The Illyrian invasion of
Molossians in
Epirus occurred in 385 BC. Illyrians, led most likely by king
Bardylis
Bardylis (also Bardyllis ; grc, Βάρδυλις; 448 – c. 358 BC) was an Illyrian king, and the founder of the first attested Illyrian dynasty. During his reign, Bardylis aimed to made Illyria a regional power interfering with Macedon. He ...
, were supported by
Dionysius I of Syracuse who was aming to expand his influence in the eastern
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
and
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea ( el, Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, ''Iónio Pélagos'' ; it, Mar Ionio ; al, Deti Jon ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including C ...
, and by
Alcetas I of Epirus who was expelled from his land by the Molossian pro-Spartan party and exiled in
Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
**North Syracuse, New York
*Syracuse, Indiana
* Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, Miss ...
.
History
In 385 BC,
Alcetas of Epirus was a refugee in Syracuse for unknown reasons. Leader of Syracuse,
Dionysius
The name Dionysius (; el, Διονύσιος ''Dionysios'', "of Dionysus"; la, Dionysius) was common in classical and post-classical times. Etymologically it is a nominalized adjective formed with a -ios suffix from the stem Dionys- of the name ...
, wanted a friendly monarch in
Epirus, so he sent 2,000 Greek
hoplites and 500 suits of Greek armor to help the Illyrians, who at that time were led by king
Bardyllis
Bardylis (also Bardyllis ; grc, Βάρδυλις; 448 – c. 358 BC) was an Illyrian king, and the founder of the first attested Illyrian dynasty. During his reign, Bardylis aimed to made Illyria a regional power interfering with Macedon. He ...
, to
Molossians in Epirus. Attackers killed about 15,000 Molossian warriors. Alcetas was restored to the throne, but Illyrians didn't stop there. They continued pillaging throughout Epirus and Greece. Dionysius joined them in an attempt to plunder the temple of
Delphi
Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The oracle ...
. Then, Sparta, supported by Thessaly and Macedonians, intervened under
Agesilaus
Agesilaus II (; grc-gre, Ἀγησίλαος ; c. 442 – 358 BC) was king of Sparta from c. 399 to 358 BC. Generally considered the most important king in the history of Sparta, Agesilaus was the main actor during the period of Spartan hegemony ...
, and expelled the Illyrians and Syracuse warriors.
See also
*
Illyrian warfare
References
Bibliography
*
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Illyrians
Wars involving Sparta
385 BC
Wars involving Macedonia (ancient kingdom)
Wars involving Epirus
380s BC conflicts
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