The Great Illyrian Revolt

The little-known story of a fierce rebellion against the Romans:“A very good read for anyone interested in ancient military history and historiography.” —The NYMAS Review In the year AD 9, three Roman legions were crushed by the German warlord Arminius in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. This event is well known, but there was another uprising that Rome faced shortly before, which lasted from AD 6 to 9, and was just as intense. This rebellion occurred in the western Balkans—an area roughly corresponding to modern Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Montenegro, and parts of Serbia and Albania—and it tested the Roman Empire to its limits. For three years, fifteen legions fought in the narrow valleys and forest-covered crags of the Dinaric Mountains in a ruthless war of attrition against an equally ruthless and determined foe, and yet this conflict is largely unknown today. The Great Illyrian Revolt is believed to be the first book ever devoted to this forgotten war of the Roman Empire. Within its pages, we examine the history and culture of the mysterious Illyrian people, the story of how Rome became involved in this volatile region, and what the Roman army had to face during those harrowing three years in the Balkans.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The play, written by William Shakespeare, was performed as entertainment for the Twelfth Night celebrations. Its first recorded performance was in 1602, during the sunset of Queen Elizabeth’s reign. The play’s setting is in Illyria, a territory that was composed of all lands between Italy and Greece, and between the Adriatic Sea and the Danube River. #2 The word Balkan is of Turkish origin, and refers to a forested mountain range that occupies most of what was once Yugoslavia. The name was used to refer to a range of mountains located within Bulgaria in the 1400s, but was incorrectly applied to all of south-eastern Europe. #3 The term Balkans is used generically to describe this entire region, but when used specifically in the context of a mountain range, it only applies to the north-eastern part in what is now Bulgaria. #4 The Adriatic coast of the Balkans is very rocky and mountainous, and is studded with islands of various sizes. The land there is difficult to farm, and many of the mountains are composed of limestone or some other marine-based rock in their lower parts and harder denser marble towards their tops.

This biography of the ancient Jewish military leader examines how he mounted a years-long revolt against Rome that changed the course of history. In AD 132, a bloody struggle began between two determined leaders over who would rule Judea. One was the powerful Roman Emperor Hadrian, who some regarded as divine. The other was Shim’on—known today as Bar Kokhba—a Jewish military commander in a district of a minor province, who some believed to be the ‘King Messiah’. In Bar Kokhba, ancient historian Lindsay Powell examines the clash between these two men, and the two ancient cultures they represented. In the ensuing conflict, the Jewish militia resisted the onslaught of the professional Roman army for three-and-a-half years. They established an independent nation with its own administration, headed by Shim’on as its president. The outcome of that David and Goliath contest was of great consequence, both for the people of Judaea and for Judaism itself. Drawing on archaeology, art, coins, inscriptions, militaria, as well as secular and religious documents, Lindsay Powell sheds light on Bar Kokhba’s singular life and legacy. She also describes her personal journey across three continents to establish the facts.

