Illyrian coinage which began in the 6th century BC continued up to the 1st century of Roman rule. It was the southern Illyrians who minted the first coins followed by the northern Illyrian during the Roman era. Illyrian coins have also been found in other areas apart from Illyria, such ancient Macedonia, Italy, Greece, Asia Minor and Egypt.[ citation needed ]
The earliest Illyrian coins were probably minted by the Tyntenoi north of Lake Ohrid minted coins around 540 BC with the Greek legend Tynteni. Their silver coins reached Italy, Egypt and many parts of Asia. They belonged to the group of 'Thraco-Macedonian' coinages of this period, and they bore the same emblems as the coins of Ichnae at the head of the Thermaic Gulf. Production ceased in the early 5th century BC, most likely in 475 BC when this period was one of comparative poverty, during which contacts were lost with mainland Greece and relations with Ionia via the Danube valley slackened. [1]
The Messapians in southern Italy minted coins in the early 5th century BC. They were an early imitation of the Greek coins from Magna Grecia. The cities which minted these early mints were Valesio, Brindisi, Nardò, Oria, Ugento, Grax and Samadi. Valesio struck silver coins, Nardò silver and bronze while from the 3rd century BC only bronze coins were issued. The coins feature Iapyx, an ancient Iapygian hero. Other features included Athena, Heracles and Zeus. [2]
At the same time as the Messapians, the Paeonian tribe of the Derrones were also producing coins. These coins are traditionally dated to 500 BC – 450 BC. Frequent depictions on the coins attributed to the Derrones are Oxen and Corinthian helmets. Their god, Darr(h)on, was worshipped by Paionians and Macedonians. [3] [4] The Paeonian kings dealt greatly and seriously with the minting coins. However this activity in terms of quality and appearance did not differ much from Greek coins. Even the Paeonians themselves at this time were becoming hellenized more and more and lost to a great degree their characteristic as a non-Greek people. [5]
The earliest Illyrian coins in Illyria were minted from the start of the 4th century BC in the Illyrian city of Damastion and Daparria [6] by the Illyrian tribe of the Dyestes under Bardylis, which had been influenced by Hellenization to an extent. For about 200 years, this city minted silver coins with symbols imitating those of the Hellenic cities in the Aegean, as well as original symbols such as tongs of a metal smelter. The circulation of Damastion coins included Kosovo, southern Serbia, North Macedonia and the Adriatic coast from Shkodër to Split. The presence of silver mines around the city in ancient sources made it possible for the minting of coins in such a great abundance.
The only kings to have minted coins bearing their names were Lycceius, Patraus, Audoleon, Monunios, Mytilus, Gentius and Ballaios.
The coinage of Patraus is remarkable. It bears on the obverse a head of Apollo, which may be an allusion to the king's name, Apollo being known under the name of Patraus. On the reverse of the coins is a horseman riding over an enemy, alluding to victories over the Macedonians, and an inscription naming the king. [7]
The coins of Audoleon have a head wearing a Corinthian helmet on the obverse and on the reverse a horse stepping, very boldly executed and an inscription naming the king.
The first Dardanian king to have minted silver coins was Monunios in the beginning of the 3rd century BC, around 280 BC. He struck his coins in the Greek colony of Durrës and they differed only in having the jaw of a boar set over the cow, as a symbol of the royal Illyrian house. The coins also had the abbreviated inscription 'ΔYP' (for Durrës) to donate the place where they were minted, as well as showing royal sovereignty over the city. These coins have been found in great numbers in the Illyrian city of Gurëzeza, and in the interior of Albania beyond Apollonia. The Illyrian kingdom under Monunios extended as far as the Lyncestian Lakes, and from here Monunios could have intervened in the quarrel about the Macedonian throne, eventually turning into a claimant for it. This surely is the meaning of the minting of a second series of silver coins bearing his name and traditional Macedonian symbols, the head of Heracles on the face and on the reverse, Olympian Zeus sitting on his throne. That this, was a short lived dream of the Illyrian king is shown by the fact that so few coins were minted, so much that only one specimen is preserved today. [8]
Mytilus, the successor of King Monunios, struck his coins 10 years later around 270 BC. His bronze coinage with the symbols of the city of Durrës in Albania bear his name. The coinage of Apollonia in the same period bore only his monogram, as well as symbols similar to those of the Aetolian League. [9]
The most productive coinage is of Gentius who ruled from 181 BC. Two of his mints were located in Shkodra, the ancient Illyrian capital at the time of his regn, and in Lezha, both located in modern-day north-eastern Albania. His coins were also struck in Durrës, where the royal title is absent from any silver coin, and the name Gentius, not uncommon to an Illyrian male, may belong not to the king but to a local magistrate. However, around 30 to 40 examples of bronze coins have been recorded with the legend 'King Genthios'. Upon his defeat by the Romans in 168 BC his treasury of 120,000 silver pieces were conveyed to Rome.
