kingdom · Balkans and Hungary

Dardanian Kingdom

350 BCE – 28 BCE (approx.)

Kingdom of the Dardani in Kosovo and the upper Vardar, a persistent threat to Macedon that allied with Rome before being absorbed into Moesia.

Origins

The Dardani lived in the plains of Kosovo and around Scupi (Skopje) from at least the 4th century BCE. A Dardanian monarchy appears by the mid-4th century, and some historians count Bardylis, the Illyrian king who fought Philip II, as Dardanian.

Rule and society

Dardanian kings led a mixed Illyrian and Thracian population of farmers and herders. They raided Macedonia repeatedly and took advantage of the Celtic invasions of 279 BCE. King Longarus fought Macedon in the 230s BCE, and his son Bato allied with Rome against Philip V in 200 BCE, and King Monunius minted coins at Dyrrhachium. Roman writers described the Dardani as rough but musical.

Decline and legacy

Rome fought the Dardani during the 1st century BCE, and Marcus Licinius Crassus brought them under control in 28 BCE. Their land became part of the province of Moesia and later the late Roman province of Dardania, birthplace of the emperor Justinian.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Dardanian Kingdom. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dardanian-kingdom
MLA
“Dardanian Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dardanian-kingdom. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Dardanian Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dardanian-kingdom.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Dardanian Kingdom’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dardanian-kingdom (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