This book treats the Trojan War from historical aspect separated from myths. There are enough historical facts to treat it in this way because the ancient authors have written a lot about this war. Helena the queen of Sparta or knows as Helen of Troy could have been a reason for this war but in fact she was not the real cause of it, because Achaeans killed before the king of Troy, Laomedon and took in slavery the princes of Troy, Hesiona. So, all this conflict lasted for 30 years from the death of Laomedon, to the fall of Troy. According to Dares of Phrygia a testimony of the war the war itself lasted 10 years, six months and 12 days and brought more than 1.5 million deaths and also thousands of injured people. So for the dimension of time, space and casualties it has the features of and world war. In this book is treated the origin of tribes that participated in this war both from Trojans and Achaeans camps. The origin of those tribes was from Pelasgian and Illyrians that were the oldest people that have inhabited that part of Europe and Asia Minor. So we have had a Dardan dynasty in Troy that had links also with Dardans of Illyria( Kosovo today). The Phrygians of Troy were tribes that emigrated according to ancient authors from region around Epidamnus or Durres of today Albania. Almost all tribes of Troy had links with tribes known in history as Illyrians. All the dynasties of Achaeans with the most important kings as Agamemnon and Menelaus, were ancestors from Pelops of Phrygia and were from the same origin as were the Phrygians too, so Illyrians. The Achaeans population was of Pelasgian origin. The ethic of Trojan war is found all in the Albanian canonical law and today that preserves very well the laws of that time in hospitality, loyalty, blood feud, the non violation of victims, the non removal of armature after death, the pledge and oath, costumes that are inherited from the Pelasgians and Illyrians. For this book are seen only the ancient authors and especially two authors that wrote for it, as Dicty of Crete that participated in war with Achaeans and also Dares of Phrygia that participated with Trojans. Homer is seen only as third source together with all historical sources of antiquity. This book for the first time brings the real origin of the Achaeans that are called after as Greeks when in fact they never called themselves as Greeks. Greek is called according to Aristotle a tribe in Pelasgian Dodona of Epirus, where Albanian Tosk dialect is formed and is today the official language of Albania. So Greek tribe is also linked with Albanians of Epirus that were called as Pelasgians Tosk before 2500 years and are called and Tosks Albanians and today. Historians until now instead to find the real Greeks have invented them. So, it must be reconsidered according to fact all history of antiquity . This was not a war between Greeks and Trojans but between Acheans and Trojans or between tribes known in history as Pelasgian and Illyrians.

Illyricum, in the western Balkan peninsula, was a strategically important area of the Roman Empire where the process of Roman imperialism began early and lasted for several centuries. Dzino here examines Roman political conduct in Illyricum; the development of Illyricum in Roman political discourse; and the beginning of the process that would integrate Illyricum into the Roman Empire and wider networks of the Mediterranean world. In addition, he also explores the different narrative histories, from the romanocentric narrative of power and Roman military conquest, which dominate the available sources, to other, earlier scholarly interpretations of events.

This study of ancient Roman shipping and trade across continents reveals the Roman Empire’s far-reaching impact in the ancient world. In ancient times, large fleets of Roman merchant ships set sail from Egypt on voyages across the Indian Ocean. They sailed from Roman ports on the Red Sea to distant kingdoms on the east coast of Africa and southern Arabia. Many continued their voyages across the ocean to trade with the rich kingdoms of ancient India. Along these routes, the Roman Empire traded bullion for valuable goods, including exotic African products, Arabian incense, and eastern spices. This book examines Roman commerce with Indian kingdoms from the Indus region to the Tamil lands. It investigates contacts between the Roman Empire and powerful African kingdoms, including the Nilotic regime that ruled Meroe and the rising Axumite Realm. Further chapters explore Roman dealings with the Arab kingdoms of southern Arabia, including the Saba-Himyarites and the Hadramaut Regime, which sent caravans along the incense trail to the ancient rock-carved city of Petra. The first book to bring these subjects together in a single comprehensive study, The Roman Empire and the Indian Ocean reveals Rome’s impact on the ancient world and explains how international trade funded the legions that maintained imperial rule.

For more than a thousand years before the arrival of the Slavs in the sixth century AD, the lands between the Adriatic and the river Danube, now Yugoslavia and Albania, were the home of the peoples known to the ancient world as Illyrians. This book, now available in paperback, draws upon the considerable archaeological evidence that has become available since the Second World War to provide an account of the origins, culture, history and legacy of the Illyrians. John Wilkes describes the geography of Illyria and surveys the region in the prehistoric, Greek, Roman and medieval periods. He discusses Illyrian art, material, culture, religion and customs. A chapter examines the Illyrian language, of which little trace survives, and its connection with other Indo-European languages. Professor Wilkes also scrutinizes the linguistic evidence for the Illyrians' relatedness to other peoples - Thracian, Italic, Greek and Celtic. He concludes with a discussion of a possible survival of an Illyrian native culture in the Roman and Byzantine periods.