged to the
Grabaei, an Illyrian tribe mentioned by
Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD), although the tribe may have been incorporated into the
Taulantii realm of which Grabus became king. It has been further conjectured that after
Philip II of Macedon defeated
Bardylis (c. 358 BC), the Grabaei, under Grabus, became the most powerful tribe in Illyria. In 356 BC, Athens formed an alliance with Grabus,
Paeonian king
Lyppeius, and
Thracian king
Cetriporis against Philip. Some months later the three northern kings were defeated by Philip's general
Parmenion, while the Athenians were otherwise engaged in the
Aegean Sea. == See also ==