Bardylis
or BARDYLLIS (
Βάρδυλις,
Βάρδυλλις), the Illyrian chieftain, is said to have been originally a collier, --next, the leader of a band of freebooters, in which capacity he was famous for his equity in the distribution of plunder,--and ultimately to have raised himself to the supreme power in Illyria. (Wesseling,
ad Diod. 16.4, and the authorities there referred to.)
He supported Argaeus against Amyntas II. in his struggle for the throne of Macedonia [see p. 154b.]; and from Diodorus (
16.2) it appears that Amyntas, after his restoration to his kingdom, was obliged to purchase peace of Bardylis by tribute, and to deliver up as a hostage his youngest son, Philip, who, according to this account (which seems far from the truth), was committed by the Illyrians to the custody of the Thebans. (Diod. xvi 2; comp. Wesseling,
ad loc.; Diod. 15.67 ;
Plut. Pel. 26;
Just. 7.5.)
The incursions of Bardylis into Macedonia we find continued in the reign of Perdiccas III., who fell in a battle against him in B. C. 360. (
Diod. 16.2.) When Philip, in the ensuing year, was preparing to invade Illyria, Bardylis, who was now 90 years old, having proposed terms of peace which Philip rejected, led forth his troops to meet the enemy, and was defeated and probably slain in the battle which ensued. Plutarch mentions a daughter of his, called Bircenna, who was married to Pyrrhus of Epeirus. (
Diod. 16.4;
Just. 7.6; Lucian,
Macrob. 10; Plut.
Pyrr. 9.)
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