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Dropull ( sq-definite, Dropulli; el, Δρόπολη or Δερόπολη ''Dropoli'' or ''Deropoli'') is a municipality in Gjirokastër County, in southern
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
. The region stretches from south of the city of
Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and the Drino, at 300 metres above sea le ...
to the Greek–Albanian border, along the
Drino The Drino or Drinos ( sq, Drino, el, Δρίνος) is a river in southern Albania and northwestern Greece, tributary of the Vjosë. Its source is in the northwestern part of the Ioannina regional unit, near the village Delvinaki. It flows init ...
river. The region's villages are part of the Greek "minority zone" recognized by the Albanian government, in which live majorities of
ethnic Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, other ...
. The municipality Dropull was created in 2015 by the merger of the former municipalities
Dropull i Poshtëm Dropull i Poshtëm ( el, Κάτω Δρόπολη, ''Kato Dropoli'') is a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Dropull. The population at th ...
,
Dropull i Sipërm Dropull i Sipërm ( el, Άνω Δρόπολη, ''Ano Dropoli'') is a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Dropull. The population at the 2 ...
and Pogon. The seat of the municipality is the village Sofratikë. According to the 2011 census the total population is 3,503; according to the civil registry of that year, which counts all citizens including those who live abroad, it is 23,247. The municipality covers an area of .


Name

A city called Hadrianopolis was founded in the region by the Roman emperor
Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...
( r. 117–138). The
Synecdemus The ''Synecdemus'' or ''Synekdemos'' ( el, Συνέκδημος) is a geographic text, attributed to Hierocles, which contains a table of administrative divisions of the Byzantine Empire and lists of their cities. The work is dated to the reign o ...
of Hierocles, which contains a list of the administrative divisions and cities of the
Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
during the time of
Theodosius II Theodosius II ( grc-gre, Θεοδόσιος, Theodosios; 10 April 401 – 28 July 450) was Roman emperor for most of his life, proclaimed ''Augustus (title), augustus'' as an infant in 402 and ruling as the eastern Empire's sole emperor after ...
(r. 402–450), mentions the city of Αδριανούπολις (''Adrianoúpolis'') and places it in the region of Dropull. With the gradual adoption of Christianity, the city became a
diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...
sometime before 431; initially under the jurisdiction of the
Metropolis of Nicopolis Nicopolis ( grc-gre, Νικόπολις, Nikópolis, City of Victory) or Actia Nicopolis was the capital city of the Roman province of Epirus Vetus. It was located in the western part of the modern state of Greece. The city was founded in 29  ...
, and later under the
Metropolis of Ioannina The Metropolis of Ioannina ( el, Ιερά Μητρόπολις Ιωαννίνων, ''Iera Mitropolis Ioanninon'') is a Greek Orthodox Church, Greek Orthodox diocese centred on the city of Ioannina, in the Epirus (region), Epirus of Greece. As one o ...
. The diocese of ''Adrianoúpolis'' is mentioned in the sources without interruption, from the 5th century onwards. In a letter of emperor Leo III (r. 717-741) to the
metropolitan bishop In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis. Originally, the term referred to the b ...
of Nikopolis, the bishop of ''Adrianoúpolis'' (Αδριανουπόλεως) is also mentioned, while in a source at the end of the 12th century the latter is mentioned as bishop of ''Drinoúpolis'' (Δρινουπόλεως). The relevant attestations also include the name ''Adernoboli'', as recorded by the Arab traveler
Muhammad al-Idrisi Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi al-Qurtubi al-Hasani as-Sabti, or simply al-Idrisi ( ar, أبو عبد الله محمد الإدريسي القرطبي الحسني السبتي; la, Dreses; 1100 – 1165), was a Muslim geographer, cartograp ...
at the end of the 12th century. Also, in the Chronicle of the Tocco, written around 1400, the form Δερνόπολιν (''Dernópolin'') is attested. According to Hammond, the first attestation of the name ''Drinoúpolis'' (Δρινούπολις) is from the 8th century, while according to Sakellariou from the 11th century as ''Dryinoúpolis'' (Δρυϊνούπολις); however Kyriazis supports that this form was a literary creation. The region is today called in
Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
''Dropull'' or def. form ''Dropulli'', and in
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
Δρόπολη (''Drópoli''), Δερόπολη (''Derópoli'') or ''Dhropolis''.


