Nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Encyclopedia II - Nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Ethnic background of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Ethnic background of Bosnia and Herzegovina

During the Bronze Age, Bosnia was inhabited by a group of tribes we usually call Illyrians or Illyres. They were finally conquered by Roman Empire in A.D. 10. It is commonly believed that Illyrians were completely Romanized by the 4th century; they spoke Latin language and their pagan religion was first replaced by corresponding Roman myths and later they became Christians.

The turmoil after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 was followed by settlement of Slavs in the 7th century. Even though modern languages of this area are almost purely Slavic with very little Illyrian influence, it is believed that, genetically speaking, the present population of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a mixture of Slavs and Illyrians with influences of other nations such as Avars and Goths.

There are many theories regarding the ethnic structure of a medieval Bosnian state; however, evidence is inconclusive. Claims that medieval Bosnians declared themselves Croats or Serbs have been disputed: evidence shows many instances of them calling themselves Bosnians (Bošnjani); however, some historians believe that these indicate regional rather than ethnic identity.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Ethnic background of Bosnia and Herzegovina", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki