Dropull
Dropull (; ) is a municipality and a predominantly Greek-inhabited region in Gjirokastër County, in southern Albania. The region stretches from south of the city of Gjirokastër to the Greek–Albanian border, along the Drino 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 municipality Dropull was created in 2015 by the merger of the former municipalities Dropull i Poshtëm, Dropull i Sipërm and Pogon. The seat of the municipality is the village Sofratikë. According to the 2011 census the total population is 3,503 , while according to the civil registry of that year 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 (r. 117-138). The Synecdemus of Hierocles, which contains a list of the administrative divisions and cities of the Byzantine Empire during the time of Theodosius II (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 sometime before 431; initially under the jurisdiction of the Metropolis of Nicopolis , and later under the Metropolis of Ioannina. 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 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 at the end of the 12th century. Also, in the Chronicle of the Tocco, which was  written at 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 "Dropull" or def. form "Dropulli", and in Modern Greek 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; "Drinópolis" > "Drópull". According to Kyriazis, the etymology of Cabej is  not convincing, because he ignores the former name of "Adrianoúpolis". Using the available attestations of the name, Kyriazis gave the following evolution, Αδριανούπολη ("Adrianoúpoli") > "Αdernoboli" > Δερνόπολη ("Dernópoli") > Δερόπολη/Δρόπολη ("Derópoli"/"Drópoli"); he added that the evolution of -ρν- > -ρ- (in reference to "Dernópoli" > "Derópoli"/"Drópoli") 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-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"), thus it wouldn't 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 this 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. During the Middle Helladic period (2100-1550 BC), a double tumulus was dug out in Vodhinë, with strong similarities to the grave circles at Mycenae, showing a common ancestral link with the Myceneans of southern Greece. In classical antiquity, the area was inhabited by the Greek tribe of the Chaonians. From the Roman period there was a settlement named Hadrianopolis (of Epirus) in the region, one of several named after the great Roman emperor Hadrian. 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, 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 church. During the 11th century the city was named Dryinoupolis, 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, Naupactus and then Ioannina). In 1571 a short lived rebellion broke out under Emmanuel Mormoris, 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". At the end of the 19th century, many inhabitants migrated  to the United States. Religion. At c. 400 a bishopric was established as Diocese of Hadrianopolis in Epirus, a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdicoese of Nicopolis, capital of the Late Roman province 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). Catholic titular see. The Catholic diocese was nominally restored in 1933 as Latin Titular bishopric 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 (Germany) (1953.04.12 – 1964.04.10). Villages. According to the 2011 census the total population of Dropull is 3,503. It is inhabited by ethnic Greeks; Dropull has 34 villages, all of which are Greek-speaking. Twin towns – sister cities. Dropull is twinned with: