Caecilius Metellus overran the country and received a triumph and the
surname _Dalmaticus_. But in 51 a Dalmatian raid on Liburnia led to a
renewal of hostilities; the Roman armies were often worsted, and
although in 39 Asinius Pollio gained some successes (see Horace, _Odes_
ii. 1. 15) these appear to have been exaggerated, and it was not until
Octavian took the field in person that the Dalmatians submitted in 33.
(For an account of the war see Appian, _Illyrica_, 24-28; Dio Cassius
xlix. 38; Livy, _Epit._ 131, 132). They again revolted in 16 and 11, and
in A.D. 6-9 joined the rebel Pannonians. Suetonius (_Tiberius_, 16)
declares that they were the most formidable enemies with whom the Romans
had had to contend since the Punic Wars. In A.D. 9, however, Tiberius
entirely subjugated them, for which he was awarded a triumph in 12 (Dio
Cass. lv. 23-29, lvi. 11-17; Vell. Pat. ii. 110-115). Thenceforward
Dalmatia, Iapydia and Liburnia were united as the province of Illyricum.
Latin civilization spread rapidly, the cultivation of the vine was
introduced, gold-mining was carried on in Bosnia, and flourishing
commercial cities arose along the coast. Illyria became one of the best
recruiting grounds for the Roman legions; and in troubled times many
Illyrian soldiers fought their way up from the ranks to the imperial
purple. Claudius, Aurelian, Probus, Diocletian and Maximian were all
sons of Illyrian peasants. It is probable, however, that most of the
highland tribes now represented by the Albanians remained almost
unaffected by Roman influence. The importance of Illyricum caused its
name to be extended to many neighbouring districts; in the 2nd century
A.D. the _Illyricus Limes_ included Noricum, Pannonia, Moesia, Dacia and
Thrace. In the reorganization of the empire by Diocletian (285) the
diocese of Illyricum was created; it comprised Pannonia, Noricum and
Dalmatia, while Dacia and Macedonia, together called Eastern Illyricum,
were added later. Either Diocletian or after him Constantine made
Illyricum one of the four prefectures, each governed by a _praefectus
praetorio_, into which the empire was divided. This prefecture included
Pannonia, Noricum, Crete and the entire Balkan peninsula except Thrace,
which was attached by Constantine to the prefecture of the East. From
the partition of the empire in 285 until 379 Illyricum was included in
the Western Empire, but thenceforward Eastern Illyricum was annexed to
the Eastern Empire; its frontier was almost identical with the line of
demarcation between Latin-speaking and Greek-speaking peoples, and
roughly corresponded to the boundary which now severs Latin from Greek
Christianity in the Balkan peninsula. The whole peninsula except Thrace
was still known as Illyricum, but was subdivided into Illyris Barbara or
Romana and Illyris Graeca (Eastern Illyricum with Greece and Crete). The
Via Egnatia, the great line of road which connected Rome with
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account