Page:History of Greece Vol IV.djvu/24

 6 HISTORY OF GREECE. great movement of the Gauls from west to east took place, which brought the Gallic Skordiski and other tribes into the regions be- tween the Danube and the Adriatic sea, and which probably dis- lodged some of the northern Illyrians so as to drive them upon new enterprises and fresh abodes. What is now called Middle Albania, the Illyrian territory imme- diately north of Epirus, is much superior to the latter in produc- tiveness. 1 Though mountainous, it possesses more both of low hill and valley, and ampler as well as more fertile cultivable spaces. Epidamnus and Apollonia formed the seaports of this territory, and the commerce with the southern Illyrians, less barbarous than the northern, was one of the sources 2 of their great prosperity during the first century of their existence, a prosperity inter rupted in the case of the Epidamnians by internal dissensions, which impaired their ascendency over their Illyrian neighbors, and ultimately placed them at variance with their mother-city Korkyra. The commerce between these Greek seaports and the interior tribes, when once the former became strong enough to rtndei violent attack from the latter hopeless, was reciprocally beneficial tc both of them. Grecian oil and wine were introduced among these barbarians, whose chiefs at the same time learned to appreciate the woven fabrics, 3 the polished and carved me- tallic work, the tempered weapons, and the pottery, which issued from Grecian artisans. Moreover, the importation sometimes of salt-fish, and always that of salt itself, was of the greatest impor- tance to these inland residents, especially for such localities as possessed lakes abounding in fish, like that of Lychnidus. We hear of wars between the Autariata? and the Ardiaei, respecting salt-springs near their boundaries, and also of other tribes whon the privation of salt reduced to the necessity of submitting U 1 See Pouqueville, Voyage en Grece, vol. i, chs. 23 and 24 ; Grhebach, Reise durch Rumelien und nach Brussa, vol. ii, pp. 138-139; Bone, La Turquie en Europe, Geographic Generale, vol. i, pp. 60-65. 1 Skymnus Chius, v, 418-425. 8 Thucydids mentions the ixpavru KO.I faia, KOI ?; a/I/,?/ Karaovceiv), which the Greek settlements on the Thracian coast sent up to king Seuthes (ii, 98) : similar to the iua(jia&' iepti, and to the ^epmpdv TEKTOVUV daidaha, offered as presents to the Delphian god (Eurip. Ion. 1141 ; Pindar, Pyth. v, 46).