Issue of the Etnonym Illyrians in the Periplous of Pseudo Scilax

Abstract

The paper is related to the work Scilax of Caryanda, the oldest work of Greek geographv that relates to the coasts of the  Adriatic Sea. Using data from the Periplous itself, and the results of previous research, but primarilv the work of M. Suić, the research paper is focused on establishing the position of the etnonym Illyrians on Adriatic coasts. Referring to Chapters 22 and  26, the paper deals with the issue of the titles of these chapters. While M. Suić suggested the title Boulinoi for Chapter 22, our proposal for this chapter is Hvlloi. The largest part of Chapter 22 deals with the Hvlloi. the legend about their origin. the area 
in which they lived and the city of Heraclea, whose founding may be connected to the tradition that is linked to the origin of the Hylloi. Taking into account the very pronounced and long tradition of their origin, a realistic possibility of connecting of the  Adriatic Hvlloi with the expansion of Greek colonization of the Adriatic area, and the fact that even Plinv the Elder calls  Diomedes' Horn Hylloian Horn, and not Boulinoic peninsula, as well as the discovered significant amounts of money with the name of Heraclea, which might have gotten its name after the Hylloi, the assumption that the title of Chapter 22 should have been Hvlloi seems completelv justified. M. Suić also suggested that Chapter 26 should be renamed from Taulantians into Illvrians, which we find unacceptable, not only because of the fact that the city Epidamnos was located in the country of Taulantians. which was emphasized by Gronovius, but also because of the fact that Taulantians were a people that the Greek knew well as early as in the sixth century BC. and it therefore seems fullv unjustified to assume that the original author of Periplous in the fourth centurv BC could have made a mistake in relation to the name of the people of Taulantians that were well known for a long period of time. As a result of the above. we believe that it is justified to assume that Chapter 26 of  Periplous should be entitled Taulantians, rather than Illvrians. According to these titles, the Illvrians would be completely left out trom titles of ali chapters of Periplous, which would be in compliance with the assumption that the term Illvrians is also a geographical, not purelv ethnical term.