Illyria

: This article is about the ancient region in the south of Europe. For other uses of this word, see Illyria (disambiguation).

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In classical history, Illyria or Illyricum or Illyrikon was a region in the western part of today's Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the tribes and clans of Illyrians, an ancient people who probably spoke an Indo-European language (the Illyrian languages).

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The main cities of Illyria were Lissus and (probably) Epidamnus. Around 1000 BC, the Illyrians may have moved onto the land that would become known as Illyria. For at least the next millennium, they occupied lands extending from the Danube, Sava, and Morava rivers to the Adriatic Sea and the ?ar Mountains.

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Balkan Peninsula: REDIRECT Balkans...

Illyrians: The Illyrians were an Indo-European people who inhabited the western Balkans (from Epirus up into Pannonia) and parts of Southern Italy in ancient times into the Common era. They spoke languages grouped in the Illyrian languages, a separate branch of Indo-European....

Indo-European: Indo-European was originally a purely linguistic term, referring to the Indo-European language family. By extension, it became a collective name for cultures and religions associated with these languages. Hypothetically, these cultures arose from the expansion of an ancient people, the Proto-Indo...