The History of Illyria

Rome's first official contact with the Greek world as an equal power came around 230 BC after Illyrian piracy finally grew to be intolerable. The new Kingdom of Illyria had formed around 240 BC, and at its height controlled the entire Eastern Seaboard of the Adriatic. Much like the Barbary states of the 18th century, Illyria was a recognized sovereign funded entirely by criminal activity. They were tolerated by the Greeks because the targets of the piracy were non-greeks; goods from the west still made their way to Eastern markets. But Rome took a very different view: they viewed them as barbarians living on the fringe of the civilized world.