The Sardiatae or Sardiates (alternatively: ''Sardeatae'', ''Sardeates'' or ''Sardiotai'') were an

Illyrian Illyrian may refer to: *Illyria, the historical region on the Balkan Peninsula **Illyrians, an ancient tribe inhabiting Illyria **Illyrian languages, languages of ancient Illyrian tribes * Illyrian (South Slavic), a common name for 17th to 19th cen ...

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

that lived in

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, stre ...

, in the

Pliva Pliva d.o.o. is a pharmaceutical company based in Zagreb, Croatia that primarily manufactures and sells generic drugs. It is a subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceuticals. Pliva is one of the world's largest producers of generic Adderall. History The c ...

valley around the area of

Jajce Jajce (Јајце) is a town and municipality located in the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 2013 census, the town has a population of 7,172 inhabitants, wit ...

and

Šipovo Šipovo ( sr-cyrl, Шипово) is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the southern part of the Bosanska Krajina region. As of 2013, it has a population of 10,293 inhabitant ...

, in present-day

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...

. They are mentioned by

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ...

, who locates them in the ''

conventus iuridicus In Ancient Rome territorial organization, a ''conventus iuridicus'' was the capital city of a subdivision of some provinces (Dalmatia, Hispania, Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either cons ...

'' of Salonae, and reports that they had 52 ''

decuriae In Ancient Rome, a decury (Latin ''decuria'', plural: ''decuriae'') was a group of ten people, ranged under one chief, or commander, called a ''decurio''. In Roman cavalry a ''turma'' was divided into three decuries. Romulus divided the whole Ro ...

''. They are also mentioned by

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of import ...

, and in the ''Libri Coloniarum'' ("Book of Colonies") of the ''

Gromatici Veteres ''Gromatici'' (from Latin '' groma'' or ''gruma'', a surveyor's pole) or ''agrimensores'' was the name for land surveyors amongst the ancient Romans. The "gromatic writers" were technical writers who codified their techniques of surveying, most ...

'' (c. 5th century AD) along with the

Tariotes The Tariotes or Tariotae were an Illyrian tribe that lived on the Adriatic coast of Dalmatia, in modern-day Croatia. They are considered part of the Dalmatae. The Tariotes are mentioned in the Classical literature by Roman author Pliny the ...

. The Sardiates are documented, along with other Illyrian tribes like the

Pirustae This is a list of ancient tribes in the ancient territory of Illyria ( grc-gre, Ἰλλυρία; la, Illyria). The name ''Illyrians'' seems to be the name of a single Illyrian tribe that was the first to come into contact with the ancient Greeks ...

and

Baridustae The Baridustae were an Illyrian tribe that lived in Dalmatia, around Bariduum, a settlement located between Salona and Servitium, more precisely 30 miles north of Salona, which has been identified with the site area of Livno, in present-day Bos ...

, in the epigraphic material of

Alburnus Maior ''Alburnus'' is a genus of fish in the family Cyprinidae, the carps and minnows. They are known commonly as bleaks. A group of species in the genus is known as shemayas. The genus occurs in the western Palearctic realm, and the center of diversit ...

Roman Dacia Roman Dacia ( ; also known as Dacia Traiana, ; or Dacia Felix, 'Fertile/Happy Dacia') was a province of the Roman Empire from 106 to 271–275 AD. Its territory consisted of what are now the regions of Oltenia, Transylvania and Banat (today ...

, a mining town where several Illyrian peoples moved by the time of Roman emperor

Trajan Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presid ...

. A great number of inscriptions were recently found reporting the tribal name of the Sardiatae, which were produced after they moved to the new town in Dacia from their ancient tribal areas in Dalmatia. A ''

collegium A (plural ), or college, was any association in ancient Rome that acted as a legal entity. Following the passage of the ''Lex Julia'' during the reign of Julius Caesar as Consul and Dictator of the Roman Republic (49–44 BC), and their reaf ...

Sardiatensium/Sardiatarum'' is also attested in Alburnus Maior. The existence of ''collegia'' of the Sardiatae and of the

certainly suggests a location of those communities within or near the mining district..

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * Illyrian tribes Illyrian Bosnia and Herzegovina Ancient tribes in Bosnia and Herzegovina Ancient tribes in Dacia {{BosniaandHerzegovina-stub