Etymology

According to Çabej, ''Drópull'' has been formed from ''Drinópolis''/'' Dryinópolis'' (Δρυϊνόπολις) which contains the name of the local river
Drino The Drino or Drinos ( sq, Drino, el, Δρίνος) is a river in southern Albania and northwestern Greece, tributary of the Vjosë. Its source is in the northwestern part of the Ioannina regional unit, near the village Delvinaki. It flows init ...
; ''Drinópolis'' > ''Drópull''. According to Kyriazis, the etymology of Çabej is not convincing, because he ignores the former name of ''Adrianoúpolis''. Using the available literary evidence (both ancient and medieval), Kyriazis offered the following evolution; Αδριανούπολη (''Adrianoúpoli'') > ''Αdernoboli'' > Δερνόπολη (''Dernópoli'') > Δερόπολη/Δρόπολη (''Derópoli''/''Drópoli''). The form Dernópoli ( el, Δερνόπολιν) is preserved in the Chronicle of the Tocco written in c. 1400, while the evolution of -ρν- > -ρ- (in reference to ''Dernópoli'' > ''Derópoli''/''Drópoli'') according to Kyriazis is a common characteristic of the Greek dialects in southern Albania. Demiraj considers Dropull to derive from ''Hadriano(u)polis'', as the most likely etymology. He provided a number of reasons, which according to him, support the evolution of ''Hadrianopolis'' > ''Dropull'' within an
Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
-speaking population. He added, that among the two current forms of Albanian ''Dropull'' and Greek ''Dhropolis'', the original form is that with the initial /D-/. Furthermore, Albanian uses either the voiced dental occlusive /d/ or the voiced interdental fricative /ð/ (/dh/) (e.g. the name ''
Dhrovjan Dhrovjan ( sq-definite, Dhrovjani; el, Δρόβιανη, ''Droviani'') is a community in the Vlorë County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Finiq. It is located east of Sarandë. An ethnic ...
'') and so it wouldn no be difficult to borrow the Greek form ''Dhropol-is''; whereas in Greek, the letter Δ/δ, which was once pronounced as a sound stop /d/, has long been pronounced only as a sound fricative /ð/ (/dh/). Thus, according to him, the Greek speakers of the area transformed the initial /D-/ into /ð-/ (/dh/) and replaced the final syllable ''-pull'' with the Greek form ''-polis'', producing the form ''Dhro-polis''.


History


Antiquity

During the
Middle Helladic Helladic chronology is a relative dating system used in archaeology and art history. It complements the Minoan chronology scheme devised by Sir Arthur Evans for the categorisation of Bronze Age artefacts from the Minoan civilization within a h ...
period (2100-1550 BC), a double
tumulus A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones buil ...
was dug out in Vodhinë, with strong similarities to the grave circles at
Mycenae Mycenae ( ; grc, Μυκῆναι or , ''Mykē̂nai'' or ''Mykḗnē'') is an archaeological site near Mykines in Argolis, north-eastern Peloponnese, Greece. It is located about south-west of Athens; north of Argos; and south of Corinth. Th ...
, showing a common ancestral link with the
Myceneans Mycenaean Greece (or the Mycenaean civilization) was the last phase of the Bronze Age in Ancient Greece, spanning the period from approximately 1750 to 1050 BC.. It represents the first advanced and distinctively Greek civilization in mainland ...
of southern
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
. In
classical antiquity Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...
, the area was inhabited by the
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
tribe of the
Chaonians The Chaonians ( grc, Χάονες, Cháones) were an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the region of Epirus currently part of north-western Greece and southern Albania.; ; ; ; ; . Together with the Molossians and the Thesprotians, they formed t ...
. From the
Roman period The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...
there was a settlement named Hadrianopolis (of
Epirus sq, Epiri rup, Epiru , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Historical region , image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg , map_alt = , map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinrich ...
) in the region, one of several named after the great Roman emperor
Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...
. The settlement was built on a strategic spot in the valley of the river Drino near the modern village of Sofratikë, 11 kilometers south of Gjirokastër. The foundations of Hadrianopolis were first discovered in 1984 when upper sections of the amphitheater were noticed by local farmers. Italian and Albanian archaeologists subsequently excavated much of the site, revealing a full amphitheater, Roman baths, and changing rooms. The site of the agora (forum) has been detected using ground radar, and excavation is expected in the period 2018 onwards. In the amphitheater, there are post holes for iron railings on first row seats. Also some "changing rooms" - originally for actors - were converted to holding pens for wild animals. This was a site where Romans fed enemies of the state to wild animals. During the 6th century the Byzantine emperor
Justinian I Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...
, as part of his fortification plans against barbarian invasions, moved the settlement 4 kilometers southeast in the modern village of Peshkëpi, in order to gain a more secure position. The city is also referred in Byzantine sources as Ioustinianoupolis (or Justinianopolis), after him. Today, ruins of the fortifications are still visible, as are the aqueduct and a medieval
Orthodox Christian Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...
church.


