The Illyrians were a group of tribes related to the ancient Greeks who lived in the northwest of the Balkan Peninsula off the coast of the Adriatic Sea. The most famous Illyrian tribes were the Dalmatians, Liburnians, Ardians and Dardans. For the first time, these tribes were mentioned by the Greek historian Herodotus. Modern scholars believe that the Illyrians appeared on the shores of the Adriatic Sea in the second millennium BC. The Illyrian culture was greatly influenced by the Greeks and Etruscans. From the 3rd century BC, the Illyrians had a conflict with the Romans, caused by constant pirate raids on Roman ships and settlements. It took the Romans four, the so-called Illyrian wars, which lasted two hundred years, to subdue these brave and warlike peoples.
I propose to consider how the typical Illyrian pirates looked and what were armed during the Illyrian wars.
The battle of the Illyrians with the Greeks.
It is worth noting that the most popular Roman warship, the Liburnian, which the Romans used throughout the entire period of antiquity, was entirely copied from the ships on which one of the famous Illyrian tribes sailed - the liburns, after whom these ships were named. It was a very strong and maneuverable vessel about 30 meters long and accommodating up to 120 people. These ships were very popular with the Illyrian pirates. It was on them that they robbed Roman ships and coastal villages.
The ship of the Illyrian pirates.
Militarily, the Greeks had a great influence on the Illyrians. Many of the weapons and armor that the Illyrians used were Greek-made or their equivalent. This includes round shields-aspis, spears-dori, swords-xyphos, bronze anatomical cuirasses, leggings.
Illyrian hoplite.
But the Illyrians also had their own unique weapons. These include the curved sword - shiku. The length of this sword was about 40 cm, due to its curved shape of the blade, this sword made it possible to bypass the enemy's shield and strike him in the side or in the back. For boarding combat, the Illyrians used special long spears - sibins, which were also called boar spears, due to their length, they made it possible to strike the enemy first.
Promotional video:
The Illyrian sword is the sika.
The Illyrians also had their own unique armor. To protect the torso, they used bronze bibs, which were bronze discs with a diameter of 10 centimeters. These discs could partially protect a warrior's chest and back. The Illyrians were characterized by peculiar conical bronze helmets, which are considered one of the varieties of the Corinthian helmet. These helmets provided good head protection, although they looked somewhat archaic.
Illyrian helmet.
On land, the Illyrians preferred to fight in phalanx or square. In battle, they used a large number of javelins and axes. The Illyrian infantry was highly maneuverable and often outflanked the enemy.