The Parthini, Partini or Partheni were an Illyrian

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

that lived in the inlands of southern

Illyria In classical antiquity, Illyria (; grc, Ἰλλυρία, ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; la, Illyria, ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyr ...

(modern

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and share ...

). They likely were located in the

Shkumbin The Shkumbin (; ; la, Genusus, also la, Genessus, label=none or la, Scampis, label=none), also commonly Shkembi, is a river in Southern Europe. It is long and its drainage basin is . Its average discharge is . Etymology It derives from La ...

valley controlling the important route between the

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 th ...

and Macedonia, which corresponded to the

Via Egnatia The Via Egnatia was a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. It crossed Illyricum, Macedonia, and Thracia, running through territory that is now part of modern Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, and European Turkey as a con ...

of Roman times. Consequently, their neighbours to the west were the

Taulantii Taulantii or Taulantians ('swallow-men'; Ancient Greek: , or , ; la, Taulantii) were an Illyrian people that lived on the Adriatic coast of southern Illyria (modern Albania). They dominated at various times much of the plain between the rivers ...

and to the east the

Dassaretii The Dassaretii ( Ancient Greek: ''Δασσαρῆται, Δασσαρήτιοι'', Latin: ''Dassaretae'', ''Dassaretii'') were an Illyrian people that lived in the inlands of southern Illyria, between present-day south-eastern Albania and south ...

in the region of

Lychnidus Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording a population of over 42,000 inha ...

Etymology

The Parthini often appears in ancient accounts describing the

Illyrian Wars The Illyro-Roman Wars were a series of wars fought between the Roman Republic and the Ardiaei kingdom. In the ''First Illyrian War'', which lasted from 229 BC to 228 BC, Rome's concern was that the trade across the Adriatic Sea increased after the ...

and Macedonian Wars. Their name was written in

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...

as Παρθῖνοι, ''Parthînoi'', Παρθηνοι, ''Parthenoi'', Παρθεηνᾶται ''Partheēnâtai'' and in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

as ''Parthini'' or ''Partheni''. They are mentioned by

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called " Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could s ...

vii.;

Appian Appian of Alexandria (; grc-gre, Ἀππιανὸς Ἀλεξανδρεύς ''Appianòs Alexandreús''; la, Appianus Alexandrinus; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who flourished during the reigns of Emperors of Rome Trajan, Ha ...

, ''Illyr.'' 1; Dion Cass. xli. 49; Cic. ''in Pis.'' 40; Pomp. Mela, ii. 3. § 11; Plin. iii. 26. According to a mythological tradition reported by

(2nd century AD), the Parthini were among the South- Illyrian tribes that took their names from the first generation of the descendants of Illyrius, the eponymous ancestor of all the

Illyrian peoples The Illyrians ( grc, Ἰλλυριοί, ''Illyrioi''; la, Illyrii) were a group of Indo-European-speaking peoples who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo-Balkan populations, al ...

Geography

The Parthini most likely inhabited the area between the hinterland of Dyrrhachium at the

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

plane in the north, and the hinterland of Apollonia at the Apsus river ( Seman) in the south. Their territory likely included the

valley, hence they controlled the important route between the

and Macedonia, which corresponded to the

of Roman times. Initially, the Parthini may have held the lands around Epidamnus-Dyrrhachium, but later they were probably pushed more inland by the

losing their coastal holdings. A walled city built in the 4th century BC at the latest has been found on the

Gradishtë Gradishtë is a municipality in the Fier County, western Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Divjakë. The population at the 2011 census was 7,521. The municipal unit comprises the following lo ...

plateau near

Belsh Belsh (; sq-definite, Belshi) is a municipality in Elbasan County, central Albania. The municipality consists of the administrative units of Fierzë, Grekan, Kajan, Rrasë Rrasë is a former municipality in the Elbasan County, central Albania. ...