Middle ages

During the 11th century the city was named
Dryinoupolis Dryinopolis or Dryinoupolis ( el, Δρυϊνόπολις or Δρυϊνούπολις) is a historical region in southwestern Albania and northwestern Greece in Epirus. The heartland of this region is the valley of the Drino (Greek: Drinos) river and ...
, a name possibly deriving from its former name or from the nearby river. It was also, from the 5th century, the see of a bishopric (initially part of the Diocese of
Nicopolis Nicopolis ( grc-gre, Νικόπολις, Nikópolis, City of Victory) or Actia Nicopolis was the capital city of the Roman province of Epirus Vetus. It was located in the western part of the modern state of Greece. The city was founded in 29  ...
,
Naupactus Nafpaktos ( el, Ναύπακτος) is a town and a former municipality in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, situated on a bay on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth, west of the mouth of the river Mornos. It is named for Naupaktos (, Latinize ...
and then
Ioannina Ioannina ( el, Ιωάννινα ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece. According to the 2011 census, the c ...
). In the last quarter of the 14th century the Albanian Zenebisi clan were rulers of the provinces of Gjirokastër and Dropull, as recorded by the Chronicle of Ioannina. In 1380 the Albanian clans of Zenebisi and Mazaraqi were defeated in the battle of Politzes, fighting against the allied forces of the Epirote despot,
Thomas Preljubović Thomas Preljubović ( sr, Тома Прељубовић / Toma Preljubović; el, Θωμάς Κομνηνός Παλαιολόγος, Thōmas Komnēnos Palaiologos) was ruler of the Despotate of Epirus in Ioannina from 1366 to his death on December ...
, and of the chieftain of the Ottoman frontier forces, Isayim. With the help of the Ottoman forces in 1382 Thomas subdued the Albanian clans of Zenebisi and Zulani in the north of Ioannina and reconquered the provinces of Dropull, Vagenitia and Vella. In 1384 Dropull was occupied by Isaym. The Zenebisi retook control shortly after. At the end of 1395-beginning of 1396 a new Ottoman attack, led by Evrenoz bey, was undertaken against Gjin Zenebisi. In 1399
Esau de' Buondelmonti Esau de' Buondelmonti ( gr, Ησαύ Μπουοντελμόντ) was the ruler of Ioannina and its surrounding area (central Epirus) from 1385 until his death in 1411, with the Byzantine title of Despot. Life Esau was the son of the Florentin ...
, the despot of Ioannina, whilst at peace with the Albanian Shpata clan, moved against Gjin Zenebisi, with an army that consisted of men from the Albanian clans of Mazara and Malakash, as well as from Zagor-Dropull and great Zagori. Esau recruited Greeks evidently from
Zagori Zagori ( el, Ζαγόρι; rup, Zagori), is a region and a municipality in the Pindus mountains in Epirus, in northwestern Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Asprangeloi. It has an area of some and contains 46 villages known as ...
, Papingo, Dropull and great Zagori. However, at the battle of
Mesopotam Mesopotam ( sq-definite, Mesopotami; el, Μεσοπόταμος - ''Mesopotamos'') is a village and a former commune in Vlorë County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Finiq. The ...
on Esau was defeated outright and held in captivity. Gjin Zenebisi consequently extended his dominion to the whole northern part of Vagenitia. In 1400 the Venetians pleaded for peace to him ('Geomi Zenebissi qui tenet terram de la Sayata'). The Zenebisi clan dominated the area until the Ottomans started the second stage of conquest occupying the castle of Gjirokastër in 1418 and expelling the clan.


