ILLYRIA (Illyricum).Major mints: Apollonia, Dyrrhachium; and royal issues. Illyria, on the Greek side of the Adriatic in what is now Croatia, Bosnia, and Albania, was like much of the area settled by Greek colonists on the coast, and barbarian tribes of uncertain affiliation in the interior. Most of the coins were issued by the Greek settlements. The chief cities were colonies of Corcyra, and issued most of their coins with the types of cow suckling calf / double stellate pattern in double square. Other issues include Corinthian-style pegasi, and assorted bronzes. Royal coinage initially copies the cow/stellate coinage, under Monunios (300-280 BC). Under the later kings it becomes restricted to Macedonian-style bronze. As the Illyrians regarded piracy as one of their favorite activities their suppression by the Romans was only a matter of time, and the Romans put an end to the kingdom after 135 BC.
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