Mazaei
MazaeiorMaezaei(Ancient Greek:Μαζαῖοι/Μαιζαῖοι) were a sub-tribe of theIllyrians,autochthonous to the interior of today'sBosnia and Herzegovina,settled mainly in theSanariver basin, the middle course ofVrbas,and around theVrbanjaandUgarrivers.
Overview
[edit]Mazaei[1]were a sub-tribe of theIllyrians,settled in what later becameRoman province,thePannonia.[2]They settled in theSanariver basin, the middle course ofVrbas,and around theVrbanjaandUgarrivers, and were bordered on the east by theDardans[citation needed],on the west byIapodes,theUna river,Krkawaterfalls, andIasis,on the north bySava–Drava–Danube,and on the south byLiburni,Delmatae,and Breucion the north-east.
Like other Illyrians, Mazaei lived in fortified or semi-fortified settlements, subsisting on agriculture, hunting and fishing, and craftsmanship. Ancient writers likeHerodian,Livy,Pliny,Strabo,Theophrastusand others described the Illyrians as tall, strong warriors, and heavy drinkers. And they lived in patriarchal communities. Every eight years they divided their lands according to each other's struggles and resistance to the enemy. Mazaei had 269 judges.[3]
In 10 AD Roman administrators divided the province ofIllyricuminto the new provinces:Pannoniain the north andDalmatiain the south. The termIllyriaremained in use in Late Latin and throughout the medieval period.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Erwin Koschmieder,Die Welt der Slaven,Volume 30, Sagner, 1985, p. 81.
- ^Wilkes, J. J. (1992): The Illyrians,ISBN0-631-19807-5.
- ^Šentija J., ed. (1977).Opća enciklopedija Jugoslavenskog leksikografskog zavoda, 3: Foc-Iw.Zagreb: Jugoslavenski leksikografski zavod.