Ottoman period

Ottoman presence in Epirote and Albanian lands began in the 14th century. In 1571 a short lived rebellion broke out under
Emmanuel Mormoris Emmanuel or Manolis Mormoris ( el, Εμμανουήλ Μορμόρης) was a 16th-century Cretan military commander and notable political figure in the Republic of Venice. He was the military commander of a Greek revolt in Ottoman-ruled Epirus at ...
, but Ottoman control was restored that same year. During the 16th and 17th centuries at least 11 Orthodox monasteries were erected in the region with the support of the local population. This unprecedented increase in the number of monasteries has led many scholars to name Dropull as "little
Mount Athos Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism in northeastern Greece. The mountain along with the respective part of the penins ...
". As soon as the
Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...
(1821-1830) broke out several locals rose in revolt and participated in the armed struggles.


Modern period

At the end of the 19th century, many inhabitants migrated to the United States. In 1927 Albanian state authorities decided to close down all Greek language schools in the region as part of drastic measures against Greek education. As a result, the Greek population filed an official protest to the Albanian government asking for the re-opening of their community schools. The Albanian state proceeded to massive arrests, while at October 1, 1935, c. 100 Albanian gendarmes were dispatched to Dropull and proceeded to arrests and exiled several Greek teachers. The demonstrations in Dropull spread to the adjacent Greek communities, including the regions of Permet and Delvine. As such the Albanian government tried to negotiate the issue with representatives of the country's Greek minority. This turn of events fuelled the decision of the
League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
in favour to the ethnic Greek minority. During the era of the People's Republic of Albania (1945-1991) the state recognized a Greek minority but this was primarily limited to the Dropull region, while state national policy encouraged the transition from a Greek Orthodox to an Albanian identity (with population displacements and encouraging mixed marriages).


Dialect

As part of the Greek dialects spoken in Albania, known also as Northern Epirote dialects, the dialect of Dropull forms a clear continuum between those of Ioannina and those of Corfu and the Ionian islands. The local Greek dialect features characteristics of southern vocalism. There is also a presence of the syneresis types, a features also seen at the nearby dialects of Delvine, Saranda, Pogon, Himara and northern Thesprotia, while the uncontracted present tense prevails.


Onomastics and demographics


Defter of 1431–1432

During the fifth and sixth centuries,
Epirus Vetus sq, Epiri rup, Epiru , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Historical region , image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg , map_alt = , map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinric ...
experienced a number of Slavic incursions. According to Johannes Koder (1982), the local settlements that were built around the fortified city of Hadrianopolis were destroyed, but the city was saved. Following that destruction, the local inhabitants and the new Slavic immigrants chose to settle in more mountainous locations at
Mali i Gjerë Mali i Gjerë is a mountain in southern Albania. The highest peaks from north to south are ''Mali i Pusit'' (), ''Mali i Frashërit'' () and ''Mali i Nikollaqit'' (). On the eastern slope of the mountain is Gjirokastra while on the other side i ...
. According to the Ottoman ''
defter A ''defter'' (plural: ''defterler'') was a type of tax register and land cadastre in the Ottoman Empire. Description The information collected could vary, but ''tahrir defterleri'' typically included details of villages, dwellings, household ...
'' of 1431–1432 for the
Sanjak of Albania The Sanjak of Albania ( tr, Sancak-i Arvanid or Arvanid-ili sancağı; sq, Sanxhaku i Shqipërisë) was a second-level administrative unit of the Ottoman Empire between 1415 and 1466. Its mandate included territories of modern central and sout ...
, the majority of toponyms attested appear to have been Slavic (albeit often distorted) rather than Greek or Albanian; though by that century Slavic had disappeared as a spoken language in the region. Furthermore, these recorded settlements were in a different location than that of the modern villages of Dropull, and a number of them aren't attested in later periods. The precise date of abandonment and relocation is not known, but in the 16th century the growth of peasant settlements is documented at new sites and formerly deserted villages of the 15th century.


