by Lulzim Osmanaj
PLATORI, SON OF SAKOLA. Did the name Kolë exist among the Illyrians?
The funeral epigram dedicated to Plato represents an important source for the study of the presence and role of the Illyrians in the Hellenistic world. The name Plator itself suggests an Illyrian origin, as it is widely attested in the territory of Illyria, while it is almost entirely absent from other Greek regions, especially the Peloponnese. This onomastic distribution makes it reasonable to assume that the person mentioned in the epigram was of Illyrian origin.
In the inscription, Plato appears as the son of Sakola (Σακόλας), a relatively rare name, known only from a few epigraphical evidences from the Hellenistic period. The rarity of this name further strengthens the possibility of its identification with an Illyrian family integrated into the military and political structures of the Hellenistic world.
According to Steinhauer’s interpretation, it is possible that the Plato of the epigram is the same person as the Illyrian leader mentioned by Polybius in the events of 219 BC. At that time, Knossos in Crete was in conflict with the allies of Philip V of Macedon and the Achaean League. Polybius states that Philip and the Achaeans sent an auxiliary force, which included four hundred Illyrian mercenaries commanded by Plato.
This information proves not only the presence of Illyrians in the eastern Mediterranean conflicts, but also the fact that Illyrian commanders could hold important military positions in the service of the Hellenistic kingdoms.
Another piece of historical evidence links Plato to the events of 207 BC, when Philip V charged him with the defense of the city of Oreo in Euboea against Roman forces led by Publius Sulpicius Galba and their Pergamian allies under Attalus I. Ancient sources indicate that Plato betrayed his duty by allowing the surrender of the city, which led to the capture and sack of Oreo.
If this person is the same as the commander of 219 BC, then we are dealing with an Illyrian figure who played an important role in Macedonian politics and wars during the period of Macedonian-Roman conflicts.
Another figure with the same name is known from the history of the Illyrian Kingdom. This was Plato, brother of King Ghent and son of Pleuratus III and Eurydice. Sources indicate that he was killed around 181 BC. by Ghent himself, most likely due to dynastic rivalry and his pro-Roman orientation. However, the chronology of events and the available data make it impossible to identify this person with the Plato of the funerary epigram. For this reason, researchers exclude this possibility and consider it a different individual.
In addition to these historical figures, the name Plator also appears in several other epigraphic evidences of the 3rd–2nd centuries BC. in different regions of the Hellenistic world. Although these evidences confirm the spread of the name among the Illyrians, they do not provide enough elements to connect them directly to the person mentioned in the epigram. However, the frequency of the name in Illyria and its absence in the Peloponnese remain strong arguments for the Illyrian origin of the individual.
So the analysis of the epigraphic and historical data shows that Plato of the funeral epigram was most likely an Illyrian with a high military status, connected to the political and military networks of the Hellenistic world. Although his exact identification with the commander mentioned by Polybius and Livy cannot be conclusively proven, the combination of onomastic, epigraphic and historical evidence strongly supports this hypothesis.
His figure illustrates the integration of Illyrian elites into the political dynamics of the eastern Mediterranean during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, proving the importance of the Illyrians in the military and diplomatic developments of the Hellenistic era.
Bibliography
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