10-17-2010, 08:24 PM
Quote:They were Illyrians right? And they were famed as sea-going pirates. Their national weapons included thureos shields, javelins, and maybe swords. That's about all I know!
Yes, they were Illyrians but they were not pirates. Rome had several encounters with them, many of them were defeats, but the most interesting thing about them is that they succesfully avoided major defeat from 156.B.C. to 9. A.D. Caesar, Octavian, Caecilius Metelus, Scipio Nasica, Marcius Figulus, Gaius Cosconius, Aulus Gabinius are just some of the generals that fought against Delmatae (not always with an happy ending). The province Dalmatia was named after them, and the modern Dalmatia in Croatia, still holds the name.
When you say that they were famed as sea-going pirates, you probably mean Liburni. They indeed were pirates and traders. There is so little that ancient historians outside of former Yugoslavia know about roman military campaigns in Illyria. But here in Croatia, a lot of problems are solved. Not just military, but cultural as well.
Fe?a
