As a general rule, the
tribes living north of ancient Macedonia
were known as Illyrians (see: A
closer look at Illyria) and more to the east as Thracians (see: Thracian
treasures at Alexander’s northern border). Some of those tribes are
mentioned by name in Alexander’s
conquest of Asia.
I previously wrote about
the Paeonians
(see: About
the Paeonians), and I want to concentrate on the Dardanians this
time.
King
Bardylis I was the founder of the Dardanian
Kingdom, which
corresponds to modern Kosovo. In 393
BC, he dethroned King Amyntas III of
Macedonia to place one of his henchmen in his place. Macedonia’s king Perdiccas III decided to take the
Dardanian-occupied territory back, but he was defeated and killed. As the new king,
Philip II, his brother, married Bardylis’ granddaughter, Audata (see: Start
of Philip's reign - Macedonia forged by Philip II). He killed old Bardylis on the battlefield in 358 BC.
On his return home from the
Danube campaign, Alexander faced the Illyrian revolt led by Bardylis’ son, Cleitus. The
king defeated Cleitus at Pelium
(see: Alexander’s
psychological warfare), and the Dardanians were generally absorbed by
the Illyrians and are no longer mentioned in history.
However, a very different Dardanus
is known as the son of Zeus. He was the mythical founder of Dardanus
or Dardania
on the Hellespont. Dardanus’ grandson Tros
gave his name to the Trojans, and his son Ilus
founded the city of Ilium, modern Troy.
King Priam, the last king of Troy,
would trace his lineage back to Dardanus. A pedigree worthy of any king!
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