Scordisci

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Scordisci were, in ancient geography, a war-like tribe inhabiting the southern part of lower Pannonia, comprising parts of the present-day countries Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, between the Savus (Sava), Dravus (Drava) and Danube rivers. Their tribal name may be connected to the name of the Scordus mountain (Šar mountain) which was located between Illyria and Paionia.

The Scordisci were a Celtic tribe, belonging to the Sigovesus branch. Evidence can be found in the testimony of Torgus Pompejus who already came in contact with them in that area. Strabon mentions the Celts already in the area as early as 300 BC. The Scordisci did not pose an active threat to the Greeks until other tribes invading the area pushed the Celts more southwards.

There is a hypothesis that it were the Scordisci who met with Alexander the Great, according to Arrianos and Strabo. It took the Celtic delegation only a couple of day's travel to reach Alexander. Since there were no records of other Celtic tribes in the region historians presume these were the Scordisci.

In 279 BC, after their clash with the Greeks, Scordisci started progressing towards Pannonia, settling at the point where Moesia and Balkans end, at the confluence of two rivers, Sava and Danube, where they erected fortresses in Singidunum and Taurunum, founding today's city of Belgrade.

In 135 BC they were defeated by Cosconius in Thrace. In 118 BC, according to a memorial stone discovered near Thessalonica, Sextus Pompeius, probably the grandfather of the triumvir, was slain fighting against them near Stobi. In 114 BC they surprised and destroyed the army of Gaius Porcius Cato in the western mountains of Serbia, but were defeated by Minucius Rufus in 107 BC.

Nevertheless, they still from time to time gave trouble to the Roman governors of Macedonia, whose territory they invaded in combination with the Maedi and Dardani. They even advanced as far as Delphi and plundered the temple; but Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus finally overcame them in 88 BC and drove them across the Danube. In Strabo's time they had been expelled from the valley of the Danube by the Dacians. The Scordisci later became subject to the Dacians.