Piotr wrote
> They don't seem to cluster together as a genetic grouping, but
since they were all spoken in the Balkan Peninsula and the adjoining
regions, some linguistic features and numerous loanwords were
certainly traded back and forth between Hellenic and Illyrian or
Thracian.
This raises an interesting question concerning ancient Balkan
languages.
To what extent were there discrete languages in the mix of Illyrian,
Dacian, Thracian and Phrygian (and even Armenian). Various people
have written about
Thraco-Illyrian.
Thraco-Phrygian.
Thraco-Dacian (more rarely).
and I have also seen Armeno-Phrygian.
Certainly there seems to be cultural simlarities amongst these groups
from about 1,300 BCE becoming increasingly divergent thereafter.
The confusion existed amongst the ancients too. Dardani are found
from the Illyrian region, through TYhrace and into Anatolia. Are we
here talking about a chain of dialects that developed into separate
languages?
Regards
John