Vis was inhabited by the time of the
Neolithic period. In the 4th century BC, the Greek tyrant of Syracuse, Dionysius
the Elder, founded the colony Issa on the island. Later, it became an
independent polis, and even minted its own money and founded its own colonies,
the most notable of which was Aspálathos (the modern-day city of Split). In the
1st century BC, the island was held by the Liburnians. In the 4th century BC
Syracusan Greeks colonised the Island. Its importance in the region ended with
the first Illyro-Roman war (29-219 BC). Having sided with Pompeus during the
period of civil
