This thesis examines the development of Roman Illyrian policy, from the late Republican hegemony over the region to the establishment of permanent imperial frontiers on the Danube and the beginning of the process that would integrate Illyricum ( the area between the Adriatic Sea and the River Danube ) into the Roman Empire. This thesis has two principal aims. Firstly, on the regional, ‘ microscopic ‘, level it defines and explains the development of Roman policy in Illyricum. Secondly, on the global, ‘ macroscopic ‘, level it examines some of the mechanisms of Roman policy – making, and fits Illyrian policy into the wider picture of Roman foreign and later provincial policy.
Ultimately, the thesis recognizes and explains the reasons for a major change in Roman strategic interests from the Eastern Adriatic coast to the interior of the western Balkans in the late Republic and early Empire. Despite the problems of deficient sources, this thesis observes Roman Illyrian policy as essentially a political interaction between Rome and the entire regional geopolitical system of Illyricum, rather than defining it through Roman interactions with individual polities inside the system, or as part of the system.