In late Iron Age and early classical antiquity, the first polities of the area would be created by tribal groupings, including the Taulantii and Dardani. The most powerful Illyrian states of the area, the Ardiaean kingdom, emerged in the 3rd century BC during the rule of Agron and Teuta. The Illyrians came into conflict with Roman Republic and were defeated in the Illyrian Wars, which were followed by many revolts. The largest and last of them was the Great Illyrian Revolt (6-9 BC). The beginning of the integration of the region of Illyria in the Roman world followed the revolt and saw many Illyrians rise through the ranks of the Roman society and the Roman army in particular which produced several emperors of Illyrian origin.
In 231 BC, Agron possessed the most powerful land army and navy, of any of the kings who had reigned before him. He extended the kingdoms' borders in the north and south.[3]
Ballaios ruled over the eastern Adriatic with capital at Rhizon. He is attested only from silver and bronze coinage, found abundantly along both coasts of the Adriatic. He is considered as the predecessor of Agron.[5][6]
Bardylis was the founder of the first attested Illyrian dynasty.[7] Macedonian campaigns proved successful in 393, 372 and 359 BC and invaded Epirus in alliance with Dionysius of Syracuse.[8]
Bardyllis II was the son of Cleitus (r. 295–290 BC). He managed to re-create the state of his grandfather in the region of Dassaretis to the west of the Lynkestian lake.[9]
Galaurus: king of Taulantii. Unsuccessfully invaded Macedonia between 678 and 640 BC.[19]
Grabos I (5th century BC): attested on an Athenian inscription, he was very likely a person with great political responsibilities. He probably was the grandfather of Grabos II.[20][7]
Grabos II (r. 358–356 BC): entered Athenian alliance to resist Philip's power in 356 BC.[7]
Pleuratus I (r. 356–335 BC): reigned near the Adriatic coast in southern Illyria. In a losing effort in 344 BC, tried to thwart Philip's advances in Illyria.[23]
Pleurias (r. c. 337/336 BC): Illyrian ruler who campaigned against Philip II about 337 BC. He is considered by some scholars as king of either the Autariatae, the Taulantii, or the Dardani.[24] Some have suggested that he was the same as Pleuratus I;[25][7] Pleurias is mentioned only in Diodorus (16.93.6), elsewhere unattested in ancient sources.[25]
Glaucias: king of Taulantii. He aided Cleitus at the Battle of Pelion in 335 BC, raised Pyrrhus of Epirus and was involved in other events in southern Illyria in the late 4th century BC.[27]
Monunius I, (r. 290–270 BC): reigned during the Gallic invasions of 279 BC. He minted his own silver staters in Dyrrhachion.[28]
Mytilos, successor of Monunius I and probably his son (r. 270–?): waged war on Epirus in 270 BC. He minted his own bronze coins in Dyrrhachion.[28]
Demetrius of Pharos: surrenders to the Romans at Pharos in 218 BC and flees to Macedonia.,[31] ruled B.C 222~B.C 219
Scerdilaidas: allied with Rome to defeat Macedonia in 208 BC.,[32] ruled B.C 218~B.C 206
Pinnes: too young to become king; ruled under the regency of Teuta, Demetrius and Scerdilaidas.,[33] ruled B.C 230~B.C 217
Pleuratus III: rewarded by the Romans in 196 BC, with lands annexed by the Macedonians.,[34] ruled B.C 205~B.C 181
Coin of Gentius.Gentius: defeated by the Romans in 168 BC during the Third Illyrian War; Illyrian kingdom ceased to exist while the king was taken prisoner.,[35] ruled B.C 181~B.C 168
Ionios: ruled over Issa and the surrounding region in the first half of the 4th century BC, probably after the fall of Dionysius of Syracuse in 367 BC.[42]
^Harding, Philip. From the End of the Peloponnesian War to the Battle of Ipsus, 1985, p. 93, ISBN0-521-29949-7. Grabos became the most powerful Illyrian king after the death of Bardylis in 358.
^D. Dzino, Illyricum in Roman Politics 229 BC - AD 68 (Cambridge 2010), pp. 149–153.
^Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians, 1992, ISBN0-631-19807-5, p. 216, "Further east the formidable Daesitiates of central Bosnia retained their name. The great rebellion of All 6 had been led by their chief Bato, and their relatively low total of 103 decuriae likely reflects..."
^The Illyrians by J. J. Wilkes, 1992, ISBN0-631-19807-5, p. 85, "The recorded names of Dardanian leader during the Macedonian and the Roman wars, Longarus, Bato..."
^Patsch, Carl: Das Sandschak Berat in Albanie, Wien 1904, p. 119
^Anamali, Skënder. (1976) Të dhënat mbishkrimore në disa qytete të Ilirisë së Jugut. Tiranë, 1976, fq. 119
^Cambi, Nenad; Čače, Slobodan; Kirigin, Branko, eds. (2002). Greek influence along the East Adriatic Coast. Knjiga Mediterana. Vol. 26. ISBN9531631549. Undoubtedly the word Illyrian had a distinct political (hence to some extent also ethnic) meaning, when applied to the Illyrian kingdom of Sirrhas or Bardylis I, at thend of the 5th or the beginning of the 4th century BC to the fall of Genthius in 168 BC, regardless of the unsolvable problem of how many dynasties alternately occupied the throne and what was the origin and the actual expanse of the kingdom of each of them
^Neritan Ceka: Illlyrian to the Albanians, 2005, Migjeni
^ abThe Illyrians by J. J. Wilkes, 1992, ISBN0-631-19807-5, p. 129, "No Illyrian production of coins is known before King Monunius struck his coins at Dyrrhachium (see figure 11), followed by Mytilus around ten years later..."
^Fanula Papazoglu (1965), "Les origines et la destinée de l'état Illyrien," p. 143
^Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians, 1992, p. 120, ISBN0-631-19807-5, p. 158, "Illyrian success continued when command passed to Agron's widow Teuta, who granted individual ships a licence to universal plunder. In 231 AC the fleet and army attacked Ells and Messenia..."
^A History of Rome to A.D. 565 - p. 111 by Arthur Edward Romilly Boak, William Gurnee Sinnigen,"The island of Pharos and some adjacent territory in Illyria were given to a Greek adventurer, Demetrius of Pharos"
^Épire, Illyrie, Macédoine: mélanges offerts au professeur Pierre Cabanes by Danièle Berranger, Pierre Cabanes, Danièle Berranger-Auserve, page 137
^Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians, 1992, ISBN0-631-19807-5, p. 162, "...revival of Illyrian power under Demetrius of Pharos, who had succeeded Teuta and married Triteuta, mother of the infant King Pinnes."
^The Illyrians by J. J. Wilkes, 1992, ISBN0-631-19807-5, pages 121, 156, 167, 170-174, 190
^Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians, 1992, ISBN0-631-19807-5, p. 221, "Ardiaei from which intoxicated men were conveyed home by their women who had also participated to the overindulgence of their kings Agron and Gentius..."
^The Illyrians by J. J. Wilkes, 1992, ISBN0-631-19807-5, p. 86, "...including the names of Dardanian rulers, Longarus, Bato, Monunius and Etuta, and those on later epitaphs, Epicadus, Scerviaedus, Tuta, Times and Cinna. Other Dardanian names are linked with..."
^The Cambridge Ancient History, Vol. 10: The Augustan Empire, 43 BC-AD 69 (Volume 10) by Alan Bowman, Edward Champlin, and Andrew Lintott,1996,page 176: "... Daesitiates was soon matched by rebellion of the Breuci in Pannonia, headed by Pinnes and another Bato. ..."
Cabanes, Pierre (2002) [1988]. Dinko Čutura; Bruna Kuntić-Makvić (eds.). Iliri od Bardileja do Gencia (IV. – II. stoljeće prije Krista) [The Illyrians from Bardylis to Gentius (4th – 2nd century BC)] (in Croatian). Translated by Vesna Lisičić. Svitava. ISBN953-98832-0-2.
Galaty, Michael L. (2002). "Modeling the Formation and Evolution of an Illyrian Tribal System: Ethnographic and Archaeological Analogs". In William A. Parkinson (ed.). The Archaeology of Tribal Societies. Berghahn Books. ISBN1789201713.