The Illyrians: Autochthonous Balkan People having Nothing Common with Modern Albanians


When the Celts came to the Balkans in the 3rd century B.C. some of the Illyrian tribes mixed with them. In the same century, the Illyrian King Agron from the Ardaei tribe organised the first Illyrian state. At the time of greatest expansion, its borders extended to the Neretva river in Dalmatia, to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Vjosë river in the Southern Albania and Lake Ohrid in Macedonia. Some of the 20th-century Albanian historians and national workers claimed with a pure ethnopolitical purpose that a proclamation of an independent state of Albania on November 28th, 1912 was based on the Albanian political-state inheritance which dated back to King Agron’s the Illyrian Kingdom. Nevertheless, the Romans succeeded in defeating the Illyrians and abolishing their state organisation during the three Illyrian-Roman Wars between 229 and 168 B.C.

Second Illyrian War Map
Second Illyrian War Map, 218 BC



Europe in IX century
Europe in IX century

Clearly, the name Illyrians disappeared in the 7th century at the time of the Slavic migrations to the Balkans. After the 6th century, however, Byzantine texts do not record any accounts of Illyrians abandoning Balkan territories from the Dalmatian Alps to the Danube. The new Illyrian political and cultural centre became the region of Arbanum (in Greek, Αρβανον or Αλβανον, in Serbian, Рабан) in South Albania. The name “Albani” appeared in historical sources not earlier than the 9th century. Byzantine historians employed the name “Albani” for the Slavic inhabitants living around the sea-port of Durazzo (ancient Dyrrhachium) in North Albania. However, from the second half of the 11th century, the name “Albani” (in Latin, Arbanensis, or Albanenses, in Greek, Αλβανοι or Αρβανιται) was associated with all Albanian tribes who inhabited the Balkans in the 1040s.[11]

In the Middle Ages, the “Albanoi” lived in the area between the cities of Skadar (Scodra), Prizren, Ohrid and Valona. According to the champions of the Illyrian theory of the Albanian ethnogenesis, the Slavic raids and migrations to the Balkans in the early Middle Ages did not affect the native inhabitants of the territory of present-day Albania. They continued to live there, preserving their own culture, habits and social organisation. The southern Illyrian provinces retained their earlier ethnic composition. And of course, this ethnic composition was identified, although without supporting evidence in the sources, as the Albanian regardless of historical evidence and facts that the original homeland of modern Balkan Albanians is ancient Caucasian Albania wherefrom, via Sicily, Albanians arrived to the Balkans only in 1043 according to several independent historical sources, among whom the most reliable is Byzantine chronographer Michael Ataliota.[12] This historical fact is recognized even by objective Albanian historians, who are not under the political pressure by the ruling regime in Tirana, like Stefano Pollo and Arben Puto[13] but, regretablly, not by Albanian nationalists who are falsifying the history of the Balkans.[14]


This text is a critical contribution to the next updated and revised edition of the infamous book of pro-Albanian propaganda:



[1] Stipčević A. Every Story About the Balkans Begins with the Illyrians. Priština, 1985; Buda A. “The Southern Illyrians as a Problem of Historiography”. Historical Writings. vol. 1. 13–15. During the last decades, many scholars have claimed that the Balkan Illyrians (and Thracians) were nothing else but ethnolinguistic Serbs [Бајић Ј. Блажени Јероним, Солинска црква и Србо-Далмати. Шабац, 2003; Деретић И. Ј., Антић П. Д., Јарчевић М. С. Измишљено досељавање Срба. Београд: Сардонија, 2009; Милановић М. Историјско порекло Срба. Београд: Admiral Books, 2011; Земљанички Б. Срби староседеоци Балкана и Паноније у војним и цивилним догађајима са Римљанима и Хеленима од I до X века. Београд: Стручна књига, 1999]. In other words, they claim, that the Serbs, but not the Albanians, are the only autochthonous people (nation) on the Balkan Peninsula, according to the historical sources of the time.








[9] Miridita Z. Istorija Albanaca (“Iliri i etnogeneza Albanaca”). Beograd, 1969. 9−10; Qabej W. Hyrje në historinë e gjuhës shipe. Prishtinë, 1970. 29–32; Prifti K., Nasi L., Omari L., Xhufi P., Pulaha S., Pollo S., Shtylla Z. (eds.). The Truth on Kosova, Tirana, 1993. 5–73; Dobruna E. “On some ancient toponyms in Kosova”. Onomastika e Kosoves. Prishtina, 1979; Anamali S. “The problem of the formation of the Albanian people in the light of archaeological information”. The National Conference on the formation of the Albanian people, their language and culture. Tirana, 1988; Çabej E. “The problem of the autochthony of Albanians in the light of place-names”. Buletini i Universitetit Shteteror te Tiranes. № 2. 1958. 54–62.  



