Занимљиви одломци из чланка словеначке историчарке Марјете Шашел-Кос: "Peoples on the northern fringes of the Greek world: Illyria as seen by Strabo":
О Дарданцима
"The Dardani are described by Strabo as utterly barbarian, being settled inland and dwelling in the holes they had dug out under heaps of dung, obviously earthen cabins of some kind. Even at first glance it is clear that there must be something wrong with Strabo’s statement since it cannot apply to the Dardani in general. Clearly, the data had been distorted and misunderstood either by himself or by the source he used. It no doubt referred to some settlements in a rural environment, perhaps of shepherds, whose habitations and way of life should not be regarded as typical of the whole of Dardania."
"Strabo added that in the region of one of the Dardanian peoples, named the Galabrii, an old city was located; this is an indisputable sign of higher social development and acculturation, and it can be inferred from other classical sources concerning the Dardani that their society was at an advanced stage of development. Fanula Papazoglu tentatively suggested that the mentioned city should be sought at Kale in Skopje. Discordant statements like these can be explained by the existence of differrent ethnic groups in Dardania, all of them known under the name of the Dardani; the Galabrii and Thunatae, for example, are mentioned by Strabo, while others remain unknown. The Thunatae, who bordered on the east with the Thracian Maedi, may have been a Thracian people, or perhaps strongly influenced by the neighbouring Thracians. The study of Dardanian names has shown that some of them are local, perhaps reflecting the original inhabitants, while some are Illyrian and some Thracian. Several tribes were united under a central political authority. Each of them regarded their own identity as different from the others, and again, their identities were comprehended in a different way, and were probably misunderstood, by an external observer, for whom all of them were known primarily as the Dardani."
О Делматима
"When describing the country of the Delmatae Strabo noted that they had a custom of dividing their land anew among families every eight years. He further mentioned that they did not use coined money, adding that a non-monetary economy was typical of many barbarian peoples. The reassignment of the arable land among the Delmataean tribes and families was probably carried out in the religious context of periodical purification and renovation rituals. The statement that they did not use coined money may have been Strabo’s own conclusion inferred from Polybius, who mentioned that the Delmatae subdued the neighbouring peoples, some of whom paid them tribute in grain and stock. Strabo added that this was unusual among the peoples along the eastern Adriatic coast; implicitly he referred to Illyrian kingdoms such as that of Ballaeus and Genthius, and to the Daorsi, the close neighbours of the Delmatae, who minted their own money. Indeed the Delmatae had been subject to Genthius’ father Pleuratus, but gained independence under Genthius, who was not able to subdue them when they invaded his kingdom."
О Јаподима
"It is cruel and constant warfare that Strabo defined as barbarian. Thus the Iapodes are described as particularly warlike people who tattoo themselves, and both characteristics fit the image of a barbarian well."
