Folia archeologica 13.
L. Huszár: Merchant's seals of the 16th and 17th centuries
190 L. Huszár 1596 it, too, passed under Turkish rule and was occupied till 1687. 4 The fortress of Győr, though strongly developed and reinforced by the imperial government in the 16th century was in Turkish possession from 1586 to 1687. 5 The fortress of Kanizsa was also of great importance in the 16th century but was occupied by the Turks from 1600 to 1690. 6 Whereas the fortress of Vazsony remained till the end an unconquered Hungarian border fortress and only in 1594 was it for a short while abandoned and may be that then the Turks temporarily took possession of it. 7 The town of Békés had come under Turkish occupation as early as 1563 and the Turks then built a fortification there, called Palánk (palisade). This fortification, however, was completely burnt down in 1595, and in 1596 the whole town was destroyed by the Tartars. 8 The town of Túrkeve, too, soon became an occupied territory and the two lead pieces found in its area have been discovered on the site of the destroyed mediaeval village Móric, which once had been the village of the Cumanian captains. 9 With the exception of the two latter places, all the other siteswhere much pieces came to light were either fortresses or at least fortifications; hence it is obvious that the finds must have had some kind of connection whith the equipment of the fortresses. 1 0 For the date of production of these medallike pieces different facts furnish evidences, some of them, however, are of circumstantial character. The style of the pieces, on the whole, suggests the 16th —17th century, but we have also a firm starting point in so far as they could not have been produced later than 1603, since the English royal arms represented on the pieces discussed has undergone a change after the Tudors, and Queen Elisabeth, the last Tudor sovereign, reigned till 1603. Besides, for dating purposes also the following data may be used. The similar medal of Hans Han already mentioned bears the date 1577. In the inscription of one of the British Museum specimens the expression „Regina Angliae" is included which in this case can refer only to Elisabeth (1558-—1603). The specimen n° 5., coming to light from the fortress of Buda, was found associated with various other coins the latest of which are the Turkish akcheh of the 16th century and the counterfeit denarius of Ferdinand (1554). 1 1 The specimen n° 12 from the fortress of Vazsony came to light associated with finds from the 16th —17th century. 1 2 The town of 4 Pataki V., Az egri vár élete. (Life in the fortress of Eger.) (Eger 1934) 5 Czigány J., A győri vár és a Vármúzeum. (The fortress of Győr and its Museum.) (Budapest 1957) 6 Barbarits L., Nagykanizsa. (Budapest 1929) 7 Éri 1., Nagyvázsony. (Budapest 1959) 8 Durkó A., Békés nagyközség története. (History of the village Békés.) (Békés 1939) 23—40. 9 Méri I., Arch. Ért. 81(1954) 149. Gives description and illustration of both medals (n o s 7, 13.) It is worth mentioning that the medal n° 7 was found on the floor level of the topmost superposed houses, a fact of importance as regards dating because it means that the medal probably had got there at the end of the 16th century. 1 0 As a remarkable fact it is to be noticed that the specimens of the second group (n os 7—10) in the material know to us were found without exception on such areas (Buda, Békés and Túrkeve) which had been under Turkish rule during the probable circulation period of the medals. 1 1 Huszár L., BpR 17(1956) 219. No. 1182. Network-number: 521—885(10 3R.) 1 2 Éri I. private communication.
