Historical, Geographic, Chronologic

Introduction to the History of the Holy

Illyricum, and to the Church of Salona.
First part, introduction to Illyricum

Chapter 1: From the Pelasgians to the foundation of the Illyrian

people

1. About the origin of the name and of the kind of Illyrians

Before we undertake to write about Dalmatia and the Church of Salona, about the Illyrian universe,
whose most special part, Dalmatia, was always inhabited by many noble men, it is necessary to
mention as a summary, what in the history of Holy Illyricum will be explained in detail and
accurately. This region seems to have been called Illyricum by the Latins and the Greeks alike,
although the Greeks not rarely called it also Illyridem, which form of appeal was meanwhile adopted
also by the Latins, as for instance in Pomponitis Mela at his first book, chapter 3. 1 Adriatic occupied
the side of Illyria. The Illyria of the Greece is to be found by Stephanus and the Illyria of the Latins at
Propertium book 1, Eleg. VIII. Am I more worthless to you than frosty Illyria? The inhabitants of that
region were called Illyrians by Latins and Greeks alike; Illyrians were nominated, thus, by Greeks,
wrote Eustathius in his notes ad Periegetam.

The rest may also be called Illyrians, as a matter of habit, it has become norm and an art of speaking.
Those who belong to the Illyrians, or derived from this nation, marked by this name, are called
Illyrica, just as the Illyrica coast, and Illyrican army at Tacitus.2 Old coins and inscription denominate
Illyricans and Illyrician army generals, teaching what Valerianus 3 confirms in a letter to Zosimionem,
which Pallio wrote to Claudio in the chapter 14: "We have named Claudius, a man of Illyrian birth, as
tribune of our most valiant Fifth Legion, the Martian.4 A coin of Decius stands out in the
Mediobarbam p. 353 in which the following incision is made: GENIUS EXERC. ILLURICIANI S. C.,
because the Illyricum, Latin letters have substituted those in Greek, rarely indeed, but sometimes
such scriptures are found.

1
Pompeius Mela, i cili shkruajti rreth vitit 43, konsiderohet si gjeografi më i hershëm romak. Vepra De Situ
Orbis është e përkthyer në disa gjuhë.
2
Publius Cornelius Tacitus (56 AD – 117 AD). The Annals. Translated by Alfred John Church and William Jackson
Brodribb. http://classics.mit.edu/Tacitus/annals.html (Accessed: October 2014).
3
Publius Licinius Valerianus Augustus. 193/195/200 – 260 or 264 CE, also known as Valerian the Elder, was Roman Emperor
from 253 to 259 CE.
4
Scriptores Historiae Augustae, Vol 3. David Magie. London: William Heinemann; New
York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 1932.
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Historia_Augusta/Claudius*.html#
13.8 (Last access: January 2015)

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Other mention various kinds of foundations of Illyricum, as it commonly happens when the question
of the origin of the term and of the nation is established. There is almost no nation, which does not
show disputable material about where it traces the name and the origin of its people; and those who
write and speak about the origins of the people are many, and contradictory, a mixture of so many
fabulous things, that it is easy to recognize the false when the true are distinguished, so in the
question of the origins of the Illyrican nations, not one is the whole truth, but there are many and
different opinions. In his book about Illyrians, Appian of Alexandria 5 referred to the Cyclop Polyphem
from Galatia as having had a wife and three sons, who coming from Sicilia ruled widely and broadly:
Celt out of whom the Celts, Gallus out of whom the Galles and finally Illyrios out of whom the place
and the people got their denomination, according to people’s opinion.

But, in fact, Apian himself admits that this is as much fabulous as it is close to historical
narrations, that is why one has to try in maximum that one which in maximum seems as impossible,
from those others who have written about the origins of the Illyrians. And this, he states, among all
those fabulous which seem to refer to this country, is the most probable to me. Others may argue
about falsity and about what has passed down to the poets from the cyclons and Polyphem.
Because, as we hear Homerus in his Odiseus IX that the children of Cyclop Polyphem extended their
name and genesis outside Sicily, so that not to use any of their ships going out from Sicily to other
coasts, being experts in every nautic and maritime arts, they had no architect of building ships, they
have no particular wish to expend their empire; among them there is no public juridical community
life and society, there is no science which administers the public affairs, some were distributed in
mountains and woods, others were hidden in caves, but they took care of their own issues, private in
their rights, but submitted to the laws of their children and wives. That is all about Cyclops, who
mentioned by Homerus, without any doubt corresponds with what Apian has extensively written
about them from the tales of the sons of Polyphem.

