The first account of Illyrian peoples dates back to the 6th century BC, in the works of the ancient Greek writer Hecataeus of Miletus. They constituted one of the three main Paleo-Balkan populations, along with the Thracians and Greeks. The Illyrians ( Ancient Greek: Ἰλλυριοί, Illyrioi Latin: Illyrii) were a group of Indo-European speaking peoples, who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times.
From around 27 BC the term Illyricum was used by the Romans for the province of the Empire that stretched along the eastern Adriatic coast north of the Drin river, south of which the Roman province of Macedonia began. In Roman times the terms Illyria / Illyris / Illyricum were extended from the territory that was roughly located in the area of the south-eastern Adriatic coast (modern Albania and Montenegro) and its hinterland, to a broader region stretching between the Adriatic Sea and the Danube, and from the upper reaches of the Adriatic down to the Ardiaei. The geographical term Illyris (distinct from Illyria) was sometimes used to define approximately the area of northern and central Albania down to the Aoös valley, including in most periods much of the lakeland area. Illyrians spoke the Illyrian language, an Indo-European language, which in ancient times perhaps also had speakers in some parts of Southern Italy. In classical antiquity, Illyria ( / ɪ ˈ l ɪər i ə/ Ancient Greek: Ἰλλυρία, Illyría or Ἰλλυρίς, Illyrís Latin: Illyria, Illyricum) was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyrians.
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