The Shkumbin (; ; la, Genusus, also la, Genessus, label=none or la, Scampis, label=none), also commonly Shkembi, is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...
in
Southern Europe
Southern Europe is the southern region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is essentially marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Alb ...
. It is long and its drainage basin is . Its average discharge is .
Etymology
It derives from Latin ''Scampinus'' which replaced Illyrian ''Genusus'', as recorded in Latin and ancient Greek literature. A Slavic intermediation has been rejected. Its inclusion in Latin loanwords into Proto-Albanian and phonetic evolution coincides with the historical existence of a large Roman town (near present-day
Elbasan
Elbasan ( ; sq-definite, Elbasani ) is the fourth most populous city of Albania and seat of Elbasan County and Elbasan Municipality. It lies to the north of the river Shkumbin between the Skanderbeg Mountains and the Myzeqe Plain in central ...
) which gave the river its new name.
Overview
The river originates in the eastern
Valamara
The Valamara ( sq, Mali i Valamarës; rup, Valea Mari) is a mountain of the Central Mountain Range in Southeastern Albania. Geography
The mountain is roughly part of a series of mountains, extending from north-northeast to south-southwest bet ...
Mountains between ''Maja e Valamarës'' () and ''Gur i Topit'' () in Southeastern Albania.
After descending from the Valamaras, it flows northwards through
Proptisht and
Qukës with many deep gorges and canyons and passes the Gora Mountains. A significant inflow comes from ''Gur i Kamjës'' () southwest of
Pogradec. Over the course, it flows inside a
syncline
In structural geology, a syncline is a fold with younger layers closer to the center of the structure, whereas an anticline is the inverse of a syncline. A synclinorium (plural synclinoriums or synclinoria) is a large syncline with superimpose ...
between the Mokra and
Shebenik
Shebenik is a large mountain located in the Shebenik-Jabllanice National Park in eastern Albania. Shebenik has many peaks over . Geography
The highest is Maja e Shebenikut at above sea level. It is found in the north-east of Shebenik. Aroun ...
Mountains in the east and the Polis Mountains in the west. Close to
Librazhd
Librazhd ( sq-definite, Librazhdi) is a town and a municipality in Elbasan County, eastern Albania. The municipality was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Hotolisht, Librazhd, Lunik, Orenjë, Po ...
the river turns some westwards of its origin and joins the ''Rapun'' stream. At the end the river cross the
Myzeqe
The Myzeqe (; sq-definite, Myzeqeja; rup, Muzachia) is a plain in the Western Lowlands of Albania. The Myzeqe is the largest and widest plain, measured by area, in the Lowlands.
Location
The Myzeqe plain is a large alluvial plain traversed by ...
Plain and forms a small delta in
Karavasta Lagoon
Karavasta Lagoon ( sq, Laguna e Karavastasë) is the largest lagoon in Albania and one of the largest adjoining the Mediterranean Sea, spanning an area of . Karavasta is part of the Divjakë Karavasta National Park and is separated from the Adr ...
, the direct proximity of the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to th ...
.
Human history
The ancient name of the river was ''Genusus'' and was located in central southern
Illyria
In classical antiquity, Illyria (; grc, Ἰλλυρία, ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; la, Illyria, ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyr ...
. At the same time it was referred as ''Scampini'' as it was identified by the town of
Scampa. In classical antiquity the valley of the Shkumbin was inhabited by several Illyrian peoples. The
Parthini lived in the middle valley of the river.
They neighbored to the west the
Taulantii
Taulantii or Taulantians ('swallow-men'; Ancient Greek: , or , ; la, Taulantii) were an Illyrian people that lived on the Adriatic coast of southern Illyria (modern Albania). They dominated at various times much of the plain between the rivers ...
who lived in the coastal area including the lower valley of the river, and to the east the
Dassaretii
The Dassaretii ( Ancient Greek: ''Δασσαρῆται, Δασσαρήτιοι'', Latin: ''Dassaretae'', ''Dassaretii'') were an Illyrian people that lived in the inlands of southern Illyria, between present-day south-eastern Albania and south ...
who lived in the region of
Lake Ohrid
Lake Ohrid ( mk, Охридско Езеро , al, Liqeni i Ohrit , also referred as ''Liqeni i Pogradecit'';) is a lake which straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern part of North Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of E ...
, including the upper valley of the river.
The ancient
Via Egnatia
The Via Egnatia was a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. It crossed Illyricum, Macedonia, and Thracia, running through territory that is now part of modern Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, and European Turkey as a con ...
followed the river, giving it the role of a strategically important corridor between
orient
The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of '' Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the ...
and occident. The Via Egnatia started with two branches, the northern one from
Epidamnos-Dyrrhachion, and the southern one from
Apollonia. The two branches converged at
Ad Quintum, near modern
Elbasan
Elbasan ( ; sq-definite, Elbasani ) is the fourth most populous city of Albania and seat of Elbasan County and Elbasan Municipality. It lies to the north of the river Shkumbin between the Skanderbeg Mountains and the Myzeqe Plain in central ...
, continuing eastwards through the valley of the Shkumbin.
In
Roman Imperial times, the line of division between the administrative provinces of
Illyricum and
Epirus Nova
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 ...
ran from the west somewhere between
Scodra and
Dyrrachium, to the east somewhere between the north side of the Shkumbin and
Lake Ohrid
Lake Ohrid ( mk, Охридско Езеро , al, Liqeni i Ohrit , also referred as ''Liqeni i Pogradecit'';) is a lake which straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern part of North Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of E ...
. During this period the valley of Skumbin constituted roughly the border between the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
and 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 ...
speaking area.
The river is roughly the geographical dividing line between
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 ...
and
Gheg Albanian
Gheg (also spelled Geg; Gheg Albanian: ''gegnishtja'', Standard sq, gegërishtja) is one of the two major varieties of Albanian, the other being Tosk. The geographic dividing line between the two varieties is the Shkumbin River, which winds ...
dialects, with Gheg spoken north of the Shkumbin and Tosk south of it. The dialectal split occurred after
Christianisation
Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...
of the region (4th century AD),
with the river as the historic dialectal boundary which straddled the
Jireček line
The Jireček Line is a conceptual boundary through the ancient Balkans that divides the influence of the Latin (in the north) and Greek (in the south) languages in the Roman Empire from antiquity until the 4th century. The border has been repe ...
.
[Orel, Vladimir; Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Brill, 1998 ][See also Hamp 1963.]
See also
*
Geography of Albania
Albania is a small country in Southern, Southeastern Europe and Western Balkans strategically positioned on the Adriatic and Ionian Sea inside the Mediterranean Sea, with a coastline of about . It is bounded by Montenegro to the northwest, Koso ...
*
Central Mountain Range
The Central Mountain Range is the principal mountain range on the island of Taiwan. It runs from the north of the island to the south. Due to this separation, connecting between the west and east is not very convenient. The tallest peak of th ...
*
Rivers of Albania
Albania has more than 152 rivers and streams, forming 8 large rivers flowing from southeast to northwest, mainly discharging towards the Adriatic coast. The rivers of Albania have a total annual flow rate of , or per year.
A majority of the pre ...
References
Bibliography
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{{Portal bar, Geography
Rivers of Albania
Geography of Korçë County
Geography of Elbasan County
Geography of Tirana County
Drainage basins of the Adriatic Sea
Braided rivers in Albania