Stephen of Bizantium is the author of a book on Illyricum and Illyrians called άπό I’λλυρίή τή
κάδμή παίδος, from Illyrius, the son of Cadmus. Eustathius confirmed the same in his notes to
Dionysium Διξιπρύν δί κπχείρα ί І’λλυείς ζν αλαχαλαμίρυ από І’λλυεία ιςέ καδμα on the right is
the land of Illyrius, which is called like that by the Illyrius, the son of Cadmus. Both have agreed that
the author seems to be Apollodorus, 6 who in book 3 wrote that Ilyria was begotten by Cadmus, king
of the Illyrians καί βασιλαία καδμος І’λλυείων χς παις І’λλίιος άυτρί γίνιται Cadmus reigned
Illyrians and a son, Illyrius was born to him. Truthfully, this opinion was refused by Samuel Bochart,
because the word of Illyrius used by Phoenicus, or in the language of the Amorrhaeans, which was of
Cadmus people, abhorred since long time, and none did consider it correct, neither in costumes, nor
in institutes of Illyrians, nor in their language neither primitive, nor modern, nor in the common
trace of origin which was from Phoenics, where Cadmus had his origin from; this is proof that those
have their origin and name from other source, language and customs. According to these examples
given to us by the illustrious Apollodorus, the praised place where it is said that Cadmus ruled
Illyrians before the son Illyrius, which is before those people was called Illyrians, while if the opinion
of Stephan and Eustathius is true, Illyrians started first to be denominated by Illyrius, the son of
Cadmus. Indeed, the son of Cadmus, obtained the kingdom immediately after his father among
Enchelios, which later were called Illyrians; but the writers in the later periods, ignored his name
5
Appianus Alexandrinus (95-165 AD) de bellis civilibus Romanorum (Liber Illyricus, Celticus, Liblicus, Syrius,
Parthicus, Mithridaticus). Translated by P. Candidus and edited by L. P. Rosellus, Venice 1526, 8 vols.
6
http://www.theoi.com/Text/Apollodorus3.html

2
from that region in which he was born, or reigned, considered naming it with those who lived there,
called by Illyrians. To this point it was agreed, that although already since the most ancient times,
this region, where the name Illyricus was born, was inhabited partly by Greeks, and indeed it was
called the first Greece, by far it would seem more likely that the original Illyrians traced their name
and kind from the Pelasgians, or Greeks, rather than from Phoenices, or any other source; from this
we can conclude that it is not probable that the original people of Illyricum appear to claim their
origins from Asians, or from Galls, or from Sarmats.

Since the opinions of the others about things do not make us smile, it remains that I expose
what our opinion is, as shortly as I can. Neither can I now announce a certain and explored opinion,
in which one cannot doubt; of course in ancient and very obscure questions, it is easier to throw
away what is false, than to constitute what is truthful and certain. I think it suffices me to have done
my duty, if that would have been the ultimate aim, what would have aimed in this question which to
me is more likely a shoot, what more likely seems to me in that question. Thus, I consider that to be
close, that the original Illyrians were born and denominated from Hyllus, the Pelasgian, the son of
Hercules the Palasgian and from Hyllinis. Nevertheless, I don’t want to think that all is fabulous and
fiction, what the ancient historians told about Hercules and his illustrious deeds. There was once a
man, whose name was Hercules, of extraordinary virtues and power. He went through many
grievous dangers, and did famous deeds and acted boldly, traveled over every part of the globe, and
did many benefices to the humankind. Nobody can deny this, except for those who do not want to
trust at all to the ancient historical facts. Many of the antiquities attached to Hercules, which are not
possible, exceed all the faith. But, these references are important to morals, common customs of
that time, what Varro calls fabulous; when the writers gave themselves the permission to embellish
and to interpret the acts of the ancient heroes with miracles and fictions. Surely some truth is
hidden under those fabulous coverage, from which true and historical deeds or Hercules, brought in
with enough adequate explanations, were brought forth by Palaephatus book. 1, and other scholars.
Among many sons, which Hercules received from various wives, two are recorded, who carried the
name Hylli; one born from Dejanira and the other born from Melita, the daughter of Nausithou, king
of Phoeacia. Gronovius observed brightly Hercules. Nobody knows why the name Hylli was so
amazingly preferred, that two of his sons and probablz more, wanted to call Hylli. Hercules (states
vol. 1) liked this name, that is why it is believed that he gave it not only to one son. Now it was the
sight of the past, and annotated special position of the one Apollonus Rhodius, from book 4, cited by
Stephan of Byzantium, who remembered Hyllus of Melita; but did not omit to call in the same way
the other one born by Dejanira, as did the other authors who conferred; these men, not being
pleased with Hylli, produced other names for the others. We do not like to repeat what is said about
them. Hylli, the son of Hercules and Melita, obtained a principality in that region in which the name
Illyricum started to appear, and populated by him, it was enlarged and denominated Hyllinos. The
ancient authors are primarily the noblemen Apollonius Scylax, Schymnus, Festeus Avienus, and
others who being younger agreed in everything which was written about those times and places. To
what extent was the principality of Hylli met by the ancient historians, this should be drawn through
comparison.

