Contesting identities of pre-Roman Illyricum

Research on pre-Roman identities in the western and central Balkan Peninsula is still awaiting a shift of paradigm from the frameworks in which it operated in the later 20th century, where it was seen as essentially static and primordial. This paper examines some identity-construction strategies amongst the indigenous communities of this area in the later Iron Age. It views the region as a zone where identities were actively negotiated between the western La Tène and the eastern Mediterranean socio-cultural templates.