Dardanians
The Dardani (/ˈdɑrdənaɪ/; Ancient Greek: Δαρδάνιοι, Δάρδανοι; Latin: Dardani), or Dardanians (Δαρδανίωνες) was a tribe that occupied the region of Dardania,[1][2] at the Thraco-Illyrian contact zone; their identification as either an Illyrian or Thracian tribe is uncertain.[3][4] Their territory itself was not considered part of Illyria[5] by Strabo. The term used for their territory was (Ancient Greek: Δαρδανική),[6] while other tribal areas had more unspecified terms, such as (Ancient Greek: Αὐταριατῶν χώρα), for the Autariatae. Other than that, little to no data[7] exists on the territory of the Dardani prior to Roman conquest, especially on its southern extent. Albanian historians concluded that the kingdom of Dardani included the territory of today's Kosovo and southern Serbia and later on north-western Macedonia during the wars with Macedonia.
Name
According to Johann Georg von Hahn in 1854, 19th century historical linguistics concluded that Dardanoi and Dardania may be related to a word or derived from proto-Albanian meaning pear tree (dardha in modern Albanian the definite form, dardhë indefinite form < PAlb *dardā[8]), in view of the fact that toponyms related to fruits or animals are not unknown in the region (cf. Alb.rush-grapes < PAlb. râgusa, reflected in Illyrian Ragusa, GreekΡαγούσα, the ancient name of the city of Dubrovnik,[9] Alb. dele/delmë "sheep" supposedly related to Dalmatia, Ulcinj in Montenegro < Alb. ujk, ulk "wolf" etc.). Opinions differ whether the ultimate etymon of this word in Proto-Indo-European was *g'hord-, or *dheregh-.[10]
Greek Mythology
In Greek mythology, Dardanus (Δάρδανος), one of the sons of Illyrius (the others being Enchelus, Autarieus, Maedus, Taulas, and Perrhaebus) was the eponymous ancestor of the Dardanoi (Δάρδανοι).[11] Some Roman ethnographers proposed a connection between Dardani of the Balkans and the Dardans of Troy, having a group of Dardan colonists settle in the Balkans and subsequently degenerate into a state of barbarism,[12] but the Romans[13] considered them to be Greeks as a whole, which contradicts modern scholarship.
History
Early history
The Dardanians are first mentioned in the 4th century BC, when their king Bardylis succeeded into bringing various tribes in a single organization. Under his leadership the Dardanians defeated the Macedonians and Molossians several times. At this time they were strong enough to rule Macedonia through a puppet king in 392-391 BC. In 385-384 they allied with Dionysius I of Syracuse and defeated the Molossians in a battle, killing up to 15,000 Molossian soldiers and ruling their territory for a short period. Their continuous invasions forced the Macedonian king[who?] to pay them a tribute in 372 BC. They returned raiding the Molossians in 360. In 359 BC Bardylis won a decisive battle against Macedonian king Perdiccas III, who he killed himself, while 4,000 Macedonian soldiers fell, and the cities of upper Macedonia were occupied.[14][15]
Following the disastrous defeat of Macedonians by Dardanians, when king Philip II took control of the Macedonian throne in 358, he reaffirmed the treaty with Dardanians marrying princess Audata, probably the daughter or niece of Bardylis. The time of this marriage is somewhat disputed while some historians maintain that the marriage happened after the defeat of Bardyllis.[16] This gave Philip valuable time to gather his forces and to defeat Dardanians still under Bardylis in the decisive Erigon Valley battle by killing about 7,000 of them, eliminating the Dardanian menace for some time.[15][17]
In 334 BC, under the leadership of Cleitus, the son of Bardylis, the Dardanians, in alliance with other Illyrian tribes of the Taulanti under Glaukias and Autariate, attacked Macedonia which was this time under Alexander the Great. The Dardanians managed to capture some cities but were eventually defeated by Alexander's forces.[14]
In winter 280-279 BC when Celts invaded Macedonia, the Dardanian king offered to help the Macedonians with 20,000 soldiers, but they were refused by Macedonian king Ptolemy Keraunos, eventually contributing to his defeat and consequent death.[18][19] Unlike Macedonia, Dardanians suffered little under the Celtic invasion and Dardanian forces attacked them while they were returning north.