Ballaios reigned after the kingdom of Gentius was dissolved into the Roman Empire from around 167 BC – 135 BC. The abundance of the coinage of Ballaios in the region would suggest that he was a powerful and influential king although no literary of historical evidence of him exists. The coins of the well-known king Gentius are scarce in comparison to the coins of Ballaios. His silver issues are rare, but bronze coins (without the royal title) occur on Hvar in Croatia, both in single finds and in hoards, and at Rhizon, the ancient capital of Queen Teuta, in a different series bearing the royal title. The coins of Ballaios were widely imitated in the region, sometimes so crudely that they are unintelligible. Ballaios struck coins in two cities: Pharos and Rhizon. The weight of the bronze coins are between 1.0 and 4.5 g, while most of the documented specimens weigh between 2.0 and 2.5 g. The relativity great impact of the coinage of Ballaios is indicated by a large number of imitations of his coins. His coins are found in both the eastern Adriatic shores and frequently in Italy, which confirms the trade contacts between the two Adriatic coasts. [10] [11]
On the obverse of his coins a bust of the king facing left to right is depicted, while on the reverse Artemis (advancing or standing) is represented, with or without a torch and sometimes carrying one or two spears. It is significant that Ballaios also had silver coins minted, which indicates his wealth and power, since elsewhere in Dalmatia, silver coinage is very rarely documented from the Greek and Illyrian mints. [10]
The coins of ancient Lissus, modern-day Lezha, with the legend 'LISSITAN' began with autonomous issues under the Macedonian influences (211 BC – 197 BC). The coins were followed later by the issues of Gentius with a ship on the reverse and a third series from the period after the kings removal. Lissus minted coins on behalf of the community of the Lissians and minted a rare coin with an inscription over the head of an Illyrian god wearing a causia type hat. The face depicted on the Lissian coins was originally thought to be of King Gentius, although Albanian archaeologist, Hasan Ceka has proved it to be the head of the Illyrian sea god, Rodon.[ citation needed ] The head of Artemis and an Illyrian shield is depicted on some Lissian coins. The Shkodra coins fall into three similar groups, the first and third with the legend 'SKODRI-NON' and the second with the legend of king Gentius. In the city of Rhizon a mint was established that issued several coinages. These included autonomous coinages of the town, in bronze, the royal coinage of king Ballaios, in silver and bronze, most probably, the coinage labeled “Coinage from the Rhizonian Gulf”, which has been considered as the coinage of an alliance in which Rhizon played a part, in silver and bronze.
