Illyrians

The Illyrians (Ancient Greek: Ἰλλυριοί; Latin: Illyrii or Illyri) were a group of tribes who inhabited the Western Balkans during classical antiquity. The territory the tribes covered came to be known as Illyria to Greek and Roman authors, corresponding roughly to the area of the former Yugoslavia,Albania and Epirus, between the Adriatic sea in the west, the Drava river in the north, the Morava river in the east and the mouth of Vjosë river in the south.The first account of Illyrian peoples comes from Periplus or Coastal passage an ancient Greek text of the middle of the 4th century BC.

These tribes, or at least a number of tribes considered "Illyrians proper", are assumed to have been united by a common Illyrian language, of which only small fragments are attested enough to classify it as a branch of Indo-European.
Illyrians were last mentioned in 7th century. All the remaining tribes were slavicised in the course of the Middle Ages,except the Albanians who represent an instance of southern Illyrian continuity.

Mythological foundation
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In Greek mythology, Illyrius was the son of Cadmus and Harmonia who eventually ruled Illyria and became the eponymous ancestor of the whole Illyrian people.Also Illyrius had six sons Encheleus, Autarieus, Dardanus, Maedus, Taulas and Perrhabeus also daughters Partho, Daortho, Dassaro and others. From these sprang Taulantii, Parthini, Dardani, Enchelaeae, Autariates, Dassaretae and the Daors. Autareius had a son Pannonius or Paeon and these had sons Scordiscus and Triballus.A later version of it is having as parents Polyphemus and Galatea that give birth to Celtus,Galas and Illyrius.The second myth could stem perhaps from the similarities to Celts and Gauls.

Origins and ethnogenesis
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Ancient Illyria comprised the area of the western Balkans (Slovenia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia,Kosovo,Albania and the region of Epirus in the northwest of Greece). The Illyrians (of Indo-European stock) migrated to this region in approximately 1300 BC along with their Dorian cousins who pushed farther to overwhelm the Mycenean culture in Greece. (Although some historians argue that the Illyrians have roots as early as 2000 BC in the region).

Illyria was populated by a multitude of "barbarous" tribes (barbarous to the Greek and Roman historians who provide the only historical record), living along the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea and inland in adjoining mountains. Among the noted tribes were the Japyges (who migrated to Apulia and Calabria in Italy in the 8th Century BC), Veneti (who migrated to northern Italy in the 7th Century BC), Dalmati, Pannonians, Enkalayes, Taulantes,Albani,Dardani,Epirotes (a.k.a. Pelasgians), Ardriaii etc.