Albani (Albanoi), tribe in ancient Illyria, from Alexander G. Findlay's Classical Atlas to Illustrate Ancient Geography, New York, 1849

The Dardani were an ancient Indo-European tribe that lived in Dardania (largely corresponding to present day Kosovo, as well as other parts of present day southern Serbia) and was likely of mixed Illyrian-Thracian descent, as indicated by both archaeological evidence and classical references. They are sometimes referred to as a Celtic tribe as well, though archaeology does not indicate this. Download high resolution version (2038x1677, 721 KB)Classical Balkans: from Map from rothers Publishers, New York, 1849A Classical Atlas to Illustrate Ancient Geography, Alexander G. Findlay, Harper and B ros. ... Download high resolution version (2038x1677, 721 KB)Classical Balkans: from Map from rothers Publishers, New York, 1849A Classical Atlas to Illustrate Ancient Geography, Alexander G. Findlay, Harper and B ros. ... Dardania region Dardania was a region encompassing the area of the modern-day province under UN administration Kosovo, southern parts of Serbia, mostly, but not entirely, western parts of the Republic of Macedonia, and parts of north-eastern Albania. ... For other uses of the name Kosovo, see Kosovo (disambiguation). ... Motto: none Anthem: Bože pravde (English: God of Justice) Capital Belgrade Largest city Belgrade Official language(s) Serbian1 Government Republic  - President Boris Tadić  - Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica Formation and independence    - Formation of Serbia 814   - Formation of the Serbian Empire 1345   - Independence from the Ottoman Empire July 13, 1878... Illyrians has come to refer to a broad, ill-defined group of peoples who inhabited the western Balkans (from northern Epirus to southern Pannonia) and even perhaps parts of Southern Italy in classical times into the Common era, and spoke Illyrian languages. ... Thracian peltast, 5th to 4th century BC Thracian Horseman Thracians in an ethnic sense refers to various ancient peoples who spoke Dacian and Thracian, a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family. ... A Celtic cross. ...

The distribution of ancient names found inscribed in Dardania are one of the main evidences that support the idea that the Dardani were Thracians commingled with Illyrians. Thracian names are found mostly in eastern Dardania, from Scupi to Naissus and Remesiana, although some Illyrian names occur. Illyrian names are dominant in the western areas, where Thracian names are not found [1]. The Thracians were an Indo-European people, inhabitants of Thrace and adjacent lands (present-day Bulgaria, Romania, northeastern Greece, European Turkey and northwestern asiatic Turkey, eastern Serbia and parts of Republic of Macedonia). ... Modern Skopje Skopje (Macedonian: Скопје, Albanian Shkup, Latin Scupi; Turkish: Üsküb) is the capital city of the Republic of Macedonia. ... Niš (Ниш, the Roman Naissus; see below) is a city in Serbia and Montenegro (formerly Yugoslavia), 43. ... Remesiana (Bela Palanka in Antic time) is a municipality of Serbia. ... The Illyrian languages are a group of Indo-European languages that were spoken in the western part of the Balkans in former times by ethnic groups identified as Illyrians: Delmatae, Pannoni, Illyrioi, Autariates, Taulanti (see List of Illyrian tribes). ...

The element Dardan appears to be found in the toponymy of both the Illyrians (Dardi, Dardani) and the Thracians (Dardanos, Darda-para) and it has been suggested to be related to the modern Albanian word dardha (meaning 'a pear'). Species About 30 species, including: Pyrus amygdaliformis Pyrus austriaca Pyrus balansae Pyrus betulifolia Pyrus bourgaeana Pyrus bretschneideri Pyrus calleryana Pyrus caucasica Pyrus communis Pyrus cordata Pyrus cossonii Pyrus elaeagrifolia Pyrus fauriei Pyrus kawakamii Pyrus korshinskyi Pyrus lindleyi Pyrus nivalis Pyrus pashia Pyrus persica Pyrus phaeocarpa Pyrus pyraster Pyrus pyrifolia Pyrus...

Durham says regarding this derivation that "... we may derive Dardania from an Illyrian word meaning "pear", a word similar to the modern Albanian "dardhe," ... . There are three Dardhes in high Albania close to the Drin, which in Strabo's day was navigable as far as Dardania. And this part of the land being very mountainous has, I believe, been continuously inhabited by people of Albanian (more or less Illyrian) blood and has been continuously Albanophone.

Beyond the Drin the plain lands fell completely under Serb rule for a long period and has now agan reverted to Serbia. Here also we find many pear names, but they are Serbised as Krushevo and Krushevatz. The accompanying sketch map gives the chief ones which fall within old Dardania. One, which was called Krusha e vogele, when I passed it in 1908, was a transition form, "krusha" being Serb and "e vogele" Albanian -- the little pear. By now it has doubtless become "Krusha mala" -- Serb again. The wild crab-pear is common in these lands, hard and astringent, but with a pear flavour. ... The pear is used as a traditional embroidery pattern. ... The family name of Pope Sixtus V. (1585-1590) was Peretti. He was the child of refugees driven from "a place in Schiavonia" called Krushevo, which name they Italianised and adopted."

Strabo, in his Geography (book 7, chapter 5, paragraph 7), wrote: "The Dardani are entirely a savage people, so much so that they dig caves beneath dungheaps, in which they dwell; yet they are fond of music, and are much occupied in playing upon pipes and on stringed instruments." the Greek georgapher Strabo, in a 16th‑century engraving. ...

Some Roman writers proposed a connection between these Dardani of the Balkans and the Dardans (Trojans) of the Troad, the popular version of the story being that a group of Dardan colonists had settled in the Balkans and had degenerated in their new Balkan home to a state of barbarism, becoming the Dardani. This idea has not been verified by historians. [2] The Roman Forum was the central area around which ancient Rome developed. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The terms Dardan and Dardanian in classical writings were synonymous with the term Trojan, the Dardans being Trojans, an ancient people of Troas in northwestern Anatolia. ... Walls of the excavated city of Troy This article is about the city of Troy / Ilion as described in the works of Homer, and the location of an ancient city associated with it. ... Map of the Troas The Troas (Troad) is an ancient region in the northwestern part of Anatolia, bounded by the Hellespont to the northwest, the Aegean Sea to the west, and separated from the rest of Anatolia by the massif that forms Mount Ida. ...

References

• Durham, M. Edith, Dardania and Some Balkan Place-Names, Man, Vol. 23 (Mar., 1923), pp. 39-42
• Macurdy, Grace Harriet, The Wanderings of Dardanus and the Dardani, Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 46 (1915), pp. 119-128
• Wilkes, John, The Illyrians, Blackwell Books, 1992. pg. 86 [1]; pg. 145 [2].