# Zvërnec

Zvërnec (Albanian definite form: Zvërneci; Greek: Σβέρνιτσα, romanized: Svernitsa) is a community in Vlorë County, Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Vlorë. It is situated northwest of the city of Vlorë. It is inhabited by ethnic Greeks who speak a unique northern Greek dialect, as well as Aromanians.

## History

During classical antiquity the coastal area of the Bay of Vlorë, where the present-day villages of Zvërnec and Nartë are located, was settled by Ancient Greeks. Since at present those two villages constitute the northernmost pockets of Modern Greek speech, scholar Hatzopoulos (1997) wonders if it is a coincidence or they are isolated relics of the ancient Balaiitai and Horikioi. The view of an uninterrupted Greek presence from antiquity is rejected by Sh. Demiraj (2010), on the grounds that it is not backed up by linguistic evidence or historic documentation, instead arguing that their ancestors consist of relatively late incoming emigrants from the Greek speaking areas of Arta. Demiraj points to anthroponymic data gathered from 16th century Ottoman tax registers, specifically those of the years 1520 and 1583, in which the defters of the village of Narta display south Albanian Orthodox anthroponomy. Moreover, the names attested lack the Greek suffix "s", and contain consonants unusual to modern Greek, such as /b (Bogdan, Tërbari). Also the population of the village partly consists of immigrants from neighboring Albanian villages, indicated by surnames like Bulku or Palasa, the issue regarding the use of the Greek language remains open. Kyriazis (2012) argued that those 16th century Ottoman registers provide proofs of the continuity and the differentiation of the synthesis of the population. Also, the absence of the suffix -s does not show a lack of the Greek element, as this was quite typical in Ottoman records on areas that were undoubtedly Greek-speaking. If we consider that the local Greek speech has a depth of time that reaches antiquity, then we should investigate and interpret how and when it acquired characteristics of northern vocalism.
Historian Alain Ducellier identifies the Byzantine outpost of Spinaritsa with Zvernec. At 1297 Spinaritza was governed by dux Kalamanos, member of the noble Greek Strategopoulos family. Later at 1301 governor of the Spinaritza district became Andronikos Palaiologos.

## Demographics

Zvërnec, together with nearby Nartë, is a Greek-speaking pocket in the area north of Vlorë. There are speakers of Aromanian also present in Zvërnec.
According to a 2014 state report, the total number of registered citizens that belong to the Greek minority is 900.

## Location

The surrounding region is full of salt marshes. Narta Lagoon, which hosts a unique ecosystem, lies north of the village. Near the village lies the island that bears the same name, and the Byzantine monastery dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God. To the east of the settlement there is a lighthouse.

## Notable people

* Fatos Arapi, Albanian writer and translator

## Citations

* ↑ Law nr. 115/2014, p. 6376.
* ↑ Hatzopoulos, Loukopoulou & Sakellariou 1997, pp. 144–145.
* 1 2 Demiraj 2010, p. 573
* ↑ Kyriazis, Doris (2012). "Slavic elements in the Greek idioms of South Albania". Philologica Jassyensia. 15 (VII/I): 162. Retrieved 12 September 2017. However, there are a lot of – mainly women's – names recorded only in AA that can help us in following the course and the demographic synthesis of this settlement. In the ledger of 1520, names of Slavic origin are found as well as the diminutive suffix –ko, whereas in the one of 1583 there is at least one case in which we learn that Vaso Lito is from Maura (island of Lefkada − Λευκάδα). The examples above are proofs of the continuity and the differentiation of the synthesis of the AA population.
* ↑ Kyriazis, 2018, p. 162
* ↑ Kyriazis, 2012, p. 897: " Η διαχρονική του παρουσία επιβεβαιώνεται κι από τις λέξεις που δάνεισε στα γειτονικά ιδιώματα της αλβανικής. Αν θεωρήσουμε ότι στο γεωγραφικό αυτό σημείο η ελληνική διαθέτει βάθος χρόνου που αγγίζει την αρχαιότητα, θα πρέπει να ερευνήσουμε και να ερμηνεύσουμε πώς και πότε η συγκεκριμένη εστία ελληνοφωνίας απέκτησε χαρακτηριστικά βόρειου φωνηεντισμού. Οφείλεται αυτό σε μια μεταγενέστερη, κατά τα χρόνια πιθανόν της πρώιμης Τουρκοκρατίας, μαζική εγκατάσταση πληθυσμού που μιλούσε βόρειο ιδίωμα8; Ή μήπως ήταν η ίδια η εσωτερική δυναμική του ιδιώματος που οδήγησε σε αυτή την εξέλιξη9; Σημειώνουμε ότι οι ενδυμασίες των γυναικών της ΆΑ και η συνήθειά τους να κουβαλάνε αντικείμενα τοποθετώντας τα πάνω στο κεφάλι, προσιδιάζουν με αυτά της νησιωτικής Ελλάδας (Επτάνησα) και της Κάτω Ιταλίας. Η σύνθετη προβληματική που αναδύεται δεν μπορεί να αντιμετωπιστεί παρά μόνο με μια διεπιστημονική προσέγγιση. "
* ↑ Nicol, Donald M. (30 August 1984). The Despotate of Epiros 1267-1479: A Contribution to the History of Greece in the Middle Ages. Cambridge University Press. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-521-26190-6. Calemanus, cognatus Straticopoli' - i.e. a relative of the Strategopoulos family. Ducellier, Albanie, pp. 35-6, identifies Spinaritsa with the Albanian village of Zvernec on the south coast of the bay of Valona.... In 1297 the governor of spinaritsa was one Kalamanos, with the title of dux.21 In 1301 and for some years afterwards the governor of the district was Andronikos Palaiologos, whom western documents describe as captain of Spinaritsa
* ↑ M. B. Hatzopoulos. The Borders of Hellenism in Epirus during Antiquity. Epirus: Ekdotike Athenon, p. 145, 1997.
* ↑ Hammond 1994, p. 407.
* 1 2 Hammond 1967, p. 132.
* ↑ MFA: Fourth Report, p. 98.
* ↑ Council of Europe; Albania Ministry of Health and Environment 1995.
* ↑ List of Lights, Pub. 113: The West Coasts of Europe and Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and Azovskoye More (Sea of Azov) (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2015. p. {{{page}}}.
* ↑ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Albania". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 6 April 2017.