After the expeditions in Spain and Galle, Hercules arrived to Italy. He was welcomed by
Evandrus in 1238 B.C. according to the chronology of Petavianus dhe qendroi rreth 55 vjet para se
Enea të shfaqej në Itali. After his departure from Evandrus, travelling on the both sides of Adriatic on
foot as it was his habit, arrived in that region, which many hundreds years afterwards would become

3
part of Macedonia, then it would be called Epirus Nova and now called Albania. This is pointed out
by Diodorus Siculus and Appianus Alexandrinus. Hercules, states Diodorus, travelled around Adriatic,
transit first Epirus, from where he transgressed the mounts Acroceraunian mountains and went to
the neighboring region. But in his book 2, Bell. Civ. Appianus overlooked the traveling to Gallia and
Italy, conferred the next Hispanic expedition of Hercules arriving in that region. He stated, that he
returned from Erythia. With the name Erythia, Appianus called the island of Gaditanus, which was
neighboring the western extremities of Spain, following the example of Pherecidus and Esocratus,
who first named the island Erythiam after Strabonus and then in Archidamus the same island
Erythream. From here, they say, Hercules carried off the bulls of Geryon, and here is placed the
shrine of Hercules; and two pillars stand in the middle of the island, witnessing the adventure of the
indigents: they are called by the folk the pillars or the columns of Hercules.

When Hercules arrived to New Epirus in circa 1237 B.C., where Dyrrachius had obtained the
royal throne from the lineage of Cadmus, nephew of Epidamnus, founded in the city from the origin,
and had denominated it after Epidamnus. There were two brothers here, who greedy to rule had
stirred up a provocative riot of the masses, in order to obtain the kingdom from the expelled
brother. Luckily the arrival of Hercules happened to Dyrrhachius, leading to a great change in the life
and the kingdom. He was perceived by the people as having fallen from heaven. He implored his
work against the brothers, with the promise to receive his part of the kingdom, if issues would be
solved according to the laws. Hercules did not deny, being born to destroy tyrannies and to assist
poor and calamitous people. He brought up his multitude, companions of his itineraries and his
labors in thread, his hand conserved them with the enemies and declared Dyrrhachum in the
possession of the kingdom of his ancestries, which was used and abused by his brothers. Therefore,
Dyrrachus remembered his promises, and eager to remunerate the benefices, donated to Hercules
not a small part of his kingdom to take away under his authority. Appianus brings all this as a whole
in: Here, he said, Dyrrachium was attached with war by his brothers. Hercules returning from
Erythria, carried off his work, having a pact of receiving a piece of ground in the name of a reward;
thence the Dyrrhachians regarded him, as partaker of the lands, and as their founder; they did not
negate Dyrrhachum, but being ambitious they referred their origin rather to God.

Even though Appianus did not designate the region, that Hercules accepted as a reward as a
land Dyrrhachium, it can hardly be doubted, that it became part of the kingdom of Dyrrhachians,
who contained the territory between Drilon and Naron. Thus, about Cadmus, whose kingdom had
arrived to Dyrrhachium through hereditary rights, had reigned in the same place among Encheleans
and they had affirmed all the old to him, they had created witness by erecting monuments of
Cadmus.

Even though almost in the same places, very laudable writers narrate about Hyllus, the son
of Hercules from Melita who ruled the people of Hyllines, he is in harmony with what he received as
a part of his paternal power in this region donated from his father. Further on, Apollonius narrates,
that Hyllus was certainly educated with a grave and severe discipline with Nausithoam in Phoeacia,
or in the island of Corcyra. 7 Therefore, in order to approach the kingdom given to him by his father,
departing from his grandfather upon arrival obtained, what he had instructed his nephew with all
the necessary things to get power, so that he could evoke as many people as he wanted from
Corcyra, who would go with him in his expedition. He then departed, said Apollonius, to the sea
7
Korfuzi?

