when a child, brought before
King Glaucia and his wife
Queen Beroia –
Nicolas-René Jollain, 1779.In southern
Illyria organized realms were formed earlier than in other areas of this region. One of the oldest known Illyrian dynasty is that of the
Enchelei, which seems to have reached its height from the 8th–7th centuries BC, but the dynasty fell from dominant power around the 6th century BC. It seems that the weakening of the dynasty of Enchelae resulted in their assimilation and inclusion into a newly established Illyrian realm at the latest in the 5th century BC, marking the arising of the
Dassaretii, who appear to have replaced the Enchelei in the Lakeland area of
Lychnidus. The weakening of the Enchelean realm was also caused by the strengthening of another Illyrian dynasty established in its vicinity—that of the
Taulantii—which existed for some time along with that of the Enchelei. The Taulantii—another people among the more anciently known groups of Illyrian tribes—lived on the
Adriatic coast of southern
Illyria (modern
Albania), dominating at various times much of the plain between the
Drin and the
Aous, comprising the area around
Epidamnus/Dyrrhachium. When describing the Illyrian invasion of
Macedonia ruled by
Argaeus I, somewhere between 678–640 BC, the historian
Polyaenus ( 2nd-century AD) recorded the supposed oldest known king in Illyria,
Galaurus or Galabrus, a ruler of the Taulantii who reigned in the latter part of the 7th century BC. Some scholars consider the authenticity of Polyaenus' passage as disputable.
Queen Teuta on a 16th-century engraving Whether or not this account is historically reliable, and despite Polyaenus' interest in the anecdote, it implies the widespread thought throughout antiquity about a significant animosity between the Macedonians and the Illyrians as early as the 7th century BC, if the consensus in modern scholarship in dating the reigning period of Argaeus I is correct. In the 7th century BC the Taulantii invoked the aid of
Corcyra and
Corinth in a war against the
Liburni. After the defeat and expulsion from the region of the Liburni, the Corcyreans founded in 627 BC on the Illyrian mainland a colony called
Epidamnus, thought to have been the name of an Illyrian (barbarian) king of the region. A flourishing commercial centre emerged and the city grew rapidly. The Taulantii continued to play an important role in Illyrian history between the 5th and 4th–3rd centuries BC, and in particular, in the history of Epidamnus, both as its neighbours and as part of its population. Notably, they influenced the affairs in the internal conflicts between aristocrats and democrats. The Taulantian dynasty seems to have reached its climax during
Glaukias' rule, in the years between 335 BC and 302 BC. According to some modern scholars the dynasty of
Bardylis—the first attested Illyrian dynasty—was Dassaretan. There is also another historical reconstruction that considers Bardylis a
Dardani a ruler, who during the expansion of his dominion included the region of Dassaretis in his realm, but this interpretation has been challenged by historians who consider Dardania too far north for the events involving the Illyrian king
Bardylis and his dynasty. After
Philip II of Macedon defeated
Bardylis (358 BC), the
Grabaei under
Grabos II became the strongest state in Illyria. Philip II killed 7,000 Illyrians in a great victory and annexed the territory up to
Lake Ohrid. Next, Philip II reduced the Grabaei, and then went for the
Ardiaei, defeated the
Triballi (339 BC), and fought with
Pleurias (337 BC). After that
Alexander the Great had defeated Illyrian chieftain Clitus forces in 335 B.C. and Illyrian soldiers and tribal leaders participated in his conquest of
Persia. After the death of Alexander, Illyrian tribes started to rise to become independent from Macedonian rule. Following that in 312 BC king Glaucius expelled Greeks from
Durrës. During the second part of the 3rd century BC, a number of Illyrian tribes seem to have united to form a
proto-state stretching from the central part of present-day Albania up to
Neretva river in
Herzegovina. The political entity was financed on piracy and ruled from 250 BC by the king
Agron. He was succeeded by his wife Teuta, who assumed the
regency for her stepson
Pinnes following Agron's death in 231 BC. Queen
Teuta was famous for having waged wars against the
Romans. At the
Neretva Delta, there was a strong
Hellenistic influence on the Illyrian tribe of
Daors. Their capital was
Daorson located in
Ošanići near
Stolac in
Herzegovina, which became the main center of classical Illyrian culture. Daorson, during the 4th century BC, was surrounded by
megalithic, 5 meter high stonewalls, composed out of large trapeze stones blocks. Daors also made unique bronze
coins and sculptures. The Illyrians even conquered
Greek colonies on the Dalmatian islands. The Illyrian kingdom was composed of small areas within the region of Illyria. Only the
Romans ruled the entire region. The internal organization of the south Illyrian kingdom points to imitation of their neighbouring Greek kingdoms and influence from the Greek and
Hellenistic world in the growth of their
urban centres.
Polybius gives as an image of society within an Illyrian kingdom as peasant infantry fought under aristocrats which he calls in Greek
Polydynastae (Greek: Πολυδυνάστες) where each one controlled a town within the kingdom. The monarchy was established on hereditary lines and Illyrian rulers used marriages as a means of alliance with other powers.
Pliny (23–79 AD) writes that the people that formed the nucleus of the Illyrian kingdom were 'Illyrians proper' or
Illyrii proprie dicti. They were the
Taulantii, the
Pleraei, the
Endirudini,
Sasaei,
Grabaei and the
Labeatae. These later joined to form the
Docleatae. The last known King of the Illyrians was
Gentius, of the
Labeatae tribe, and his capital city was
Shkodër. == Rulers ==