Illyria

History

In classical history, Illyria was the name of a country on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea, approximately where modern Albania and Bosnia are now. The main towns were Lissus[?] and (probably) Epidamus[?]. The inhabitants were Indo-European language speakers, called Illyrians and are believed to be one of the ancestral groups of modern Albanians. The Albanian transliteration i lirë translates to a free person.

In 359 BC King Perdicces of Macedon was killed by attacking Illyrians.

In 216 BC Illyria was invaded by King Philip V, provoking war with the Roman Republic.

In 35 BC the region was conquered by the Romans, being incorporated into the Empire as the Province of Illyricum in 9 AD.

The name went out of use after the division of the empire under Diocletian.

In drama, nevertheless, Illyria can be a half-fictional country, e.g., in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

The area was invaded and settled by Slav tribes after 640.

The name was revived by Napoleon for the 'Provinces of Illyria' that were incorporated into the French Empire from 1809 to 1813, and the 'Kingdom of Illyria' was part of Austria until 1849, after which time it was not used in the reorganised Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Computer Science

Illyria is the name for a piece of software running in interpreted mode under Lisp. It is primarily used in educational institutions to demonstrate the principles of inference engines.