Dardanians were a constant threat to the Macedonian kingdom. In 230 under Longarus[20] they captured Bylazora from Paionians [21] and in 229 they again attacked Macedonia, defeating in an important battle Macedonian forces under Demetrius II.[22] In this period their influence on the region grew and some other Illyrian tribes defected Teuta joining Dardanians under Longarus, forcing Teuta to call off her expedition forces in Epirus.[23] When Philip V rose to the Macedonian throne skirmishing with Dardanians began in 220-219 BC and he managed to capture Bylazora from them in 217 BC. Skirmishes continued in 211 and in 209 when a force of Dardanians under Aeropus, probably a pretender to the Macedonian throne, captured Lychnidus and looted Macedonia taking 20.000 prisoners and retreating before Philip's forces could reach them.[24] In 201 Bato of Dardania along with Pleuratus the Illyrian and Amynander king of Athamania, cooperated with Roman consul Sulpicius in his expedition against Philip V.[25] Being always under the menace of Dardanian attacks on Macedonia, around 183 BC Philip V made an alliance with the Bastarnae and invited them to settle in Polog, the region of Dardania closest to Macedonia.[26] A joint campaign of the Bastarnae and Macedonians against the Dardanians was organized, but Philip V died and his son Perseus of Macedon withdrew his forces from the campaign. The Bastarnae crossed the Danube in huge numbers and although they didn't meet the Macedonians, they continued the campaign. Some 30,000 Bastarnae under the command of Clondicus seem to have defeated the Dardanians,[27] but eventually they returned home and the plan of Philip V failed. In 177 BC the Dardanians sent a report to the Roman Senate, accusing Perseus for being again in alliance with the Bastarnae, but the Roman investigating commission failed to find support for such accusations.[28]
Roman conquest of the Balkans
After Roman conquest of Illyria at 168 BC, Romans colonized and founded several cities in the region.[29]
In 88 BC, the Dardani invaded the Roman province of Macedonia together with the Scordisci and the Maedi.[30]
Polybius[31] writes of an event in which the Dardani ask for Roman aid against their enemies.
When the Rhodian envoys arrived in Rome the Senate, after listening to their address, deferred its answer. Meanwhile the Dardanian envoys came with reports as to the number of the Bastarnae, the size of their men, and their courage in the field. They gave information also of the treacherous practices of Perseus and the Gauls, and said that they were more afraid of him than of the Bastarnae, and therefore begged the help of the Romans. The report of the Dardani being supported by that of the Thessalian envoys who arrived at that time, and who also begged for help, the Senators determined to send some commissioners to see with their own eyes the truth of these reports; and they accordingly at once appointed and despatched Aulus Postumius, accompanied by some young men.According to Strabo's Geographica (compiled 20 BC–23 AD), they were divided into two sub-groups, the Galabri and the Thunaki.[32]
Dardania and the northern Balkans in Late Antiquity
It seems quite probable that the Dardani actually lost independence in 28 BC thus, the final occupation of Dardania by Rome has been connected with the beginnings of Augustus' rule in 6 AD, when they were finally conquered by Rome. Dardania was conquered by Gaius Scribonius Curio and the Latin language was soon adopted as the main language of the tribe as many other conquered and Romanized.[33]
Aftermath and legacy
At first, Dardania was not a separate Roman province, but became a region in the province of Moesia Superior in 87 AD.[34] Emperor Diocletian later (284) made Dardania into a separate[34] province with its capital at Naissus (Niš). During the Byzantine administration (in the 6th century), there was a Byzantine province of Dardania that included cities of Ulpiana, Scupi, Stobi, Justiniana Prima, and others.
The Illyrian language disappeared, with almost nothing of it surviving, except for names.[35] The Illyrian tribes in antiquity were subject to varying degrees of Celticization,[36][37] Hellenization,[38] Romanization[39][40]Byzantinization, and finally Slavicisation.
The Dardanians are first mentioned in the 4th century BC, when their king Bardylis succeeded into bringing various tribes in a single organization. Under his leadership the Dardanians defeated the Macedonians and Molossians several times. At this time they were strong enough to rule Macedonia through a puppet king in 392-391 BC. In 385-384 they allied with Dionysius I of Syracuse and defeated the Molossians in a battle, killing up to 15,000 Molossian soldiers and ruling their territory for a short period. Their continuous invasions forced the Macedonian king[who?] to pay them a tribute in 372 BC. They returned raiding the Molossians in 360. In 359 BC Bardylis won a decisive battle against Macedonian king Perdiccas III, who he killed himself, while 4,000 Macedonian soldiers fell, and the cities of upper Macedonia were occupied.[14][15]
Following the disastrous defeat of Macedonians by Dardanians, when king Philip II took control of the Macedonian throne in 358, he reaffirmed the treaty with Dardanians marrying princess Audata, probably the daughter or niece of Bardylis. The time of this marriage is somewhat disputed while some historians maintain that the marriage happened after the defeat of Bardyllis.[16] This gave Philip valuable time to gather his forces and to defeat Dardanians still under Bardylis in the decisive Erigon Valley battle by killing about 7,000 of them, eliminating the Dardanian menace for some time.[15][17]
In 334 BC, under the leadership of Cleitus, the son of Bardylis, the Dardanians, in alliance with other Illyrian tribes of the Taulanti under Glaukias and Autariate, attacked Macedonia which was this time under Alexander the Great. The Dardanians managed to capture some cities but were eventually defeated by Alexander's forces.[14]
In winter 280-279 BC when Celts invaded Macedonia, the Dardanian king offered to help the Macedonians with 20,000 soldiers, but they were refused by Macedonian king Ptolemy Keraunos, eventually contributing to his defeat and consequent death.[18][19] Unlike Macedonia, Dardanians suffered little under the Celtic invasion and Dardanian forces attacked them while they were returning north.
