Szatmári Imre: Békés megye középkori templomai (Békéscsaba, 2005)

Békés megye középkori templomai able number of churches and graveyards were explored. It was evident as early as the outset of the work that for drawing the whole picture it is not sufficient to take the archaeological sources as starting points, though putting all elements of them together was held a basic task. Historical data were indispensable as well for a complete database, while ethnographic parallels, orally transmitted data for a complex overview. In addition to data of the mediaeval written diplomas, geographicetymological word explanations of linguistics provide other sources of new data in specifying the number of perished churches of the Árpád Age and the late mediaeval age. The database created in this way and the synthesis regarding the research-history provided a basis for systemising and evaluating the outcomes. However, it emerged in connection with the value and reliability of each statement that whether the quantity of data gained during the research could give sufficient ground for a generalisation. The number of sacred establishments (rural temples, clan's monasteries, friaries, chapels) known from excavations soon proved to be much less than we need to have for a modestly sound calculation. So the final summary brought the result that, though the excavations producing known (or available) church drawings cannot be more than 20% of the onetime quantity, taking into account further details and on the ground of the similarities shown in the summary some general conclusions can be drawn, after all. I find convenient to approach the topic by treating separately the three areas. A first and important component is identified with the environment providing a framework for surveying the scope and history of the topic. Since the political, social, even eco157 nomic, components of the mediaeval history should be considered with as much weight as the closer environment of a certain settlement or the settlement-system relating to a wider region and its changes. In one word identification, description and specification of the contemporary living-space represent a startingpoint in addressing the topic. Another more important unit of the applied research methods concentrate on the sacred building located in the mediaeval livingspace, and comprehensively analyse their types, certain typical variations, identical or different details, elements. Such elements of the survey are e.g. place of the mediaeval (primarily Árpád Age or late mediaeval) buildings in the geographic environment or archaeological site, the size, orientation, basic plan, foundation, material, inner structure of each building, marking features of the ornaments, question of reconstructions, and at last but not least the date of the buildings. Surveying the mediaeval cemeteries, burials required partly different methods complemented with interdisciplinary elements. Nevertheless it was unavoidable to address the unclear details and issues of the early process of conversion to Christianity. Having much difference in their burial customs, the pagan world couldn't conceivably be replaced by Christianity without a transition period. It was worth overlooking the place of cemeteries, types of pits, burial customs, following a uniform approach and a comparative method both in early and later periods. The identities and differences of the churches and graveyards brought us to sound conclusions as to the church building in the Great Plain, even with view to the whole mediaeval Hungary. The available data quantity and the totality of the material under survey proved sufficient