Editing Demographic history of Kosovo (section)

=== Roman antiquity ===
After the Roman conquest of Illyria in 168 BC, Romans colonized and founded several cities in the region, such as [[Ulpiana]], [[Theranda]] and [[Vushtrri|Vicianum]],<ref>Hauptstädte in Südosteuropa: Geschichte, Funktion, nationale Symbolkraft by Harald Heppner, page 134</ref> later incorporating it into the [[Roman province]] of [[Illyricum (Roman province)|Illyricum]] in 59 BC. Subsequently, it became part of [[Moesia Superior]] in AD 87. The region was exposed to an increasing number of 'barbarian' raids from the 4th century AD onwards, culminating with the [[Slavic migrations]] of the 6th and 7th centuries. Archaeologically, the early Middle Ages represent a hiatus in the material record.{{sfn|Curta|2001|p=189}} The decrease in material finds corresponds to the effects which the [[plague of Justinian]] probably had throughout the Balkans as millions of people died and many regions became depopulated. The population decrease in the Balkans partially influenced the Slavic migrations of the following centuries.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sołtysiak |first1=Arkadiusz |title=The plague pandemic and Slavic expansion in the 6th–8th centuries |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270956735 |website=researchgate.net |publisher=University of Warsaw}}</ref>