Dardanians were a constant threat to the Macedonian kingdom. In 230 under Longarus[20] they captured Bylazora from Paionians [21] and in 229 they again attacked Macedonia, defeating in an important battle Macedonian forces under Demetrius II.[22] In this period their influence on the region grew and some other Illyrian tribes defected Teuta joining Dardanians under Longarus, forcing Teuta to call off her expedition forces in Epirus.[23] When Philip V rose to the Macedonian throne skirmishing with Dardanians began in 220-219 BC and he managed to capture Bylazora from them in 217 BC. Skirmishes continued in 211 and in 209 when a force of Dardanians under Aeropus, probably a pretender to the Macedonian throne, captured Lychnidus and looted Macedonia taking 20.000 prisoners and retreating before Philip's forces could reach them.[24] In 201 Bato of Dardania along with Pleuratus the Illyrian and Amynander king of Athamania, cooperated with Roman consul Sulpicius in his expedition against Philip V.[25] Being always under the menace of Dardanian attacks on Macedonia, around 183 BC Philip V made an alliance with the Bastarnae and invited them to settle in Polog, the region of Dardania closest to Macedonia.[26] A joint campaign of the Bastarnae and Macedonians against the Dardanians was organized, but Philip V died and his son Perseus of Macedon withdrew his forces from the campaign. The Bastarnae crossed the Danube in huge numbers and although they didn't meet the Macedonians, they continued the campaign. Some 30,000 Bastarnae under the command of Clondicus seem to have defeated the Dardanians,[27] but eventually they returned home and the plan of Philip V failed. In 177 BC the Dardanians sent a report to the Roman Senate, accusing Perseus for being again in alliance with the Bastarnae, but the Roman investigating commission failed to find support for such accusations.[28]
Roman conquest of the Balkans
After Roman conquest of Illyria at 168 BC, Romans colonized and founded several cities in the region.[29]
In 88 BC, the Dardani invaded the Roman province of Macedonia together with the Scordisci and the Maedi.[30]
Polybius[31] writes of an event in which the Dardani ask for Roman aid against their enemies.
When the Rhodian envoys arrived in Rome the Senate, after listening to their address, deferred its answer. Meanwhile the Dardanian envoys came with reports as to the number of the Bastarnae, the size of their men, and their courage in the field. They gave information also of the treacherous practices of Perseus and the Gauls, and said that they were more afraid of him than of the Bastarnae, and therefore begged the help of the Romans. The report of the Dardani being supported by that of the Thessalian envoys who arrived at that time, and who also begged for help, the Senators determined to send some commissioners to see with their own eyes the truth of these reports; and they accordingly at once appointed and despatched Aulus Postumius, accompanied by some young men.According to Strabo's Geographica (compiled 20 BC–23 AD), they were divided into two sub-groups, the Galabri and the Thunaki.[32]
Dardania and the northern Balkans in Late Antiquity
It seems quite probable that the Dardani actually lost independence in 28 BC thus, the final occupation of Dardania by Rome has been connected with the beginnings of Augustus' rule in 6 AD, when they were finally conquered by Rome. Dardania was conquered by Gaius Scribonius Curio and the Latin language was soon adopted as the main language of the tribe as many other conquered and Romanized.[33]
Aftermath and legacy
At first, Dardania was not a separate Roman province, but became a region in the province of Moesia Superior in 87 AD.[34] Emperor Diocletian later (284) made Dardania into a separate[34] province with its capital at Naissus (Niš). During the Byzantine administration (in the 6th century), there was a Byzantine province of Dardania that included cities of Ulpiana, Scupi, Stobi, Justiniana Prima, and others.
The Illyrian language disappeared, with almost nothing of it surviving, except for names.[35] The Illyrian tribes in antiquity were subject to varying degrees of Celticization,[36][37] Hellenization,[38] Romanization[39][40]Byzantinization, and finally Slavicisation.