History of Rome

​While these things were being done there, and other things in Macedonia, and others at Rome, in the meantime in Illyricum, L. Anicius, King Gentius having been brought under his power, as was said before, ​placed a garrison in Scodra, which had been the royal capital, and appointed Gabinius as prefect; and he appointed C. Licinius over Rhizon and Olcinium, suitable cities.

​Having placed these men in charge of Illyricum, he set out for Epirus with the rest of the army. There, Phanote was the first to surrender to him, the entire multitude pouring out to meet him with fillets.

​Having placed a garrison here, he crossed over into Molossis; and after all its towns except Passaron, Tecmon, Phylace, and Horreum had been received, he first led his army to Passaron.

​Antinous and Theodotus were the leading men of that state, distinguished both for their favor toward Perseus and their hatred against the Romans, and they were also the instigators of the revolt from the Romans for the entire nation.

​These men, from a consciousness of their own private guilt, because they had no hope of pardon, so that they might be buried in the common ruin of their country, closed the gates, exhorting the multitude to prefer death to slavery.

​No one dared to open his mouth against such powerful men; at last, a certain Theodotus, himself a noble youth, when a greater fear of the Romans had overcome the fear of their own leaders, said: “What madness drives you, who make the state an appendage to the guilt of two men?

​Indeed, I have often heard by report of those who met death for their country; but those who thought it right that their country should perish for them, these are the first to be found. Why do we not open the gates and accept the rule which the whole world has accepted?”

​As the multitude followed him when he said this, Antinous and Theodotus rushed into the first outpost of the enemy, and there, offering themselves to wounds, they were killed; the city was surrendered to the Romans.

​He received through surrender Tecmon, which had been closed with similar obstacy by its leader Cephalo, after Cephalo himself was killed. Neither Phylace nor Horreum withstood an attack.

​Epirus having been pacified and the troops distributed into winter quarters through the convenient cities, he himself returned to Illyricum, to Scodra, where five commissioners had come from Rome, and having summoned the leading men from the entire province, he held an assembly.

​There, from the tribunal, he announced according to the decision of the council that the Roman senate and people ordered the Illyrians to be free: that he would withdraw the garrisons from all towns, citadels, and fortresses.

​Not only would they be free, but also the Issenses, the Taulantii, the Pirustae of the Dassaretii, the Rhizonitae, and the Olciniatae would be exempt from tax, because they had defected to the Romans while Gentius was still unharmed.

​To the Daorsi also he gave exemption from tax, because they had left Caravantius and gone over to the Romans with their arms. On the Scodrenses, Dassarenses, Selepitani, and other Illyrians, a tax of half of what they had paid to the king was imposed, and then he divided Illyricum into three parts.

​One part he made that which was mentioned above, the second all the Labeatae, the third the Agravonitae, the Rhizonitae, the Olciniatae, and their neighbors. Having pronounced this formula for Illyricum, he himself returned from there to Passaron in Epirus for winter quarters.