Messapii

The Messapii are a medium-sized Illyric faction located in southern Iapygia, along the Adriatic and Ionian coasts of Italy in the southeastern corner of the map.

Their starting neighbours are the Peuceti and Taras.

The Messapii are notable for having a fairly isolated position in a corner of the map, making them a potentially good faction for beginners.

In-game Description
"The Messapii are the southernmost Iapygian tribe believed to have arrived in Italy from Illyria around the 8th century BCE. Herodotus however claims they are descended from Minoans who fled Crete after the death of King Minos. The Messapii fought hard against the founding of the nearby Greek city of Taras, leading to frequent wars against them. During an attempted invasion by the Tarentines, the Messapii allegedly killed more Greeks than had occurred at any other point in ancient times. Sources say more than 3000 Tarentine allies from Rhegion died and "the number of the Tarentines who fell was beyond all count.""

Starting Cities

 * Rudiae:
 * Brentesion:
 * Egnatia:
 * Hydrus:
 * Uzentum:

Strategy
Your starting city is located centrally within your territory, allowing you to unify your starting territory without being immediately bothered by neighbouring factions.

Since the neighbouring Greeks of Taras get access to hoplites in the early game without needing to construct a barracks upgrade first, your other neighbours the Peuceti probably make more sense as a first target in the early game. From there, you will immediately encounter the Dauni who are located threateningly close to the Peuceti and can make sense as your second target, allowing you to expand along the Adriatic coast while keeping your amount of land borders down to a minimum.

With only a small land border to worry about, the Messapii have a fairly relaxed start. Clever use of diplomacy and/or defensive chokepoints can keep the player very safe from their neighbours in the early game, although other factions may eventually start sending naval incursions.

Trivia & History

 * As referenced in the in-game description, the Messapii were one of the three major tribes of Iapygia, alongside the Peuceti and Dauni. Though the Iapygians weren't Illyrians proper, they were probably a related people that migrated across the Adriatic Sea from Illyria into Italy in the early 1st Millennium BC, which is presumably why they are given the Illyric faction group in-game.
 * The Messapii were quite involved in the affairs of the Greeks in the region. They were noted for joining with the Peuceti to defeat a major invasion attempt by Taras and Rhegion in the 470s BC, and they provided archers to the Athenians in the Peloponnesian War during the attempted Athenian invasion of Sicily.
 * The Messapii allied with the Lucani and Bruttii against the Greeks in the 4th Century BC, assisting in the conquests of Greek colonies such as Metapontum. The Messapii even managed to defeat a Spartan counteroffensive that sought to assist the local Greeks, killing the Spartan king Archidamus III in 338 BC. They were less successful against king Alexander of Epirus who invaded just a few years later and managed to liberate several Greek cities before perishing in a battle against the Lucani and Bruttii.
 * During the Pyrrhic Wars of the early 270s BC, the Messapii appear to have reconciled with the nearby Greeks as they sided with Taras and Pyrrhus of Epirus against Rome. The Romans conquered them shortly afterwards in 267 BC.
 * The faction's icon is taken from ancient coinage depicting the mythological figure Taras, son of the Greek god Poseidon and founder of the city of the same name, riding a dolphin while holding his father's trident. Though coins of this design were obviously more common in Taras itself, they have been found within the territory of the Messapii as well.