Pre-History to Late Antiquity

Mesolithic and Neolithic

The first signs of human presence in Albania date from the Middle Paleolithic (around 50,000 BCE) and the Upper Paleolithic (about 40,000 BCE) eras. Evidence of prehistoric human habitation were found in southern Albania as well as on Mount Dajti in central Albania. The objects uncovered in the two caves were stone tools, flint, fossilized animal bones, and fragments of jasper stone. These finds in Albania share similarities with objects of the same era found nearby in Montenegro and Greece. There are several archaeological sites in Albania that contain artifacts dating from the Neolithic era (about 6,000 – 2,000 BCE). All of this evidence suggests that the region was continuously inhabited by early humans beginning 50,000 years ago.

The Bronze Age (2,000 – 700 BCE)

The next period of Albania’s prehistory occurs during a period of migration, when groups of people from Central Asia migrated into southeast Europe (Balkans) and brought with them their Indo-European languages and culture. This migration resulted in the mixing of peoples, cultures, and languages and saw in the formation of the Paleo-Balkan peoples. In Albania, continuous movements from the north of the region, which became known as Illyria during the Iron Age (1,200 – 500 BCE), impacted the formation of a new population after the Indo-European migrations. The Iron Age Illyrians are ancestral descendants of Early Bronze Age Illyrians (3,000 – 2,000 BCE). The Bronze Age Illyrians have been linked to the construction of burial mounds known as tumuli. These burial mounds suggest that the Bronze Age people in Albania were related to a regional culture called Cetina, which flourished around the Adriatic Sea during the same period.

During the late Bronze Age (1,200 – 1,500 BCE) and early Iron Age (800 – 400 BCE), several population movements occurred in the territories of what is now modern Albania. There were settlements in southern Albania and northern Greece by tribes know as the Byrges, and in central Albania the Illyrians maintained a strong presence. Evidence suggests that these two cultures coexisted in Albania during the late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Antiquity

Illyrians

The Illyrians were a collection of tribes who inhabited Albania during Antiquity. The territory that the tribes inhabited came to be known as Illyria by both Greek and Roman authors. They lived in much of northern and central Albania and expanded south towards Greece. The first written description of the Illyrians comes from an ancient Greek text from the middle of the 4th century BCE (around 350 BCE).

Numerous Illyrian tribes resided in the region of Albania. While these tribes were separate groups, they shared a similar culture and language. In southwest Albania, Illyrian tribes lived beside the Bryges, and in the south, Illyrians coexisted with Greek tribes known as the Chaonians.

In the 4th century BCE, an Illyrian king, Bardylis, united several Illyrian tribes and began a conflict with the the Kingdom of Macedon located to the southeast. However, Bardylis was eventually defeated by Macedon. The union of tribes created by Bardylis was eventually broken up and defeated by Alexander the Great during the reign of King Cleitus in 335 BCE.

Around 230 BCE, the Illyrian tribe of the Ardiaei grew its military power under King Agron. King Agron gained rule over neighboring tribes and began a series of raids and battles against other tribes in the region. Under Agron’s reign, his territory grew to encompass the coastal regions of Albania from the north down through the south, becoming a regional power.

King Agron died in  231 BC, and his rule was continued by his wife, Queen Teuta. Queen Teuta began a campaign of conquest by engaging in battles and pirating raids. Eventually, she expanded her influence south and captured the island of Corfu after defeating Achaean and Aetolian tribes (both Greek tribes) in a naval battle. In 229 BCE, the Romans began their conquest of the region and clashed with Queen Teuta. This began a series of wars, known as the Illyrian Wars, that lasted 60 years. The series of wars ended in 168 BCE when the Romans defeated the Illyrians and their ruler, King Gentius. The Illyrians had fallen under the rule of the Roman Republic and King Gentius became the last king of the Illyrians.

 

Greeks and Romans

As early as the beginning of the 7th century BCE (around 690 BCE), Greek city states established colonies along the Illyrian coast. Most notable were Apollonia, (modern-day Vlorë), Epidamnos (modern-day Durrës), and Buthrotum (modern-day Butrint). Today, Buthrotum / Butrint is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Despite its popularity today, Buthrotum was considered to be less significant than Apollonia and Epidamnos during the Roman period.

The lands comprising modern-day Albania were incorporated into the Roman Empire as part of the province of Illyricum. The western part of the Via Egnatia (a major Roman road) ran inside Albania, ending at Dyrrachium (Durrës). The Roman province of Illyricum, or Illyris Romana, replaced most of the region of Illyria. Its boundaries stretched from the Drilon River in modern Albania to Istria (Croatia) in the west and to the Sava River (Bosnia and Herzegovina) in the north. Although the boundaries of the region changed throughout the Roman period, much of ancient Illyria remained a part of the Illyricum province

The area of South Illyria became known as Epirus Nova (New Epirus), part of the Roman province of Macedonia. In 357 AD the region was part of the Praetorian Prefecture of Illyricum, when the Late Roman Empire was divided into four large prefectures.

 

 

Christianity

After the Roman Empire split between East and West in 395 AD, the region came under the control of the Eastern Empire, which later became know as the Byzantine Empire. Because Christianity was the established religion of the Byzantine Empire, it became the predominant religion in Illyricum and Epirus, replacing many of the local pagan traditions. The Amphitheater of Durrës, which was originally built to entertain the public during the Late Roman Period, became a location for people to preach Christianity to the public.

When the Roman Empire was divided into eastern and western halves, Illyria was administered by the Eastern Empire but religious practice remained under the jurisdiction of the Pope in Rome. After a series of disagreements between religious leaders in Rome and Constantinople (the Capital of the Eastern / Byzantine Empire), the Byzantine emperor, Leo III, placed the religious leadership under the Patriarchate in Constantinople, detaching local Christian practice from Rome. This split in the church and transfer of authority was due to the concept of iconoclasm, which is accusations that a church or religious authority has deviated from traditional practice.

In 1054 AD, the Christian Church officially split into two branches, that of Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism. The people in northern Albania remained under the leadership of the Catholic Church in Rome, while the people in southern Albanian maintained Eastern Orthodox practice under the leadership in Constantinople. This split marked the first major religious fragmentation of Albania. 400 years after the Church split and fragmented Albania into two main branches of Christianity, another religion would arrive in the region under the Ottomans: Islam.

Conclusion

This ends our discussion of the history of Albania from prehistoric times to the beginning of the Middle Ages. In the next section, you will be introduced to Albania’s history under the Byzantine Empire and then the transition to becoming part of the Ottoman Empire.