Iapydes

Iapydes, or Iapodes, were one of the three chief peoples of Roman Illyria.

They occupied the interior of the country on the north between the Arsia (Arsa) and Tedanius (perhaps the Zermanja), which separated them from the Liburnians. Their territory formed part of the modern Croatia. They are described by Strabo as a mixed race of Celts and Illyrians, who used Celtic weapons, tattooed themselves, and lived chiefly on spelt and millet.

They were a warlike race, addicted to plundering expeditions. In 129 BC C. Sempronius Tuditanus celebrated a triumph over them, and in 34 BC they were finally crushed by Augustus. They appear to have had a foedus with Rome, but subsequently rebelled.

This entry was originally from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.