This etymology was questioned by Russu: "Axiopa", a name attested to only in Procopius' "De Aedificiis", may be a corrupted form of "Axiopolis". However, even if correct, Russu's objection is irrelevant: it does not affect the interpretation of the "axi-" element as meaning "black", or the "upa" as meaning "water" cf. placename "Scenopa". Fraser (1959) noted that the root "axio" that occurs in the place-name "Axiopa" is also found in Samothrace and in Sparta, where Athena Axiopoina was worshiped. Therefore, he considers this pre-Greek root to be of Thracian origin, meaning "great". However, there is no certainty that the "axi" element in Greece was of Thracian (as opposed to Greek or other language), or that it meant "great" rather than "black". In any case, this objection may not be relevant, if Thracian was a separate language to Dacian.