Artas (Ancient Greek Ἄρτας; ruled c. 430 – 413 BC) was an Iapygian king of the Messapians.
The Messapians or Messapii were inhabited, in historical times,Herodotus ( Ζ΄ 170), says they came from Crete - the south-eastern peninsula or "heel" of Italy (Salento, modern Apulia), known variously in ancient times as Calabria, Messapia and Iapygia.