▁von ▁H ahn ▁in ▁his ▁work ▁Alban es ische ▁Studien ▁in ▁ 1 8 5 4 . ▁According ▁to ▁H ahn , ▁the ▁Pel as gi ans ▁were ▁the ▁original ▁proto - Al ban ians ▁and ▁the ▁language ▁spoken ▁by ▁the ▁Pel as gi ans , ▁Il ly ri ans , ▁E pi ro tes ▁and ▁ancient ▁Mac ed oni ans ▁were ▁closely ▁related . ▁This ▁theory ▁quickly ▁attract ed ▁support ▁in ▁Alban ian ▁circles , ▁as ▁it ▁established ▁a ▁claim ▁of ▁pre dec ence ▁over ▁other ▁B alk an ▁nations , ▁particularly ▁the ▁Gree ks . ▁In ▁addition ▁to ▁establish ing ▁" histor ic ▁right " ▁to ▁territory ▁this ▁theory ▁also ▁established ▁that ▁the ▁ancient ▁Greek ▁civil ization ▁and ▁its ▁achiev ements ▁had ▁an ▁" Al ban ian " ▁origin . ▁The ▁theory ▁gained ▁sta unch ▁support ▁among ▁early ▁ 2 0 th - century ▁Alban ian ▁public ists . ▁This ▁theory ▁is ▁rejected ▁by ▁sch ol ars ▁today . ▁In ▁contemporary ▁times ▁with ▁the ▁Ar van ite ▁rev ival ▁of ▁the ▁Pel as g ian ▁theory , ▁it ▁has ▁also ▁been ▁recently ▁borrow ed ▁by ▁other ▁Alban ian ▁speaking ▁populations ▁within ▁and ▁from ▁Alban ia ▁in ▁Greece ▁to ▁counter ▁the ▁negative ▁image ▁of ▁their ▁communities . ▁ ▁See ▁also ▁Alban ian ▁language ▁Alban ian ▁national ism ▁Alban ian - R oman ian ▁lingu istic ▁relationship ▁List ▁of ▁Roman ian ▁words ▁of ▁possible ▁Da cian ▁origin ▁with ▁correspond ence ▁in ▁Alban ian ▁Eth n ogen esis ▁Histor i ography ▁and ▁national ism