Chaonians

The Chaonians () were an ancient Greek tribe that lived in the region of Epirus that is today part of northwestern Greece and southern Albania. It was part of the northwestern group of Greek tribes together with the Molossians and the Thesprotians.
Name.
The Greek names "Chaonia" (Χαονία) and "Chaones/Chaonians" (Χάονες) both come from "Chaon" (Χάων, *χαϝ-ών) meaning "place with gorges".
History.
The Chaonians are first mentioned by the Greek historian Thucydides in the 5th century BC. 
The Greek historian Strabo says that the Chaonians and the Molossians were the most famous tribes of Epirus, because they once ruled all of Epirus. 
The "Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax" refers to the Chaonians as separate from the Illyrians.
The Greek historian Polybius says that the Illyrians raided the Chaonian city of Phoenice in 230 BC. Many Italian traders who were at the city when the raid happened were killed or enslaved resulting in the Roman Republic starting the Illyrian Wars the next year.
Politics and culture.
The Chaonians were settled "Kata Komas" (), meaning in a group of villages, and established a tribal state in the 5th century BC. 
The Greek historian Thucydides says that their leaders were chosen yearly and names two such leaders: Photius and Nikanor.
They were connected to other Greek tribes in Epirus () such as the Thesprotians and Molossians. The Chaonians joined the Epirote League, a federation of Greek tribes founded in 325/320 BC that ruled Epirus until the Romans conquered the region in 170 BC.
The Chaonians participated in the ancient Olympic games and festivals where only Greeks were allowed to attend.