20-24 septembrie 2009 - Biblioteca Metropolitana Bucuresti

798 Tănase Bujduveanusupplied the Byzantine army with their products settlement. Pouquevillebelieves that the town was founded in the 11 th century on the remains ofthe ancient fortress of Mosca, which gave the name of the province ofMusachia, located to the east, close to the AdriaticIII. The Origin of the Name Moscopolethe origin of the name of the town remains unknown, in spite ofscarce, sometimes unreliable information. According to these sources, thesettlement was founded in the 11 th century by the Moscs, a tribe of romanisedIllirians. Once it started to develop, the settlement was called Voscopole. Itappears that both names – Voscopole and Moscopole, respectively – werethe names of two small settlements established by two tribes of romaniasedIllirians, the Voscs and the Moscs, who settled on both sides of a river.After a while, the two settlements united but the two names co-existed. Thearea where Moscopole was founded was a plain area of pastures, a place ofyellow flowers which covered the valley with their scent. This is why thetown was also called “The Town of Flowers”.The historians who wrote about the culture and civilisation ofMoscopole also use the same name. Thunmann calls it “Moscopolis”. W.M.Leake calls it “Moskhopoli” and “Votskop”, “Voskopoli”, “Moskopoli”and “Moskhopoli”. Pouqueville calls it “Moshopolis” and “Voschopolis”.IV. The Aromanian Origin of the Inhabitantsthe inhabitants of Moscopole belong to the northern branch ofthe Aromanians, a group somewhat separated from the Greek world,surrounded by Albanian populations. Slav populations and Macedonianscould also be found in the area. The Aromanian origin of the inhabitantscannot be questioned as they all spoke Aromanian and were aware of theirLatin origin. Even though all the letters of the merchants from Moscopole,now kept at the State Archives in Venice, were written in Greek, they showthe Aromanian origin of their writers, although the letters mention them as“the Greek merchants from Moscopole”, not as “Vlah merchants”.V. The Population of the Region and of the TownThe economic and cultural activity in Moscopole enlightens the activityof the other Aromanian centres in the Balkans. The towns were closelyconnected to Moscopole by means of trading relations. The economicmovement of the Aromanian towns around Moscopole can be compared tothe movements of the planets around the sun. On the orbit of the metropolisthe other towns revolved around it under the impulse of the economic and