4
Saturnium (i.e. Adriaticus) collecting from those territories people from Phoeacum; simultaneously,
thus, the king delivered again instruction to him, and the hero Nausithous died.

Therefore Hyllus departed from his grandfather in good faith, he brought in 1236 B.C. his
Phoecium huge colony sound and safe in the region, which Hercules had received from Dyrrhachum,
the same which Hercules had received from the territory of his paternal hereditary, where now he
placed the real foundation of his reign, thus, original Illyricans. When brought along, Hyllus stretched
out his territories and his inhabitations among Phoeaces, who were with him, distributing the
universal region of Hylli or Hylleidea in order that not only foreigners but also the indigenes alike
would live not only under one law, but also under the same name, called Hyllinos. From here we
think the real name and genus of Illyrians was primordially originated. As a matter of fact, if the
probable arguments might be traced back from etymology, which inquires the origin of the verbs,
does not seem to deceive, that the word Illyricum is thought to derivate from Hyllinis. Barely among
writers is any who would argue that they come from other nation, which more than genus and
region of Hyllinians one is subject of the variety of its name. In fact, the same people are called
Hyllus, Hyllini, Hyllei, Hylleides, Hyelles, Hylleici, Hyllici, deviated with one and the same word in
other and in the settled form. Why, thus, it cannot be changed from Hyllinis in Illyrians? Another
affinity intercedes with the other word and similarity, which is an indication of the common primitive
origin of the name Hyllus on the both sides; neither proper Hyllini from Hyllus, nor Illyrii from Hyllinis
seem absent; it is thus understandable to me, that the derivation of other older and more recent
names, could have been a longer request for old and forgotten words, which were proven and
received as such by the people. If there is peace from serious things, I can bring 600 examples from
noble writers, who studied since a long time the origin of the names, so profoundly, that hardly any
affinity or similarity between primitive and derived words cannot be distinguished. So for instance,
since the beginnings after the big floods people disputed the parents of the people and the origins,
they learned to trace names and genus like from Thira Thraces, from Madai Medos, from Jaran
Jones, from Thogorma Thygrammanos. To this point it was agreed, that with the universal word
Illyricum, many provinces were contained, for some may indeed be the time to get designated, each
name received Illyricum, which it previously lacked; in truth, there is no certain and definite time,
from when the name Illyricum started to be heard in that region between Narone and Drilon, or
when it was not called Illyricum, or when it accessed primarily to Illyricum, before the existence of its
jurisdiction: from here it can be seen effectively that Hyllinos were not added, but were the original
inhabitants Illyrians.

Hyllus and Hyllines were Pelasgian people, or Greek; because Hercules, the father of Hyllus,
who originated from Thebis, in middle Greece, led the people of his father and mother alike from
the most ancient kindred of the kings of Argos and Mycena; and those Phoeaces, whom Nausithous
gave as associates to Hyllus, originated from the people of Pelasgians, the most ancient Arcadians,
which now is outside the borders of the fathers, flooding into Europe and Asia, occupied seas,
islands, coasts and immense territorial spaces, as narrate Herodotus, Strabo, Halicarnassense,
Pausania and many others. Now indeed, to be heard is Raphael Levacovichius, the archbishop of
Ohrid, the most diligent investigator of the issues of Illyricum, who in the manuscript in preliminary
geography, Ad historiam Illyricam, exposed himself as author and leader to us, in order to embrace
this view: Hylleis, Illyrian people from Hyllus, born of Hercules of Alcaeus and Melita the daughter of
the river Aegeus, is stated from the beginning; nevertheless, when the elements of scriptures and
expressions changed from that time, it was initially called Hyllenus, then Illinicus, and afterwards

5
Illyricus. In the same way, Hyllus is the founder of the Illyrians, which was repeated under the name
Illynici and Illyrici. It is said, thus, that Hyllus of Melitate and Hyllus minor, have to be distinguished
from the other Hyllus, born of his bigger brother and the son of Dejanira.

