Janus Pannonius Múzeum Évkönyve 13 (1968) (Pécs, 1971)

Régészet - Kralovánszky, Alán: The Paleosociographical Reconstruction of the Eleventh Century Population of Kérpuszta. Methodological Study

PALAEOSOCIOGRAPHICAL RECONSTRUCTION 95 tion also illustrates the fact that the girls were married at an age of about 20 years

... In three graves we found 1 ring each; in those graves women of 30 to 40 years were inhumed. It may be suggested that the two wedding rings mean a second marriage of the respective women."

54 As a counter-argument the circumstances that also a child and four women between 16 and 18 years were supplied with rings and that this use was restricted to 26.5 per cent of the females, may be adduced. Supposed that this jewel would have been a wedding ring, we reach the unlikely conclusion that 73.5 per cent of the females was unmarried. Further if we suggest that the ring was the mark of the marriage between free people, the number of free women assessed above, 56 females, would contradict the number of women whith rings, 31. Thus 44.7 per cent of the supposed free females would not be married which is equally unlikely. For the rest, ethnological data show that the ring as a symbol of marriage has begun its career among the nineteenth century bourgeoisie.

55 So we may take it as a probabilitv that the eleventh centmy population of Kérpuszta used the ring as a sinvole jewel. The types of the rings have been treated by B. Szőke already and we fully agree with his results, so we do not deal with this problem.

30 We turn to the data of their use. In the observed instances the ring was was found always on the annular finger; unfortimately only 28.1 per cent of the cases was observed. In the following we reckon only with the certainly observed cases, presenting them according to age groups (Table 27). We may state that the vast majority of cases, 88.8 per cent, represents the use of one ring only. There are 3 exceptional instances (11.2 per cent) in which each woman wore .2 rings. Further the ring was worn chiefly on the right hand (66.6 per cent), a fact being in unison with our observations on S-ended hair rings, whereas the jewel decorated the left hand only in 29.5 per cent. Its use is noticed in all age groups, without any disproportion, except for the cases in which a person wore 2 rings. The latter use is observed on the people deceased between 15 and 35 years alone, i. e. in the reproductive age, similarly to our observations on the S-ended hair rings (Table 28). The open wire rings are in majority (51.4 per cent), then follows the open, twisted or woven type (25.7 per cent), the closed type made of wire and plate (20.0 per cent), finally the 34 Szőke, 1953 292. 35 Here I thank for the kind information of T. Hofer. 56 Szőke, 1953 286—287. headed ring (2.9 per cent). It is interesting that these ornamented types, similarly to the occurrence of several rings and several S-ended hair rings, are found equally in the age groups between 15 and 35 years. The first two types are appearing in all age groups. As regards the material of the rings, the majority is made of bronze (54.3 per cent), less specimens of silver (42.9 per cent) and the least of glass '(2.8 per cent). As we have alluded to it above, the use of silver is gradually increasing in the inner chronology of the cemetery. 8. Buckle It occured in section II of the cemetery, in the grave of a woman of the age group 25 to 35 years (Fig. 14). 14. The occurrence of buckles within the cemetery. Kérpuszta. 9. Knife It is mainly known from the first half ot the cemetery (section 1 = 8; section 11 = 2), in bulk in the areas where S-ended hair rings, beads and rings are missing (Fig. 15.) 15. The occurrence of knives within the cemetery Kérpuszta. The data reveal that knives were given to men (6.6 per cent) and, judged by this, probably male children (2.5 per cent) for their journey to the Nether World. The knife was indispensable to everyone in everyday life, but only a few seem to be entitled to bring it to their graves. The reason seems to be hidden in