The chronology of these coinages is still not defined with precision, primarily because the historical background of their issuance remains little known. There is hardly any mention in the literary sources of the town of Rhizon, and none of the king Ballaios. However, several features of these coinages - such as the characteristics of style, elements of inscription and iconography (especially the presence of the title “basileus” on the coinage of Ballaios, and the presence of a Macedonian shield on the “Coinage from the Rhizonian Gulf”), metrology, choice of coined metals, etc. – point to the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE as the general chronological framework for the activity of the Rhizonian mint and for the successive issuance of the coinages of different issuing authorities there. Around Lake Scutari the Labeates issued a rare type of bronze coin, bearing the head of an Illyrian deity and a Liburnian warship with a dolphin swimming underneath. Between 217 BC and 84 BC the city of Oria in Italy minted coins with the head of Lapagus, the ancient Iapygian hero. In Daorson the capital of the Daorsi in modern Bosnia, 39 different coins (29 bearing the image of King Ballaios from 168 BC, and 9 with a Greek inscription and a boat image) have been discovered. [12] Money was of immense importance to the Daorsi, ensuring the tribe's independence while also confirming their well developed business, cultural and trade links with other peoples. [12] [13] Illyrian coins also appeare in other ancient cities especially those in the south of Illyria, such as in the Illyrian/Greek cities of Byllis, Amantia, Pelion and Olympe. [14] The koinon of the Bylliones centred on the city of Byllis minted its own bronze coins. The first coins came out around 270 BC and continued until 167 BC when the Romans dissolved the koinon. [15]
In antiquity, Paeonia or Paionia was the land and kingdom of the Paeonians or Paionians.
The Illyro-Roman Wars were a series of wars fought between the Roman Republic and the Illyrian kingdom under the Ardiaei and Labeatae. In the First Illyrian War, which lasted from 229 BC to 228 BC, Rome's concern was that the trade across the Adriatic Sea increased after the First Punic War at a time when Ardiaei power increased under queen Teuta. Attacks on trading vessels of Rome's Italic allies by Illyrian pirates and the death of a Roman envoy named Coruncanius on Teuta's orders, prompted the Roman senate to dispatch a Roman army under the command of the consuls Lucius Postumius Albinus and Gnaeus Fulvius Centumalus. Rome expelled Illyrian garrisons from a number of Greek cities including Epidamnus, Apollonia, Corcyra, Pharos and established a protectorate over these Greek towns. The Romans also set up Demetrius of Pharos as a power in Illyria to counterbalance the power of Teuta.
Taulantii or Taulantians were an Illyrian people that lived on the Adriatic coast of southern Illyria. They dominated at various times much of the plain between the rivers Drin (Drilon) and Vjosa (Aoös). Their central area was the hinterland of Epidamnos-Dyrrhachion, corresponding to present-day Tirana and the region between the valleys of Mat and Shkumbin (Genusus). The Taulantii are among the oldest attested Illyrian peoples, who established a powerful kingdom in southern Illyria. They are among the peoples who most marked Illyrian history, and thus found their place in the numerous works of historians in classical antiquity.
Gentius was an Illyrian king who belonged to the Labeatan dynasty. He ruled in 181–168 BC, being the last attested Illyrian king. He was the son of Pleuratus III, a king who kept positive relations with Rome. The capital city of the Illyrian kingdom under Gentius was Scodra.
Ballaios was an Illyrian king of the Ardiaei tribe. Attested only in coinage, Ballaios is considered as the predecessor of Agron. He is considered to have been a powerful and influential king as testified by the abundance of his silver and bronze coinage found along both coasts of the Adriatic. A hoard found in 2010 is one of the biggest hoards of ancient coins known, not only from Illyria. The capital of Ballaios' kingdom was Rhizon.
Rhizon was the capital of the Illyrian kingdom under the Ardiaei. During the Roman rule it was known as Rhizinium. Rhizon is the oldest settlement in the Bay of Kotor and the modern town of Risan stands near the old city.
Byllis or Bullis or Boullis (Βουλλίς) was an ancient city and the chief settlement of the Illyrian tribe of the Bylliones, traditionally located in southern Illyria. In Hellenistic times the city was either part of Illyria or Epirus. In Roman times it was included within Epirus Nova, in the province of Macedonia. The remains of Byllis are situated north-east of Vlorë, 25 kilometers from the sea in Hekal, Fier County, Albania. Byllis was designated as an archaeological park on 7 April 2003 by the government of Albania.
