▁village ▁in ▁Roman ian ▁( s at , ▁arch a ic ▁fs at ) ▁and ▁Alban ian ▁( f sh at ) ▁are ▁derived ▁from ▁the ▁Latin ▁word ▁foss atum , ▁meaning ▁" a ▁d itch ▁used ▁for ▁fort ifications ". ▁ ▁Most ▁villages ▁were ▁not ▁ancient , ▁but ▁they ▁were ▁founded ▁and ▁disc arded ▁during ▁success ive ▁colon ization ▁steps . ▁As ▁extensive ▁far ming ▁was ▁used , ▁the ▁areas ▁with ▁de ple ted ▁soil ▁were ▁abandoned ▁for ▁new ▁land , ▁often ▁obtained ▁through ▁def or est ation . ▁Sometimes , ▁they ▁were ▁divided ▁into ▁more ▁groups , ▁each ▁looking ▁to ▁found ▁its ▁own ▁ob ște ▁on ▁fert ile ▁land , ▁something ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁" sw arm ing ▁of ▁the ▁ob ști " ▁( ro ire a ▁ob ș til or ). ▁ ▁The ▁vill agers ▁in ▁an ▁ob ște ▁were ▁often ▁the ▁descend ants ▁of ▁the ▁founder ▁( or ▁sometimes , ▁found ers ) ▁of ▁the ▁village , ▁which ▁was ▁known ▁as ▁mo ș ▁(" fore father "). ▁By ▁the ▁ 1 6 th ▁century , ▁in ▁Wal la chia , ▁each ▁extended ▁family ▁( mo ș nen i , ▁people ▁with ▁a ▁common ▁for ef ather ) ▁had ▁its ▁own ▁tract s ▁of ▁land ▁which ▁they ▁used ▁in ▁common . ▁ ▁The ▁ob ști ▁had ▁their ▁own ▁common ▁law ▁system , ▁known ▁in ▁Roman ian ▁as ▁ob ice i ul ▁p ă m ânt ului ▁(" custom ▁of ▁the ▁land "), ▁an ▁un written ▁law ▁system ▁which ▁set ▁rules