Sesarethus

Sesarethus (Ancient Greek: Σεσάρηθος) was an ancient city in southern Illyria. Stephanus of Byzantium from the 6th century AD reports, citing Hecataeus (6th century BC), that Sesarethos was a Taulantian city, and that Sesarethioi was its ethnicon.^[1][2] The city and the tribal name Sessarethes have been related by modern scholars to the Illyrian tribe of Dassaretii.^[3][4] The variant Sesarethii is also mentioned by Strabo (1st century BC – 1st century AD) as an alternative name of the Enchelei.^[5]

See also

• List of settlements in Illyria

References

1. Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, "Σεσάρηθος, πόλις Ταυλαντίων, ὥς φησιν Ἑκαταῖος. καὶ τὸ ἐθνικὸν Σεσαρήθιος."
2. Eichner 2004, p. 97.
3. Ujes 2002, p. 106: "Les noms des souverains des mines sont tant d'origine illyrienne (Dassarètes ou Sessarèthes) que thrace (Périsadyes). Si l'on admettait que ces noms tribaux fournissent un indice de la position géographique des tribus en question, cela pourrait indiquer que les mines se trouvaient dans une zone de contact entre des tribus d'origine illyrienne et d'autres d'origine thrace".
4. Winnifrith 2002, p. 46: "Among Illyrian tribes, apart from the Enchelidae we find the Taulantii, Bylliones, Parthini and Bryges; other Illyrian tribes lived north of the River Shkumbin, as indeed did some of the Taulantii, since they were the barbarians who threatened Epidamnus. There is also a rather mysterious tribe called Sesarethi; they too may give their name to Dassaretis, although in what may be another case of transhumance the Dassaretae in Roman times are found near Berat." p. 214: "Dassaretae, Illyrian tribe"
5. Strabo, Geography, book 7, chapter 7: "...had established their sway, and Enchelii, who are also called Sesarethii. Then come the Lyncestæ, the territory Deuriopus, Pelagonia-Tripolitis..."

Bibliography

• Eichner, Heiner (2004). "Illyrisch – die unbekannte Sprache". In Eichner, Heiner (ed.). Die Illyrer. Archäologische Funde des 1. Vorchristlichen Jahrtausends aus Albanien (in German). Museum für Urgeschichte Asparn an der Zaya. pp. 92–117. ISBN 3-85460-215-4.
• Ujes, Dubravka (2002). "Recherche sur la localisation de Damastion et ses mines". Revue numismatique. 6th. 6 (158): 103–129. doi:10.3406/numi.2002.1438.
• Winnifrith, Tom J. (2002). Badlands-borderlands: a history of Northern Epirus/Southern Albania. London: Duckworth. ISBN 0-7156-3201-9.