The creation of the province of Dalmatia in light of the recent research

Abstract

Much of the history of Illyricum, the predecessor of Dalmatia, is obscure and our knowledge limited, but it can be regarded as very likely that at the time of Caesar’s proconsulate no independent and administratively regulated province existed in Illyricum, which must have happened after Octavian’s Illyrian War (35-33 BC); earlier, the main masters of Dalmatia had been the Delmatae. In 59 BC, the administration of Cisalpine Gaul and Illyricum, along with three legions, was assigned to Caesar for a period of five years. Histria never belonged to Illyricum, but must have had a specific legal status within the province of Cisalpina. After the sudden death of the consul Q. Caecilius Metellus Celer (consul 60 BC), Caesar was additionally given Transalpine Gaul with one legion. He was mainly interested in Gaul, because he needed recruiting-ground for his wars in Gallia, but he was well aware of the strategic importance of Illyricum, not least due to its closeness to Italy on the one side and to Macedonia on the other. No Roman troops were stationed in Illyricum at that time, which may be regarded as an argument that Illyricum had not been a province in the administrative sense of the word. The informal division of Illyricum probably occurred during, or at the end of, the Pannonian-Dalmatian rebellion (AD 6-9); Illyricum superius was the predecessor of Dalmatia, Illyricum inferius of Pannonia.