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Gentius (, Génthios; 181–168 BC) was an Illyrians king who belonged to the Labeatae dynasty. He ruled in 181–168 BC, being the last attested Illyrian king. He was the son of Pleuratus III, a king who kept positive relations with Roman Republic. The capital city of the Illyrian kingdom under Gentius was Scodra, now Shkodër, Albania.
In 180 BC, during his early reign, the Dalmatae and Daorsi declared themselves independent from his rule and the city of Rhizon abandoned him prior to his defeat, receiving immunity from the Roman Republic. He married Etuta, the daughter of the king Monunius II.
In 171 BC, Gentius was allied with the Romans against the Macedonians, but in 169 BC he changed sides and allied himself with Perseus of Macedon. The southernmost city of the Illyrian kingdom was Lissus (now Lezhë, Albania), a situation established since the First Illyrian War. He arrested two Roman legati, accusing them of not coming as emissaries but as spies. Gentius destroyed the cities of Apollonia and Epidamnos (Roman Dyrrachium, now Durrës, Albania), which were allied with Rome. In 168 BC, he was defeated at Scodra by a Roman force under L. Anicius Gallus, in only twenty or thirty days, and in 167 brought to Rome as a captive to participate in Gallus's Roman triumph, after which he was interned in Iguvium. The date of his death is unknown. After his defeat, the Romans split the region into three administrative divisions, called meris. The extent of the first meris is not known, while the second was Labeates, and the third was Acruvium, Rhizon, Olcinium and their environs.
Perseus of Macedon having recaptured several Roman outposts in Roman occupied Illyria controlled the route leading west to the Ardiaean state. At this point Perseus sent his first embassy to Gentius, consisting of the Illyrian exile Pleuratus and the Macedonian Adaeus and Beroea. They found Gentius at Lissos and informed him of Perseus' successes against the Romans and Dardani and the recent victory over the Penestae. The Illyrians replied that he lacked not the will to fight the Romans but the money. No promises were made on this point either by this embassy or another sent from Stuberra shortly afterwards. Perseus continued his efforts to involve Gentius in the war, preferably it was said, at no cost to his treasury. The Illyrian exile Plearatus raised 1,000 infantry and 200 cavalry from the Penestae. The Roman invasion of Macedonia in 168 BC forced the king to promise a subsidy to Gentius, whose ships might be employed to attack the Romans. A sum of 300 talents was mentioned and Perseus sent his companion Pantauchus to make the arrangements. In the city of Medun (now Medun, Montenegro) hostages were agreed and Gentius accepted the oath of the king. He sent Olympio with a delegation to Perseus to collect the money, and the treaty was concluded with some ceremony at Dium on the Thermaic Gulf. A formal parade of the Macedonian cavalry was held which may have impressed the Illyrians and the cavalry may have represented the Macedonians in the ratification of the treaty.
The 300 talents were counted out of the royal treasure at Pella and the Illyrians were permitted to mark it with their own stamp. An advance of ten talents was forwarded to Gentius and when this was passed over by Pantauchus the king was urged to commence hostilities against the Romans. When Gentius imprisoned two Roman envoys sent by Appius Claudius at Lychnidus, Perseus recalled the rest of the subsidy in belief that Gentius was now his ally, come what may.
Gentius and Perseus sent a joint embassy to invite Rhodes in the war against Rome. Gentius also built up a fleet of 270 lembi, showing that he awaited an enemy in the Adriatic. His army numbered 15,000 men. Gentius was now prepared to go to war with Rome.
As a folio of Livy's text is missing, little is known of this campaign. It seems that Anicius's fleet engaged the Illyrians at sea and captured a number of their lembi. Next, they defeated the Illyrians on land, allowing them to advance into the heart of Illyrian territory. Once there, they secured the surrender of enemy cities mostly through negotiation rather than direct assault. Gentius concentrated his remaining forces near his capital Shkodra, a well-fortified city situated in a strong natural position. When Anicius approached with his army in battle formation, the Illyrians fled into the city in panic. Gentius asked for, and was given, a three-day truce hoping that Caravantius would come at any moment with a large relieving army: but that it did not happen. After his defeat, Gentius sent two envoys from among the prominent tribal leaders, TeuticusA Latinised name. See "Before the State: Systemic Political Change in the West from the Greeks to the French Revolution Before the State: Systemic Political Change in the West from the Greeks to the French Revolution by Andreas Osiander", 2008, , page 259, "... a Latin adjectival suffix like -icus. This yields the word teuticus, which around the turn of the millennium is indeed attested ..." and Bellus, to negotiate with the Roman commander.Épire, Illyrie, Macédoine: mélanges offerts au professeur Pierre CabanesRome and the Mediterranean: Books XXXI-XLV of the History of Rome from its Foundation, , 1976, page 560, "... of the gate. This inspired such panic in the town that Gentius at once sent to the praetor two spokesmen, Teuticus and Bellus, leading men of that nation, to beg a truce so that the king might take council about the ..." On the third day of the truce, Gentius came to the Roman camp and surrendered to Anicius who gave him a dinner with full honours and then put him under arrest. The Illyrians in Shkodra surrendered and released the Roman envoys. The Roman army marched north of Scutari Lake where, at Meteon (present day Medun, Montenegro), they captured Gentius's queen Teuta, his brother Caravantius and his sons Scerdilaides and Pleuratus along with other leading Illyrians.
The fall of the Ardiaean State is transmitted by Livy in a ceremonial manner of the triumph of Anicius in Rome:
This part of the campaign had only lasted thirty days. There were certainly further operations in the northern part of the Ardiaean State for Anicius placed garrisons in some towns, citadels and fortresses. These include the cities of Issa, Rhizon and Olcinium and the tribal states of the Daorsi and the Pirustae. Some came over to Rome on their own accord while other places such as Pharos were reduced by force and their property looted.A History of Macedonia: Volume III: 336-167 B.C. by N. G. L. Hammond, F. W. Walbank
By decision of the Senate, Gentius and his family were sent to Spoletium, to be kept under observation. The other captives were imprisoned in Rome. But the inhabitants of Spoletum refused to keep the royal family under watch, so they were transferred to Iguvium. The booty seized in Illyria included 220 vessels. By decree of the Senate, C. Cassius Longinus gave these vessels taken from Gentius to the inhabitants of Corcyra, Appolonia and Epidamnus. The year of Gentius' death is not known but there are ruins of what is perhaps his tomb.
The Roman punishment of Illyria spared only those koina that had backed Rome openly in the war. Those who had been enemies, their cities, buildings and public institutions were burned and thoroughly looted. Those spared retained their previous manner of administration, with officials elected every year, and paid Rome only half the taxes that they had previously paid to Gentius. The federation-based koina were dissolved and each unit was recognized as a separate koinon, enjoying local autonomy and often the right to mint its own coins.
While the southern Illyrian lands had been conquered once and for all, the Roman legions continued for about another hundred years with attempts to conquer the northern and eastern territories.
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