Molossians (people)
The Molossians were, next to the Chaoni and the Thesprotern , the third great tribe that made up the population of Epirus in ancient times .
For geographical reasons as well as because of the abundant agriculture, a general state developed relatively early in Epirus, whose kings from the tribe of the Molossians to Pyrrhos I (approx. 319/18 to 272 BC) played an important role in history to have. The Illyrian king Bardylis subjugated Epirus in 385 BC. And the previously expelled Molossian king Alketas I from the Aiakiden dynasty ascended the throne again.
Based on their typical shepherd dogs, different dog breeds are called Molossians today.
literature
- Hansjörg Frommer: The Illyrians. 4000 years of European history. From the 3rd millennium to the beginning of the modern age. Info-Verlag, Karlsruhe 1988, ISBN 3-88190-100-0 .
- Elizabeth A Meyer: The Inscriptions of Dodona and a New History of Molossia (= Heidelberger Old Historical Contributions and Epigraphic Studies . Volume 54). Franz Steiner, Stuttgart 2013, ISBN 978-3-515-10311-4 .