Defter of 1520

In the Ottoman land-survey register () of 1520 for Dropull, in the
Sanjak of Avlona The Sanjak of Avlona ( tr, Avlonya Sancağı, al, Sanxhaku i Vlorës; sometimes referred to as the Sanjak of Berat because of its county town) was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire which county town was Berat in Albania. It was establish ...
, the region is divided into two administrative units (''
nahiye A nāḥiyah ( ar, , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level division w ...
''); that of the core territory and the lands of the '' Iflaklar''. Both were dependent on the authorities based in the ''
kaza A kaza (, , , plural: , , ; ota, قضا, script=Arab, (; meaning 'borough') * bg, околия (; meaning 'district'); also Кааза * el, υποδιοίκησις () or (, which means 'borough' or 'municipality'); also () * lad, kaza , ...
'' of Gjirokastër. The register was published in 1990 by the Albanian Ottomanist Ferit Duka. The original text was written in the Ottoman script of ; this script is undoubtedly the most difficult to read out of the six basic types that exist, and is characterized by the prolongation (or compression) of letter forms and by the absence of diacritic points. It was used for the writing of both , and single documents of a financial nature. Its nature makes it occasionally impossible to properly read non-Turkish or non-Arabic names. The Hungarian scholar Lajos Fekete, who has written the standard manual on it, has stated that "no person, who is not competent to read script, is qualified to work on source-based research in
he field He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
. Duka has emphasized that the task of transliterating different parts from the defter of 1520 was not easy, and required a lot of time and effort; aside of , this was also due to the particular thinness of the script. Filip Liço (2009) acknowledged Duka as an expert of Ottoman Turkish who has performed a difficult task of faithfully transliterating the anthroponyms from the Ottoman register; however, he concluded that there are a number of mistakes in the transliteration. Giakoumis (2002) has criticized the methodology of Duka. One of the points he addresses, includes the omitted collation of the original Ottoman text; especially when we consider examples of Duka's transliterations which include the letter ë, because we do not know which phoneme of the original Ottoman Turkish corresponds to it. According to Duka, in the core region, the anthroponymy attested overwhelmingly belonged to the Albanian onomastic sphere, characterized by personal names such as ''Bardh'', ''Deda'', ''Gjin'', ''Gjon'', ''Kola'', ''Leka'', and ''Progor'' (a form of the Albanian anthroponym ''Progon'' which underwent
Tosk Tosk ( sq-definite, toskërishtja) is the southern group of dialects of the Albanian language, spoken by the ethnographic group known as Tosks. The line of demarcation between Tosk and Gheg (the northern variety) is the Shkumbin River. Tosk is t ...
rhotacism Rhotacism () or rhotacization is a sound change that converts one consonant (usually a voiced alveolar consonant: , , , or ) to a rhotic consonant in a certain environment. The most common may be of to . When a dialect or member of a language ...
) among others. A small presence of Slavic anthroponymy (e.g., ''Andrica'', ''Petko'', ''Stojko'') is also recorded. Albanian personal names also appear in the ''Iflaklar'' (Vlach or Aromanian) settlements (e.g., Koshovicë, Lovinë, Vodhinë), indicating that were was an intense process of assimilation and symbiosis between the two ethno-linguistic groups of the wider region. According to Liço, there are a number of surnames that are clearly distinguishable as Greek; such as ''Papdhopullo'', ''Dhespoti'', ''Konturaki'', ''Makrinudhi'', ''Kalludhi'', ''Kovrallari'', ''Nikopullo'', ''Papapetro'', ''Nikomanoli'', ''Bakoriani'', ''Komeno'', ''Kanaldeni'', ''Papadhimitri'', ''Kanudhi'', ''Beneludhi'', ''Minareli'', ''Kalodhromo'', and ''Milineveni''. According to Kyriazis (2022), the Albanian anthroponymic element is indeed significant, but there are also settlements with mixed Greek, Slavic, Albanian, and Aromanian anthroponyms, as well as settlements where the predominance of Greek anthroponyms is evident; such as in Derviçan. The register also provides insights into movements from neighboring territories and villages into Dropull. Namely, the surnames ''Zagoriti'', ''Llaboviti'', ''Filati'' and ''Miguli'' were recorded; of these the first two have the Greek suffix -iti(s). For example, four household heads from Lovinë bore the surname of ''Zagoriti'' indicating their origins from the ethnographic region of Zagoria to the north of Dropull. Christian Orthodox names in the Ottoman register of 1520 that have a clear ethnic affiliation have been a subject of debate. Duka (1990) considers the lack of the Greek suffix as strong indication that in that part of the athroponymy of the region there are "no traces of the presence of the influence of Greek". According to Demiraj (2008) a number of the anthroponyms such as ''Gjon'', ''Gjin'', ''Gjergj'', ''Lekë'' and ''Pal'' are also attested in forms influenced by the Greek Orthodox