"Where there is no vision,
the people perish ... "
- Proverbs 29:18
In Livy's account of the Istrians pirating Roman ships, he notes that the Illyrian clan was governed by a council of male elders who elected their cheiftains, although, there was an exception to this patriarchal rule (see Tribes). A tribe comprised a union of sub-tribes. In all probability, the council was made up of a chieftain from each of the sub-tribes and tribal matters - be it war, boundary disputes, or other domestic problems - were handled within the council itself and dealt with accordingly.
An Illyrian army consisted mostly of infantrymen, although, the Illyrians did hold a considerable number of cavalry as well. The infantry was comprised of citizen soldiers and serfs. In any regard, they did not lack fighting skills nor strength in numbers, e.g. in 279 BC, Justinius recorded an embassy of the Dardanian tribe that had offered the king of Macedon 20,000 troops to defend his kingdom from a Celtic invasion.
Archaeological excavations have produced many weapons used by Illyrian soldiers including swords, javelins, battle-axes, bows and arrows as well as battle knives. When it came to defenses the Illyrian military equiped itself with wooded and leather shields embossed with metal. Their defenses also included breastplates, helmets and leg protection, but likely reserved for the military elite (see image). The geographical location of Illyria, deeply wooded and mountainous, made them difficult to conquer. However, because they could be easily surprised or engage in battles hastily the Illyrians often fled there positions. Thucydides wrote that fight or flight was "equally honorable" for them.
Politically, it would take the Illyrians many centuries to gain Mediterranean respect. It does not begin to take shape on a large scale (multi-tribes) until the reign of Bardylis in the fourth century BC and even then it lacked true political organization (see Dell, Philip and Macedonia's Northern Neighbors). However, by the third century BC, under the reign of the Ardiaen Dynast Agron, this structure would come full circle. According to Appian and Polybius, it was under Agron that the Illyrians reached their greatest height economically, militarily, and politically. Agron's genius proved in his alliances and in securing the Adriatic coasts through his military strength. By capturing northern Epirus, Corcyra, Epidamnus and Pharus, Agron secured his position and influence within the Adriatic/Ionic trading sphere (see Kingdoms).
Although the Illyrians had so-called 'legitimate economic practices' (see people), a good part of the Illyrian economy also revolved around piracy. The Liburni, Ardiaei, and Histri embraced this type of living as it was a lucrative practice and a recognized trade in those days (see image). Some scholars expressed the practice primarily as a food source for the Illyrians (see Dell, Nature and Origin of Illyrian Piracy). However, it brought considerable booty and the commodities gained (like the food source, grain - a prized commodity; see Papazoglu, Central Balkan Tribes) were often traded for other goods. In any case, it was piracy supposedly, although unlikely as the Romans sought to expand their empire, that brought about the Roman-Illyrian Wars (see Kingdoms).
