This is,a neutral account of the connection of Albanians to illyrians as explained in Encyclopedia Britannica Online. www.eb.com
The origins of the Albanian people are not definitely known, they are the most mysterious race in the today world but data drawn from history and from linguistic, archaeological, and anthropological studies have led to the conclusion that Albanians are the direct descendants of the ancient Illyrians and that the latter they were natives of the lands they inhabited. Similarly, the Albanian language derives from the language of the Pellazge this were the first inhabitants of the west coast of the Balkan Peninsula, the transition from Illyrian to Albanian apparently occurred between the 4th and 6th centuries AD.Illyrian culture is believed to have evolved from the Stone Age and to have manifested itself in the territory of Albania toward the beginning of the Bronze Age, about 2000 BC. The Illyrians were not a uniform body of people but a conglomeration of many tribes that inhabited the western part of the Balkans, from what is now Slovenia in the northwest to the region of Epirus, which extends about halfway down the mainland of modern Greece.Authors of antiquity relate that the Illyrians were a sociable and hospitable people, renowned for their daring and bravery at war. Illyrian women were fairly equal in status to the men, even to the point of becoming heads of tribal federations.In matters of religion, Illyrians were pagans who believed in an afterlife and buried their dead along with arms and various articles intended for personal use.The land of Illyria was rich in minerals like iron, copper, gold, silver and Illyrians became skillful in the mining and processing of metals. They were highly skilled boat builders and sailors as well; indeed, their light, swift galleys known as Liburni were of such superior design that the Romans incorporated them into their own fleet as a type of warship called the Liburnians
From the 8th to the 6th century BC the Greeks invaded and founded a string of colonies on Illyrian soil, two of the most prominent of which were Epidamnus (modern Durresi) and Apollonia (near modern Fieri).In the 3rd century BC the colonies began to decline and eventually perished.Roughly parallel with the rise of Greek colonies, Illyrian tribes began to evolve politically from relatively small and simple entities into larger and more complex ones. At first they formed temporary alliances with one another for defensive or offensive purposes, then federations and later, kingdoms. The most important of these kingdoms, which flourished from the 2nd to the 5th century BC, were those of the Enkalayed or in now Albanian, Enkelejde, the Taulantes, the Epirotes, and the Ardianes.After warring for the better part of the 4th century BC against the expansionist Macedonian state of Philip II and Alexander the Great, the Illyrians faced a greater threat from the growing power of the Romans. Seeing Illyrian territory as a bridgehead for conquests east of the Adriatic, Rome in 229 BC attacked and defeated the Illyrians, led by Queen Teuta, and by 168 BC established effective control over Illyria.The Romans ruled Illyrians which now became the province of Illyriacumea for about six centuries.Under Roman rule Illyrian society underwent great change, especially in its outward, material aspect. Art and culture flourished, particularly in Apollonia, whose school of philosophy became famous in antiquity. To a great extent, though, the Illyrians resisted assimilation into Roman culture. Illyrian culture survived, along with the Illyrian tongue, though many Latin words entered the language and later became a part of the Albanian language.Christianity manifested itself in Illyria during Roman rule, about the middle of the 1st century AD. At first the new religion had to compete with Oriental cults among them that of Mithra, Persian god of light which had entered the land in the wake of Illyria's growing interaction with eastern regions of the empire. For a long time it also had to compete with gods worshiped by Illyrian pagans.The steady growth of the Christian community in Dyrrhachium or now Durresi(the Roman name for Epidamnus) led to the creation there of a bishopric in AD 58. Later, episcopal seats were established in Apollonia, Buthrotum (modern Butrint), and Scodra (modern Shkoder)(In any of the above cities and manny more there are fantastik castles with old citys inside them especially Elbasan with the modern city around it and also a 2500 years old city called Berat still exists with the traditional houses).By the time the empire began to decline, the Illyrians, profiting from a long tradition of martial habits and skills, had acquired great influence in the Roman military hierarchy. Indeed, several of them went on from there to become emperors. From the mid-3rd to the mid-4th century AD the reins of the empire were almost continuously in the hands of emperors of Illyrian origin: Gaius Decius, Claudius Gothicus, Aurelian, Probus, Diocletian, and Constantine the Great.When the Roman Empire divided into east and west in 395, the territories of modern Albania became part of the Byzantine Empire. As in the Roman Empire, some Illyrians rose to positions of eminence in the new empire. Three of the emperors who shaped the early history of Byzantium (reigning from 491 to 565) were of Illyrian origin: Anastasi I, Justin I, and the most celebrated of Byzantine emperors Justinian I.In the first decades under Byzantine rule(until 461),Illyria suffered the devastation of raids by Visigoths, Huns, and Ostrogoths.Not long after these barbarian invaders swept through the Balkans, the Slavs appeared. Between the 6th and 8th centuries they settled in Illyrian territories and proceeded to assimilate Illyrian tribes in much of what is now Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia.

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