Church: ''Jani'', ''Jorgo'', ''Aleks'' and ''Pavllo'' albeit lacking the characteristic Greek suffix (as seen in ''Janis'', ''Jorgos'' etc.). He attributes the presence of these forms to the significant role of Greek Orthodox Church in southern Albania in general, particularly the area of Dropull. Demiraj hesitates to favour the possibility of an early Greek presence in the area based on historical indications and onomatological features and points out that further research is needed in this field. According to Kyriazis and Spyrou (2011), Demiraj's main weakness is his approach; ignoring the corresponding Greek literary evidence. Schmitt (2015) argues that Christian Orthodox names such as – using Duka's Albanian transliteration – ''Miho Papapetro'', ''Jani Makrinudhi'', ''Andria Makrinudhi'', ''Miho Spathar'' in the village Bodrishtë, suggest the presence of a Greek-speaking population in the region. According to Schmitt, Greek name influence among Aromanian names was also strong as in the village Sotirë. Schmitt concluded that the onomatological evidence in most villages is mixed and as such an ethnic-national division can not be drawn; Duka's categorization does not provide clear divisions. According to him, the only conclusion that can be drawn from such data is that the settlements of Dropull were populated by Orthodox communities, while only Aromanian villages were noticeably separated under the context of Ottoman administration. Schmitt argues that only the ethno-national opposition since the late 19th century divided this community into national communities. Kyriazis (2022) argues that the absence of the suffix does not show a lack of the Greek element, as this was quite typical in Ottoman records from areas that were undoubtedly Greek-speaking; this view is corroborated by the Ottomanist scholar Kostas Kamburidis (2013). Liço also disagrees, and says that Greek names in the genitive, accusative, and vocative cases don't have the suffix ; this suffix is only observed in the nominative case. Giakoumis says that in Greek the surnames are often given in the genitive case without the suffix ; especially in Epirus and in the provinces of Dropull and Pogon. Both Giakoumis and Liço add, that in Ottoman , such as this one, the names were given in response to the question 'whose household...' or 'how do you call him', and the interpreter answered in the genitive or accusative cases without the suffix . According to Liço, the eliding of the suffix in Greek names, is further corroborated when we consider undoubtedly Greek surnames in the defter, that also lack it. Kyriazis (2018), after assessing the presence of the Greek language in the region, pointed to Duka's failure to take into account the etymology of the local toponymy and the presence of archaic Greek place-names, which the Slavs had translated into their own language. Liço, having studied the names of settlements and microtoponyms in the region, concluded that out of the 2,778 in total, 2,324 were Greek, 57 Slavic, 184 Albanian, 90 Turkish, and 123 unidentified. Kyriazis (2022), having reviewed another publication from 2005 which presented the toponyms of the region, reached more or less the same conclusion; though he had reservations about a possible higher frequency of Slavic toponyms; as observed in the names of the villages of Dropull. The same author also pointed to the frequency of anthroponyms that are characteristic of northern Albania (such as the name Martin or the surname Martini), and suggested that the population that bore them could have descended to Dropull from northern Albania during the first centuries of the second millennium, and could have eventually continued further south to form parts of the population of
Arvanites Arvanites (; Arvanitika: , or , ; Greek: , ) are a bilingual population group in Greece of Albanian origin. They traditionally speak Arvanitika, an Albanian language variety, along with Greek. Their ancestors were first recorded as settl ...
; especially when we consider that Dropull has always been a passage from north to south. He believes that such an approach could explain the contradiction between the anthroponyms and toponyms in the region, and added that such temporary settlement of Albanians in medieval and late-medieval Dropull, partially disturbed its demography, but this wasn't significant in order to alter the toponymy of the region. Furthermore, he stated that the preservation of Greek though the centuries, as well as local surnames of Albanian origin, indicates that the Albanian-speaking population who settled there, found a Greek-speaking population and was eventually assimilated by it; just like it previously happened with the Slavs, the traces of which are evident in local surnames and toponyms. He claims that this approach is further supported when we compare the anthroponyms and toponyms of the adjacent region of Pogon, which was both then and now geographically isolated, and therefore more conservative linguistically; the defter of 1520 shows that this region didn't have any Albanian anthroponyms, or it had very few traces of them, while the linguistic character of its toponymy is similar to that of Dropull.


