▁ind igen ous ▁population ▁( Il ly ri ans , ▁Th ra ci ans , ▁Da ci ans , ▁Rom ans , ▁Cel ts ). ▁White ▁Ser bs ▁ ▁from ▁White ▁Ser bia ▁coming ▁to ▁an ▁area ▁near ▁Th ess al on iki ▁and ▁then ▁they ▁settled ▁area ▁between ▁Din ar ic ▁Al ps ▁and ▁Adri atic ▁coast . ▁According ▁to ▁the ▁Royal ▁Frank ish ▁Ann als , ▁by ▁ 8 2 2 , ▁Ser bs ▁were ▁cont rolling ▁a ▁great ▁part ▁of ▁Dal mat ia ▁(" ad ▁Sor ab os , ▁qu ae ▁nat io ▁mag nam ▁Dal mat iae ▁part em ▁obt in ere ▁dic it ur "). ▁ ▁Middle ▁A ges ▁ ▁The ▁history ▁of ▁the ▁early ▁medieval ▁Ser bian ▁Princi p ality ▁is ▁recorded ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 0 th - century ▁work ▁De ▁Administr ando ▁Imper io , ▁which ▁describes ▁the ▁Ser bs ▁as ▁a ▁people ▁living ▁in ▁Roman ▁Dal mat ia , ▁sub ordinate ▁to ▁the ▁By z antine ▁Empire . ▁N umer ous ▁small ▁Ser bian ▁states ▁were ▁created , ▁chief ly ▁under ▁V last im or ović ▁and ▁V oj is lav je vić ▁dynast ies , ▁located ▁in ▁modern ▁Bos nia ▁and ▁Herz egov ina , ▁Cro atia , ▁Mont en eg ro , ▁and ▁Ser bia , ▁but ▁the ▁population ' s ▁Ser bian ▁eth nic ▁identity ▁remains ▁unclear ▁and ▁a ▁matter ▁of ▁dispute . ▁With ▁the ▁decl ine ▁of ▁the ▁Ser bian ▁state ▁of ▁D uk l ja ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