. It developed from an early 7th century BC hilltop settlement, and was located on the route leading from Apollonia along the Apsus river to the Shkumbin. Its ancient name is not known, but it can be assumed to have been the chief settlement of the Parthini. It existed until late antiquity, and was destroyed by the Slavic invasion.

Culture

Language

The idiom spoken by the Parthini is included in the southern Illyrian onomastic province in modern linguistics. The territory they inhabited belongs to the area that is considered in current scholarship as the linguistic core of Illyrian.

Religion

The Parthini worshiped a supreme god recognized through ''

interpretatio romana ''Interpretatio graeca'' (Latin, "Greek translation") or "interpretation by means of Greek odels is a discourse used to interpret or attempt to understand the mythology and religion of other cultures; a comparative methodology using ancient Gr ...

'' as '

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousand ...

Parthinus'. It is attested in

epigraphic material as Partinus.

History

The Parthini are often mentioned in the course of the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

wars in

and Macedonia, 229 BCE, but as friends rather than foes of the Romans, having submitted at an early period to their arms. ( Polyb. ii. 11;

xxix. 12.) After the death of

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who populariz ...

, king of

Macedon Macedonia (; grc-gre, Μακεδονία), also called Macedon (), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, and later the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled ...

, they appear to have been added to the dominions of

Pleuratus Pleuratus I (Ancient Greek: Πλευρᾶτος; ruled 356335 ) was an Illyrian king of the Illyrian tribe of the Taulantii. Pleuratus was the father of Glaucias. Pleuratus managed to defeat philip II during Macedon's expansion, wounding the M ...

, an

n prince allied to the Romans. (Polyb. xviii. 30; Liv. xxx. 34, xliv. 30.) Their principal town was Parthus (, Steph. B. ''s. v.''), which was taken by

in the course of his campaign with

Pompeius Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman Republic, Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the tr ...

. (Caes. ''B.C.'' iii. 41.) The double-hilled

Dimallum Dimale or Dimallum (Illyrian language, Illyrian: Διμάλη /Dimálē/ ; Ancient Greek: Διμάλη or Διμάλλον; Latin language, Latin: ''Dimallum'') was a town in southern Illyria in classical antiquity which was situated in the vicin ...

, the strongest among the Illyrian places, with two citadels on two heights, connected by a wall (Polyb. iii. 18, vii. 9), was within their territory. There is no indication, however, of its precise situation, which was probably between Lissus and Epidamnus. Livy mentions (xxix. 12) two other fortresses:

Eugenium Eugenium was a village or fort of the Illyrian Parthini whose location is still unknown.The Cambridge Ancient History, Volume 8: Rome and the Mediterranean to 133 BC by A. E. Astin, , 1990, page 92 See also * Parthini *List of settlements in Illy ...

and

Bargulum Bargulum was a settlement of the Illyrian tribe of the Parthini in southern Illyria, modern Albania.The Cambridge Ancient History, Volume 8: Rome and the Mediterranean to 133 BC by A. E. Astin, , 1990, page 92 Its exact location is still unknown, t ...

Economy

Located in the inlands of southern

, the Parthini controlled the important route between the

and Macedonia, which corresponded to the

of Roman times. Ancient historical sources testify agricultural economy among the Parthini, who were attested to have cultivated corn in Roman times. During the Great Roman Civil War the Parthini were obliged to deliver their corn supply for

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

's troops. The situation changed with Caesar's arrival in

. Once he had landed in Palaeste on the

Ceraunian Mountains The Ceraunian Mountains ( sq, Malet e Vetëtimës, "Thunderbolt mountains"; el, Κεραύνια Όρη, ''Keravnia ori''; la, Cerauni Montes), also commonly Akroceraunian Mountains ( grc, Ἀκροκεραύνια, sq, Malet Akrokeraune "male ...

, the Illyrian communities, which were garrisoned by Pompey and the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, welcomed Caesar.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Albania topics Illyrian tribes Illyrian Albania Ancient tribes in Albania