The Labeatae, Labeatai or Labeates (Ancient Greek: Λαβεᾶται; Latin: Labeatae) were an Illyrian people that lived on the Adriatic coast of southern Illyria, between modern Albania and Montenegro, around Lake Scodra (the ancient Lacus Labeatis).[1]
Their territory, which was called Labeatis in classical antiquity, seems to have stretched from Lissus at the river Drin in the south, or probably even from the valley of Mat, up to Meteon in the north.[2] Their centre and main stronghold was Skodra, which during the last period of the Illyrian kingdom was the capital city.[3] The Labeatan kingdom was also in possession of Rhizon, the Ardiean capital.[4]
The dynasty of the last Illyrian kings (Scerdilaidas, Pleuratus, Gentius) was Labeatan.[5] It is possible that the decline of the Ardiaean dynasty after Queen Teuta's defeat in the First Illyrian War against Rome caused the emergence of the Labeatan dynasty on the political scene.[6] In Roman times the Labeatae minted coins bearing the inscription of their ethnicon.[7]
- ^ Cabanes 2002, p. 36; Stipčević 1974, p. 31; Wilkes 1992, p. 172; Šašel Kos 2005, p. 131; Dzino 2014, p. 47; Jaupaj 2019, pp. 68–69; Gavoille 2019, p. 7.
- ^ Cabanes 2002, p. 36; Gavoille 2019, p. 7.
- ^ Cabanes 2002, p. 36; Shpuza & Dyczek 2015, p. 273; Shehi 2015, p. 32; Jaupaj 2019, pp. 68–69.
- ^ Šašel Kos 2007, p. 137.
- ^ Dzino 2010, p. xvii; Dzino 2014, p. 57; Waterfield 2014, p. 57
- ^ Jaupaj 2019, p. 69.
- ^ Shpuza 2014, p. 123.