2. The end of the original and proper Illyricum

Now it remains to describe the position and the borders of the Hyllinican kingdom, or of the
original Illyricum. When we say original Illyricum, we want to understand that region, in which the
name Illyricum was used for the first time, and from which afterwards it spread among others and in
other regions. If therefore, from Hyllus and Hyllinis is to be repeated the origin of the name of
Illyricum, whose origin might constitute in that region, which Dyrrhachus donated to Hercules and
Hercules to his son Hyllus; if, therefore, it is necessary, it is to be repeated that from Hyllus and
Hyllines the origin of the name Illyricus, was constituted in that region, which Dyrrachus donated to
Hercules, and Hercules to his son Hyllus; this is certainly the region of the Saturnio sea, as Apollonius
calls it, or Adriatic, which lies between Narone and Drilon, in the neighbourhood from the East
connected to the kingdom of Dyrrhachium, certainly with that part which Dyrrhachum separated
from his kingdom. Moreover, Hyllus, occupied by war kingdoms whose borders went beyond
Narone, included territories and people up to Titium, and united them under his authority, as it will
be told below. This is how it happened, that the name Illynicus or Illyricus spread primarily out from
the region in which it originated. Again, as we said, starting from that region the exordium of the
name and the people of Illyricum is the main argument that none of the old nor any of the young
historians excluded from Illyricum, or who would not call Illyricum; when from other provinces,
whose accession was done to Illyricum, they would banish others from the Illyrian words; from this it
is clearly observed, that the name Illyricum is not foreign in that region, but inborn, which was not
adopted from somewhere, but from this origin it was communicated into other regions.

Schymnus Chius8 excluded from Illyricus not only Liburnos, but also the neighbouring people,
who, accepted by Hyllus, preserved the name with the common appellation of Illyrians, without
introducing that region called Illyridem to Naron or Drilon, whose borders extended equally from
that region to the west beyond the river on the both sides; for after the descriptions, Byllines and
Hyllines were up to the river Nestus, where he said, started Illyridem: Streched-out following
Illyrians. Dionysius Alexandrinus in harmony with them and Schymnus, describes the Illyricum of
concepts, as that region subject to the name of Illyricum and shut off from Liburnus, Bullines and
Hyllines.

This pliable sea inclines inverted to the origin,

And even the territories of the Liburns and the ferocities of Hyllus,
Bulimeon runs equally short runs shores,
And arrives widely dead to the citadels, Illyrias,
Who remove mountains and Ceraunia excels the peaks

And Lucius Florius in his book 4, chapter 14 did not include only Panonians, Liburnians, and other
people in the name of Illyricum, but even Dalmatians themselves, whose first inhabitations were
between Nestus and Narones, by name distinguished from Illyrians. He defined them according to
the same logic of the terms, according to which we have circumscribed the original Illyricum from
Narones and Drilones. However, the same Florus extended the name Illyricum in wider places,
subjecting to it not only the original Illyrians, but also the Dalmatians and Liburnians.
In addition, what we call original Illyricum is the same what others call proper Illyricum.
Pomponius Mela, in his book 2, chapter 2 and Plinius in his book 3, chapter 22 state that the proper-

8
Greek geograph (185 B.C.)

6
mentioned Illyrians, are placed between the rivers Narones and Drilones, although in this place other
people have joined them, which initially had the common word of Illyrians, their proper and peculiar
name. Why does the Dalmatian historian of the kingdom of Dalmatia, De Regno Dalmatiae book, 1,
chapter 3, following the authority of Mela and Plini? Proper Illyricum – he states - is situated
between Narones and Drinus (or better Drilones). In fact, below: That region between Narones and
Drinus ... Illyricum Sacrum was mentioned by their writers, i.e. of the Romans, making a difference
between the oriental part of the ancient Illyricum beyond Drinus, which name is that of Macedonia,
and the occidental part in the proximity of Narones, a part ascribed to Dalmatia, in reality added
from the remnants of Rome, which conserved the ancient names of Liburnia and Istria.
Thus, proper Illyricum is the same with the original, which name is valid from both sides and
declares that the name Illyricum and its people originated from here, and spread gradually in other
regions. In the same simple mode can be spoken about proper Italy, whose origin was within
Rubicon, from which completed with its name the universal Cisalpine Gallia, and spread its borders
up to the Alps.
The same way proper Greece hardly wider than the region of Attica was famous, but as soon as it
escaped from its difficulties started to put under its authority the universal Greece, which is Achaja,
Polepones, Macedonia, Thessalia, Epirus from the both sides and the extreme part of Italy, with the
Aegean islands and Jonian sea. Let[s add here also the Minor Asia, which properly said is Asia,
bestowed its name widely over every immense region, from which it was conflated into one fourth
part of the globe. Other similar examples do not lack either; often the name of one province
extended from the beginning to the borders of its existence, or it was propagated widely from
colonies or delegates or occupation of other external people, or by the decision of the principle.