Liburnians

The Liburni were an Illyrian tribe. Their settlement area was on the eastern shores of the Adriatic in Liburnia in the area of Iader (today Zadar) and lasted roughly from the Krka River in the south to the Bay of Kvarner in the north. In the south their neighbors were the Delmats, in the north the Veneti and Histri, in the north- east, the Iapoden.

The Liburni were known as good sailors in ancient times and also feared as pirates. They developed the lightweight type of a rowing boat, the. Named after them Liburne, which was later used by the Roman fleet

With the rise of Greek colonies on the Dalmatian islands, the cultural influence of the Greeks was also reflected in the Liburni since the 5th century BC.

In the 2nd century BC, the Bishopric came under Roman influence. During Caesar's governorship of Gaul and Illyricum, they lost their autonomy and became firmer integrated into the empire. In the civil war, Caesar was able to draw on a contingent liburnischer ships from Iader. The Liburni participated in the Illyrian uprising (9 BC), who was defeated by Augustus; then the liburnian area was incorporated into the province of Dalmatia.

From the Liburni language only some toponyms have been handed down, the basis of which think they can see a relationship of Liburnian with the Venetian language, some linguists.