[12] Michael Ataliota. Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantine. Bonn: Weber, 1853. 18.

[13] Stefano Pollo, Arben Puto. The History of Albania. London, Boston, Hebley: Routledge & Kegan, 1981. 37.

[14] Кавкаски Албанци – Лажни Илири, Проширени текстови реферата изложених 21. јуна 2007. године на мултидисциплинарном столу САНУ „Методолошки проблем истраживања порекла Албанаца“, Београд: Пешић и синови, 2007.

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  1. Ilir Kastrioti

    Dear Slavic scums, tour theory of Caucasian Albanian is obsolete research more see wikiledia.

    Caucasian theory

    Source :

  2. mm Vladislav B. SOTIROVIC

    Wikipedia is just for the idiots! Read Oriental Review and be properly informed on academic basis.

  3. BU Student

    Incredible! Albanian focal argument is Wikipedia!!! Even Albanian authors from diaspora rejected the Germanic 19-c. propaganda about Illyrian origin of Albanians

  4. mm Vladislav B. SOTIROVIC

    The only real (uncontrolled) Albanian historian is Ardian Klosi, who during his life claimed that Albanians are not descendants of ILIRIANS and that SKENDERBEG is a SERB.

    That is why he was characterized as a TRAITOR.

    So, in 2012, a decision was made to remove him at any cost. He was killed.

  5. Arben Oroni

    Your theory about Albanians coming from Caucasus thru Sicily and your “assurance” that the source of this story is Michael Attaleiates is pure garbage. Read the real story told by him.
    Michael Attaleiates was a Byzantine lawyer and historian who rose to high office under the emperors Romanus IV (r. 1067-1071) and Michael VII (r. 1071-1078). His ‘History’, covering the years 1034-1079, is a largely eyewitnessed account of political and military events in the Byzantine Empire. It was during this period that the Byzantine Greeks first took note of the Albanians as a people. When the Emperor Michael, who passed away in piety and whose home is known to have been the province of Paphlagonia, took up the sceptre of the Byzantine Empire, the Agarene people in Sicily in the West were defeated by Byzantine naval and land forces.And had not the well-known George Maniakes, who had been entrusted with the general command, been eliminated on the slanderous accusation that he was hungry for power, and had not the military command of the war been transferred to others, that large and renowned island, blessed with large cities knowing no lack of precious goods, would still be under Byzantine control. Now, however, jealousy has destroyed not only the man and his endeavours, but also that enormous undertaking (3). For when subsequent commanders made base and shameful plans and decisions, not only was the island lost to Byzantium, but also the greater part of the army. Unfortunately, the people who had once been our allies and who possessed the same rights as citizens and the same religion, i.e. the Albanians and the Latins, who live in the Italian regions of our Empire beyond Western Rome, quite suddenly became enemies when Michael Dokenianos insanely directed his command against their leaders… Constantine IX Monomachos (4) proved to be more benevolent on the imperial throne than his predecessor. He conveyed imperial honours and gifts to almost everyone with ambition, and delighted his subjects. Suddenly storm clouds gathered in the West and threatened him with nothing less than destruction and expulsion from the throne. The aforementioned George with the surname Maniakes, thirsting for blood, began an uprising in the Italian part of the Empire with Byzantine and Albanian soldiers there, being offended because the emperor had shown him a lack of respect and fearing the emperor in view of previous hostilities. He caused great turmoil in the rest of the army opposing him and took it over. After having set up his camp at a two days’ march from Thessalonika, he made his attack on the imperial camp in the evening… When this had taken place and the usurpers had gradually calmed down, another disaster began to take its course and to spread like a poisonous weed intent on destroying the crops. The danger came from the city of Epidamnus (Durrës). The Protoprohedros Duke Basiliakes, who had been sent there by the emperor, having succeeded in avoiding Bryennius and withdrawing from Adrianopole, took over Durrës and assembled an army there from all the surrounding regions. By soliciting support for his side by means of substantial gifts, he succeeded in having the Franks enter his territory from Italy and attempted to make use of them for his side. By various pretences and means, he collected money from everyone under his order and command, set up a list and used as a pretext for this arms buildup the fact that he intended to attack Bryennius as a renegade. Once he had ensured that he had indeed assembled a large army and forces fit for action, composed of Byzantine Greeks, Bulgarians and Albanians and of his own soldiers, he set off and hastened to Thessalonika..

  6. mm Vladislav B. SOTIROVIC

    @Arben Oroni

    Whole official history of Albanians is garbage

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