The Ardiaei were an Illyrian people who resided in the territory of present-day Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia between the Adriatic coast on the south, Konjic on the north, along the Neretva river and its right bank on the west, and extending to Lake Shkodra to the southeast. From the 3rd century BC to 168 BC the capital cities of the Ardiaean State were Rhizon and Scodra.
Monounios or Monunius was an Illyrian king who reigned in southern Illyria, in the territory of the Taulantii, around the hinterland of Dyrrhachion and Apollonia. He is the first known Illyrian king to have struck his own silver coins, which were minted in Dyrrhachion. The fact that Monounios' coins were struck in the city mint of Dyrrhachion stresses that he exercised to some extent his authority over the city, as did his successor and probably son Mytilos later.
Damastion was an ancient city in the area of central Balkans, known for its silver coins dating back to the 4th century BC. It is attested only in Strabo who says that the city had silver-mines and locates it in Illyria. The ancient author reports that the city was under the authority of the Illyrian tribes of Dyestes and Enchelei-Sesarethii, and that Aegina colonized it. At 356–358 B.C. the mines came under the control of Macedon.
Mytilos or Mytilus was an Illyrian king who reigned in southern Illyria, around the hinterland of Dyrrhachion and Apollonia. He was the successor of Monunios, and probably his son. Mytilus is mentioned by Pompeius Trogus and Frontinus reporting the events of the military conflict between the Illyrians and the Epirotes under Alexander II, son of Pyrrhus. From around 270 BC Mytilus minted in Dyrrhachion his own bronze coins bearing the king's name and the symbol of the city.
The Bylliones were an Illyrian tribe that lived near the Adriatic coast of southern Illyria, on the lower valley of the Vjosa river, in the hinterland of Apollonia. The Bylliones were firstly attested in epigraphic material from the oracle of Dodona dating back to the 4th century BC, and their koinon was firstly attested in a 3rd-century BC inscription from the same oracle. Their territory was trapezoidal on the right side of the rivers Luftinje and Vjosa, extending in the west to the Mallakastra mountains. The chief city of their koinon was Byllis. Another important centre of their koinon was Klos, an earlier Illyrian settlement later called Nikaia, as an inscription attests. The Bylliones also inhabited in the area of an ancient sanctuary of the eternal fire called Nymphaion.
The Illyrian Kingdom was an Illyrian political entity that existed on the western part of the Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. Regardless of the number of the alternately ruling dynasties, of their tribal affiliation, and of the actual extension of their kingdom, it represented an alliance of Illyrian tribes that united under the rulership of a single leader, expressly referred to as "King of the Illyrians" in ancient historical records. The monarchic superstructure of the Illyrian state coexisted with the Illyrian tribal communities and the republican system of the Illyrian koina.
The history of the Illyrians spans from the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC up to the 1st century AD in the region of Illyria and in southern Italy where the Iapygian civilization flourished.
Daorson was the capital of the Illyrian tribe of the Daorsi. The Daorsi lived in the valley of the Neretva River between 300 BC and 50 BC. They came very early into contact with Greek traders acquiring many facies of Greek civilization, and the town acquired a certain degree of Hellenization. After the peace treaty with Rome in 168/167 BC, the Daorsi minted their own coins.
Patraus was king of the ancient kingdom of Paeonia from around 335 until his death in 315 BC. Patraus' relationship with the previous Paeonian king, Lyppeius, is unknown, as are the circumstances surrounding his ascension. Aside from the silver coinage struck in his name, we know nothing for certain about the events of Patraus' reign.
The Labeatae, Labeatai or Labeates were an Illyrian people that lived on the Adriatic coast of southern Illyria, between modern Albania and Montenegro, around Lake Scodra.
Illyrian weaponry played an important role in the makeup of Illyrian armies and in conflicts involving the Illyrians. Of all the ancients sources the most important and abundant writings are those of Ennius, a Roman poet of Messapian origin. Weapons of all sorts were also placed intact in the graves of Illyrian warriors and provide a detailed picture for archaeologists on the distribution and development of Illyrian weaponry.
The Illyrians were a group of Indo-European speaking peoples, who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo-Balkan populations, along with the Thracians and Greeks.
