-1200 Illyrians arrive at South Italy. Inscriptions discovered in south-eastern Italy, written in one of Italic alphabets, were identified as using the language similar to Illyrian. After Illyrians occupied the regions of Dalmatia and reached the Adriatic shores, they crossed the narrow sea space and found themselves in Italy.

This migration is believed to take place together with similar mo ves of Italic tribes from the Balkans to Italy - the second Italic wave-, including Osco-Umbrian peoples. Illyrians also settled on the Apennine peninsula, and lived there until they were completely assimilated by Roman settlers. This Illyrian branch was called Messapic by ancient authors. Nowadays we can state that the Messapic language was rather different from Illyrian: first of all in lexical composition, where it shows many "italianisms" [by substrate ?]. The Illyrian and Messapian are supposed to be close languages, as historical testimonies and archaeological evidences point to an Illyrian origin of the Messapians. In the other side the linguistic evidence is scarce to confirm that since there are not Illyrian inscriptions left, and Illyrian characteristics are based in personal names (anthoponymy) and place names (toponymy). It is quite certain that Messapic is of Illyrian descent, having been brought over across the Adriatic as attested in classical authors. Still later a migration from Illyria is thought to have brought the Messapic language to Apulia in the seventh century.

Messapian is an Indo-European language, Illyrian rather than Italian. By the eighth century Greek traders began to arrive, and in the seventh century Messapians came from Illyria into Apulia. Iron forges have been found in the southern region that show the Iron Age had already begun prior to the arrival of the Greeks and Messapians. In Campania, Calabria, and Sicily there was the Fossa Grave culture, while in Apulia there was a distinctly different Iron Age culture. However even after the new arrivals, features in the indigenous material culture still resembled that of the Apennine culture from the Italian Bronze Age.

IDEA: That would point to a more early arrival of the Illyrian tribes to Apulia, maybe by -1200. The Fossa Grave could correspond to the Pelasgian tribes. At Ancona begins the coast of that part of Gaul known as Gallia Togata [North Italy, Po Bassin]. The Siculi [Pelasgians] and the Liburni [Illryians] possessed the greater part of this district, and more particularly the territories of Palma, of Praetutia, and of Adria.

These were expelled by the Umbri, these again by the Etrurians, and these in their turn by the Gauls. (Pliny).

IDEA: The fact that a Illyrian tribe occupied the Po Basin before the Italics point to an early date: maybe -1100? Also that such tribe occupied the Po Bassin, and that the Massapics occupied the Adriatic coast would point to a territorial unity in Italy.

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