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political unity its landward boundaries were never clearly defined. Indeed, the very name seems originally to have been an ethnological rather than a See also:

GEOGRAPHICAL

geographical See also:

TERM

term; the older See also:

Greek historians usually wrote of " the Illyrians " (oi' 'IAlcvpiot), while the names Illyris ('IAIsvpis) or less commonly Illyria ('IXXvpia) came subsequently to be used of the indeterminate See also:

AREA

area inhabited by the Illyrian tribes, i.e. a region extending eastward from the Adriatic between Liburnia on the N. and See also:

EPIRUS, or EPEIRUS

Epirus on the S., and gradually shading off into the territories of kindred peoples towards See also:

THRACE

Thrace. The Latin name Illyricum was not, unless at a very See also:

early See also:

period, synonymous with Illyria; it also may originally have signified the See also:

LAND

land inhabited by the Illyrians, but it became a political expression, and was applied to various divisions of the See also:

ROMAN

Roman See also:

EMPIRE

Empire, the boundaries of which were frequently changed and often included an area far larger than Illyria properly so called. See also:

Vienna and See also:

Athens at different times formed part of Illyricum, but no geographer would ever have included these cities in Illyria. See also:

ETHNOLOGY

Ethnology.—Little can be learned from written See also:

SOURCES

sources of the origin and See also:

CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character of the Illyrians. The Greek See also:

LEGEND (through the French from the med. Lat. legenda, things to be read, from legere, to read)

legend that See also:

CADMUS

Cadmus and See also:

HARMONIA

Harmonia settled in Illyria and became the parents of Illyrius, the See also:

EPONYMOUS

eponymous ancestor of the whole Illyrian See also:

PEOPLE

people, has been interpreted as an indication that the Greeks recognized some See also:

affinity between themselves and the Illyrians; but this inference is based on insufficient data. See also:

HERODOTUS (c. 484-425 B.C.)

Herodotus and other Greek historians represent the Illyrian as a barbarous people, who resembled the ruder tribes of Thrace. Both are described as See also:

TATTOOING (Tahitian, tatu, from ta, mark)

tattooing their persons and offering human sacrifices to their gods. The See also:

WOMEN

women of Illyria seem to have occupied a high position socially and even to have exercised political See also:

POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power. Queens are mentioned among their rulers.

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