This image shows the title page of the historical-philological treatise “De Istro eiusque adcolis commentatio”, published in 1798 in Buda by the distinguished Croatian scholar and philologist Matija Petar Katančić. Beyond its Latin text, this work holds extraordinary value for Albanian national history, effectively countering any attempt at censorship or institutional denial.

In its pages, Katančić publicly affirms Albanian autochthony, identifying Albanians as the pure and legitimate descendants of the ancient Illyrians and Epirotes. He elevates the Albanian language to the status of an independent language and, as irrefutable scientific evidence, publishes within the text the “Lord’s Prayer” in the Gheg dialect.

The Seal of a Scientific Elite: Defending the Truth

What makes this specific copy truly unique is the official seal at the bottom: “ILIROTHRAK.COM MEMBER – AAAS ID60880827”. This mark attests that this rare physical document is not merely a forgotten piece of history, but the private property of an official member of the AAAS—the American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the most prestigious scientific organizations in the world.

Note: This book is not simply a geographical study of the Danube. For Albanology, it represents one of the first significant cornerstones of European “pre-Albanology,” published decades before Johann Georg von Hahn or Franz Bopp scientifically established the Illyrian and Indo-European origins of the Albanian language.

Published originally by https://www.ilirothrak.com/.