Peuceti

Attributes: | +20% Charge Block, +15% Missile Defense, +20% Raid Damage

The **Peuceti** are a small Illyric faction located in central Iapygia, along the Adriatic coast of Italy. They are the smallest Illyric faction in the Unification Sandbox.

Their starting neighbours are the Dauni, Lucani, Messapii and Taras.

### In-game Description

"The Peuceti are one of the three Iapygian tribes that travelled to Italy from Illyria. While sharing a name with the Peuceti of Liburnia, a part of Illyria along the far northern Adriatic coast, the Iapygian Peuceti are thought to have descended, along with the other Iapyges, from an Illyrian tribe in modern Albania."

### Starting Cities

* **Barium**: Barium, modern Bari, is a major Peuceti city. Despite agreement between multiple ancient writers that it was the most important port in the area, its ancient presence has left few physical ruins.
* **Thuriae**: Thuriae is a city of the Peuceti mentioned as being conquered by Kleonymos from Sparta whose location is not exactly known. It may have been the settlement found in modern Monte Sannace, in which case its vast territory and long walls attest to a city of great importance.
* **Silvium**: Originally founded by Greek colonists, the city of Silvium was eventually made into a frontier town of the Peuceti. It is one of the largest towns of Apulia and would be seized by the Romans in the Third Samnite War. It is known as Gravina in Puglia in modern times.

### Strategy

Your starting city is located close to the Dauni, who you will likely have interactions with while still in the process of uniting your starting territory. It might prove necessary to establish a temporary truce with them through diplomacy.

The neighbouring Messapii control an isolated peninsula, the annexation of which would enlarge your territory without bringing you in contact with any new neighbours that would need to be handled, making them an attractive first target. The Dauni, however, have a more threatening position to target your starting cities from, and it may turn out to be necessary to deal with them first.

Since you start with only a few native cities, it might be a good idea to use the economic skill tree to boost population growth by way of compensation. It is also wise to unlock the Colonization skill as early possible.

### Trivia & History

* As referenced in the in-game description, the Peuceti were one of the three major tribes of Iapygia, alongside the Dauni and Messapii. 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.
* Though not mentioned as often in history as their Messapii and Dauni neighbours, the Peuceti are noted for having joined with the Messapii to defeat a major invasion attempt by Taras and Rhegion in the 470s BC, and appear to have allied with the Samnites against Rome during the Second Samnite War, during which the Romans began to make advances into their territory.
* Like most factions in the game, the Peuceti's icon seems to be taken from ancient coinage. The exact design closely resembles depictions of the Greek hero Herakles in his younger days, wearing the pelt of the Nemean Lion.