/ ▁economic ▁nich es . ▁ ▁Pale o - B alk an ic ▁theories ▁While ▁Alban ian ▁( sh q ip ) ▁eth n ogen esis ▁clearly ▁post dates ▁the ▁Roman ▁era , ▁an ▁element ▁of ▁continu ity ▁from ▁the ▁pre - R oman ▁provincial ▁population ▁is ▁widely ▁held ▁to ▁be ▁pla us ible ▁on ▁lingu istic ▁and ▁arch ae ological ▁grounds . ▁ ▁The ▁three ▁chief ▁candidates ▁considered ▁by ▁histor ians ▁are ▁Il ly rian , ▁Da cian , ▁or ▁Th ra cian , ▁but ▁there ▁were ▁other ▁non - G reek ▁groups ▁in ▁the ▁ancient ▁B alk ans , ▁including ▁the ▁Pa ioni ans ▁( who ▁lived ▁north ▁of ▁Mac ed on ) ▁and ▁the ▁Ag ri ani ans . ▁ ▁However , ▁the ▁ancient ▁Ind o - Europe an ▁languages ▁grouped ▁under ▁the ▁Pale o - B alk an ▁design ation ▁are ▁scarcely ▁att ested , ▁and ▁the ▁lingu istic ▁ev id ences ▁ins u fficient ▁to ▁draw ▁definit ive ▁conclus ions ▁regarded ▁the ▁relationship ▁between ▁the ▁Alban ian , ▁Th ra cian ▁and ▁Il ly rian ▁languages . ▁Based ▁on ▁the ▁available ▁evidence , ▁it ▁is ▁prefer able ▁to ▁consider ▁them ▁as ▁separate ▁branches ▁within ▁the ▁Ind o - Europe an ▁family . ▁ ▁There ▁is ▁debate ▁on ▁whether ▁the ▁Il ly rian ▁language ▁was ▁a ▁cent um ▁or ▁a ▁sat em ▁language . ▁It ▁is ▁also ▁uncertain ▁whether ▁Il ly ri ans ▁spoke ▁a ▁hom ogeneous ▁language ▁or ▁rather ▁a ▁collection ▁of ▁different ▁but ▁related ▁languages ▁that ▁were