Later accounts

Literary evidence provided by Athanasios Psalidas at the beginning of the 19th century mentions that the settlements of Dropull are primarily inhabited by Christian Greeks. Schmitt (2015) argues that even in the 20th century, the region was still linguistically mixed. In field work by Leonidas Kallivretakis (1994), the valley of Dropull is inhabited by compact Greek communities. In his research he found Dropull consisting of 34 villages, all of which inhabited by ethnic Greek communities. Today, Dropull is inhabited by ethnic Greeks, who use the Greek language to communicate with local government.


Religion

At c. 400 a bishopric was established as Diocese of Hadrianopolis in Epirus, a
suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...
of the Metropolitan Archdicoese of Nicopolis, capital of the Late
Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...
of Epirus Vetus. It was suppressed by the Pope c. 1000, but later got an Orthodox successor. The bishopric of Dryinoupolis included the region of modern southwest Albania and from the early 16th century its center was Argyrokastro (modern Gjirokastër).


List of monasteries

*Monastery of the Prophet Elias, near
Jorgucat Jorgucat ( sq-definite, Jorgucati; el, Γεωργουτσάτι/Γεωργουτσάτες; Romanization of Greek, romanized: ''Georgoutsáti/Georgoutsátes'') is a village in Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government re ...
(founded before 1586) *Annunciation Monastery, Vanishtë (before 1617) *Dormition of the Theotokos or Ravenia Monastery, Kalogoranxi (6th century) *Dorminition of the Theotokos, Koshovicë (17th century) *Monastery of Saints Quiricus and Julietta or
Dhuvjan Monastery The Dhuvjan Monastery ( sq, Manastiri i Dhuvjanit; el, Μονή Δούβιανης) also known as Monastery of Saints Quiricus and Julietta ( sq, Manastiri i Shën Qirjakut dhe Julitës; el, Μονή Αγιού Κηρύκου καί Ιουλίτ ...
, Dhuvjan (1089) *Dorminition of the Theotokos or Driyanou Monastery, between Bularat and Zervat *Monastery of the Taxiarchs Michael and Gabriel, Derviçan (16th century) *Dormition of the Theotokos, Frashtan (16th century) *Monastery of the Holy Trinity, Pepel (1754) *Nativity of the Theotokos or Zonarion or Kakiomenou Monastery, Lovinë (before 1761), abandoned in 20th century due to proximity to the Greek-Albanian border *Theotokos Monastery (10th century), Zervat, abandoned during the crusades (11th century)


Catholic titular see

The Catholic diocese was nominally restored in 1933 as Latin
Titular bishopric A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...
of Hadrianopolis in Epiro (Latin; adjective Hadrianopolitan(us) in Epiro) / Adrianopoli di Epiro (Curiate Italian). It is vacant since decades, had had only the following incumbent of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank: Josef Freusberg (1953.04.12 – death 1964.04.10), as Auxiliary Bishop of
Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. History ...
(
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
) (1953.04.12 – 1964.04.10).


Villages

According to the 2011 census the total population of Dropull is 3,503. * Bularat (Βουλιαράτες) *
Derviçan Derviçan ( sq-definite, Derviçani; gr, Δερβιτσάνη, ''Dervitsani'', also known as Dervician) is a settlement in the former Dropull i Poshtëm municipality, Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it b ...
(Δερβιτσάνη) *
Dhuvjan Dhuvjan ( gr, Δούβιανη, Douviani) is a settlement in the former Dropull i Poshtëm municipality, Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Dropull. It is within the large ...
(Δούβιανη) *
Glinë Glinë ( sq-definite, Glina; gr, Γλύνα, translit=Glyna) is a settlement in the former Dropull i Poshtëm municipality, Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Dropull. It ...
(Γλύνα) *
Vrisera Vrisera ( el, Βρυσερά/Βρισερά; romanized: ''Vryserá/Vriserá'') is a village in Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality of Dropull. It is inhabited solely by Gr ...
(Βρυσερά) *
Goranxi Goranxi ( gr, Γοραντζή, , ''Gorantzi'' or Καλογοραντζή, ''Kalogorantzi'') is a settlement in the former Dropull i Poshtëm municipality, Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part o ...
(Καλογοραντζή) *
Jorgucat Jorgucat ( sq-definite, Jorgucati; el, Γεωργουτσάτι/Γεωργουτσάτες; Romanization of Greek, romanized: ''Georgoutsáti/Georgoutsátes'') is a village in Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government re ...
(Γεωργουτσάτες) * Bodrishtë (Βόδριστα) * Peshkëpi (Κάτω και Άνω Επισκοπή) * (Σωφράτικα) * (Σωτήρα) *
Zervat Zervat ( sq, Zervati, el, Ζερβάτι; romanized: ''Zerváti'') is a village in Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality of Dropull. It is inhabited solely by Greeks. Name T ...
(Ζερβάτι) * Kakavijë (Κακαβιά) *
Grapsh Grapsh ( sq-definite, Grapshi; el, Γράψη; romanized: ''Grápsi'') is a village in Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality of Dropull. It is inhabited solely by Greeks. D ...
(Γράψη) *
Terihat Terihat ( sq, Terihati, el, Τεριαχάτι/Τεριαχάτες; romanized: ''Teriaháti/Teriahátes'') is a village in Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality of Dropull ...
(Τεριαχάτες) * (Λιούγκαρη) *Haskovë (Χάσκοβο)


