by Lulzim Osmanaj
We have already mentioned the urn from Ribić, on which is carved a procession of five women holding each other by the hand. In fact, this is the oldest known representation of a dance — and even of a funeral dance — on Illyrian territory.
Images of similar funeral dances were later found on Illyrian monuments dating to the Roman period. One such example is the tombstone from Kopliku in northern Albania. Numerous other engravings of dancers, discovered on prehistoric and Roman monuments, testify to the importance of dance in the life of the Illyrians.
However, these monuments provide little information about either the character or the forms of Illyrian dance. Above all, it is difficult, on the basis of these monuments, to distinguish regional or tribal differences that must have existed in this sphere.
Just as in the case of music, the study of today’s dances among the peoples of the Balkans can provide some clues about the variety of dance forms in specific Illyrian regions, because some of these forms dating back to prehistoric times have been preserved to the present day. One dance in particular is of special interest, because it has almost certainly preserved all the elements of a dance from prehistory and is still performed in northeastern Albania.
We are referring to the sword war dance, which is performed with a simple rhythmic step, without any musical accompaniment, but accompanied by the noise produced by the clashing weapons.
This particular dance, a variant of which is performed in Kosovo and in other parts of Albania (sometimes accompanied by the sound of a drum or a wind instrument), is the direct successor of the war dance performed by the southern Illyrians and by the Molossian tribe in the pre-Roman period. It is also the same dance described in the works of classical authors.
A fragment of a relief from Zaostrogu depicting a dancer and a flutist: 36 cm high, 46 cm long. Late 3rd century or early 4th century AD.
Summary
Oldest evidence: The urn from Ribić shows the procession of five women holding hands and is considered the oldest representation of a (funeral) dance on Illyrian territory.
Continuity: Similar funeral images have also been found on Roman-period monuments, such as the tombstone from Kopliku (northern Albania), demonstrating the importance of dance in their lives.
Sword Dance: One of the most significant forms, still preserved today in northeastern Albania and Kosovo, is the sword war dance (Vallja e Shpatës). It is performed with rhythmic steps, often without music, but with the clashing sound of the weapons.
Origin: This war dance is the direct successor of the dances performed by the southern Illyrians and the Molossian tribe, and is also described by classical authors.
References
Cambi, Nenad. Ancient Sculpture in Dalmatia. Split: Archaeological Museum Split, 2000. (Discusses Roman-period reliefs from Dalmatia, including dancer and musician motifs similar to the Zaostrogu fragment.)
“Illyrian Dances” (Vallëzimet Ilire). Excerpt from Albanian ethnographic/archaeological text on continuity of prehistoric and Illyrian dance forms into modern Albanian and Kosovar traditions. Circulated on social media and Albanian cultural platforms, referencing the Ribić urn, Kopliku tombstone, and sword dance.
Vasić, Rastko. “Incised Scenes of Warriors Drinking and Funeral Dancers on a Japodian Burial-Chest from Ribić, Bosnia.” In The Illyrians, by John Wilkes, 199–200. Oxford: Blackwell, 1992. (Describes the 6th-century BC Ribić urn with the procession of five women holding hands as the oldest known representation of an Illyrian funeral dance.)
Wilkes, John. The Illyrians. Oxford: Blackwell, 1992. (Provides archaeological context for Illyrian material culture, including dance scenes on the Ribić urn and continuity questions in the western Balkans.)
Zaostrog Relief (dancer and flutist fragment). Late 3rd or early 4th century AD. Zaostrog, Dalmatia (modern Croatia). Documented in local archaeological collections and regional studies on Roman-Illyrian monuments.
Čović, Borivoj, ed. Praistorija jugoslavenskih zemalja [Prehistory of Yugoslav Lands]. Sarajevo: Centar za balkanološka ispitivanja, 1987. (Covers Japodian/Illyrian urns and figurative art, including Ribić-type monuments.)
These references support the key claims in the text: the antiquity of the Ribić urn as the oldest Illyrian dance representation, Roman-period continuity (e.g., Kopliku), and the survival of the sword war dance (vallja e luftës me shpata / vallja e shpatës) as a direct descendant of pre-Roman Illyrian and Molossian traditions.