Notable locals

;Politics *
Grigorios Lambovitiadis Grigorios Lambovitiadis ( el, Γρηγόριος Λαμποβιτιάδης, 1908-1945) was a Greek patriot, representative of the Greek community in southern Albania and an activist of the Northern Epirus movement. He was executed by the authoriti ...
, activist of the Northern Epirus movement *
Spiro Ksera Spiro Ksera (; el, Σπύρος Ξέρας, Spyros Xeras) is an Albanian politician of Greek descent. He was Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities of Albania from 2009 until 2013. He was initially a member of the Greek minority ...
, politician *
Vasilios Sahinis Vasileios Sachinis ( el, Βασίλειος Σαχίνης; 1897 – 18 November 1943) was a Greek leader of the Northern Epirote Liberation Front (MAVI) (1942–1943), an organization related to the National Republican Greek League of Napoleon Z ...
, leader of the Northern Epirote Liberation Organization ;Culture and sports *
Kosmas Thesprotos Kosmas Thesprotos or Kosmas o Thesprotos ( el, Κοσμάς ο Θεσπρωτός ''Kosmas the Thesprotian'', 1780 1852) was a Greek scholar, priest and theologian. Life Kosmas was born as ''Kyritsis Kotras'' ( el, Κυρίτσης (diminutive ...
, scholar *
Leonidas Kokas Leonidas Kokas ( el, Λεωνίδας Κόκας; born 3 June 1973), also spelled Kokkas ( el, Κόκκας), is a Greek weightlifter. His highest distinction was winning the silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. He competed in t ...
*
Lefter Millo Lefter Millo (Greek: Λευτέρης Μίλος) (2 August 1966, Derviçan, Albania, – 8 March 1997, Giannouli, Greece) was an Albanian football midfielder, who was part of the Greek minority in Albania. Club career He made his senior deb ...
, international soccer player, capped with the
Albania national football team The Albania national football team ( sq, Kombëtarja e futbollit të Shqipërisë) represents Albania in men's international football, and is governed by the Albanian Football Association, the governing body for football in Albania. Albania co ...
* Tasos Vidouris, poet * Kleoniki Delijorgji, Miss Albania 2012 and
Miss Globe International Miss Globe is a global beauty pageant group that holds annual events. Currently, Miss Globe is produced simultaneously by three various organizations claiming to be the ''official'' organizers. The Miss Globe was first known to public in 1925. In ...
2012 *, singer * Christos Tzolis, football player of Norwich City and the Greek National Team


Twin towns – sister cities

Dropull is twinned with:
Trikala Trikala ( el, Τρίκαλα; rup, Trikolj) is a city in northwestern Thessaly, Greece, and the capital of the Trikala regional unit. The city straddles the Lithaios river, which is a tributary of Pineios. According to the Greek National Stati ...
, Greece


See also

* Deropolitissa * Peshkëpi killing


Notes


Footnotes


References

* * * * * * * * * * * *


External links


GCatholic, with Google satellite photo
{{Authority control Municipalities in Gjirokastër County Historical regions in Albania Epirus Buildings of Justinian I Albanian ethnographic regions