Petercsák Tivadar – Váradi Adél szerk.: A népvándorláskor kutatóinak kilencedik konferenciája : Eger, 1998. szeptember 18-20. / Heves megyei régészeti közlemények 2. (Eger, 2000)

„Peduncle" of the Árpádian Period Houses

AZ ÁRPÁD-KORI HÁZAK „NYELE" 319 PEDUNCLE" OF THE ÁRPÁDIAN PERIOD HOUSES Viktor Szentgyörgyi - Miklós Búzás — Mihály Zentai Three as yet unsolved problems have to be brought up at the description of our practical observations with regard to the dwelling houses from the Árpádian period. 1. What was the function of the „peduncle" in the Árpádian period houses? At some of the sunken dwelling houses unearthed during settlement excavations of the Árpádian period a specific and highly characteristic detail was observed by archaeologists: a relatively short and narrow ditch projecting from the wall of the pit of the house. The largest ditch observed so far was 190 cm long, the shortest one measured 18 cm. The smallest width was 12-57 cm. They have an irregular shape sloping usually towards the dwelling pit and their depth may surpass that of the dwelling pit. The ditches run in a straight line from the earth wall of the dwelling pit, in some cases, into a deadend that is their terminal part is rounded off. In other cases, they run into the ploughed, disturbed soil level. In the latter cases their total depth and length cannot be told. The walls of the ditches are usually parallel keeping a constant width in the whole length. In some exceptional cases, nevertheless, the ditches leave the wall with parallel walls then start widening at a certain point and the width of the dead-end or the terminal part reaching into the ploughed soil surpasses the starting width. The shapes of these ditches viewed from above remind of a „half opened fan". No regularity have been observed in the position of the ditches, although they are usually situated close to one of the corners. (The only exception seems to be the corner with the oven where it has never been observed.) More than one ditch can be attached to a house. The described phenomenon appeared at relatively few village excavations. Where it was found, it could be observed at several dwelling pits. No sensible explanation could yet be found concerning the function of these ditches. The researchers of the period called them, for lack of anything better, the ,,projecture" or the „peduncle" of the house, the function of which was unknown. As the characteristic ditches really remind of some kind of a „peduncle" from above, we shall adopt this appropriate name and use it in the future. Figures 1-5 illustrate some dwelling pits with „peduncle". 2. What surface did the roof cover outside the dwelling pit? It can be deduced only in rare cases in what distance from the edge of the dwelling pits the rafters leaned to the ground. As their terminal parts were probably not sunken into the ground, they left no identifiable trace on the outer surface. We do not usually have any information about the size of the area between the edge of the dwelling pit and the ends of the rafters (platform). It means that the real ground plan of the Árpádian period houses cannot be told using classical archaeological methods. 3. What types of repair were needed to preserve the state of the house? Our forefathers must have prepared the roof constructions of their buildings without the application of conservation techniques. Roofs made of natural materials, which have a colloid or cell-structure, change their weight depending on precipitation and relative humidity to a much greater degree than modern roof constructions made of tile, slate, plastic or metal. (In the case of sod roof, which is very heavy even when dry, this seasonal change of weight can reach 20-30 tons.) The wood exposed to the attacks of fungi and xylophagous insects gradually weakens under the abruptly growing weight in the winter months. We can be absolutely certain that the elements of the roof construction had to be changed from time to time. Our practical observations connected these three problems. Our hypothesis is that the phenomenon called the ,,peduncle"of the dwelling houses of the Árpádian period is the trace of the replacement of the rafters that weakened or broke during the use of the house. The total length of the „peduncle" exactly shows to what distance from the edge of the dwelling pit the rafter leaned to the ground. The purpose of the present study is to prove this hypothesis. We had to replace two rafters in our second building at the experimental archaeological site at Opusztaszer after the winter following the construction of the roof (Figs 7 and 8). We wanted to find a way to replace the broken rafters without pulling down and rebuilding the whole roof. The new rafters were built in the way illustrated in column B of fig. 10 and in fig. 11. The barked new rafter was raised in a nearly vertical position with the upper end close to its designated place next to the purlin. Then the lower part was moved outwards (and, in the meantime, the upper part automatically slid on the purlin). This was possible, however, only when the track of the lower end was cut from the earth wall of the dwelling pit (that is from the platform). The result was a straight canal. (This canal is nothing else than the ,,peduncle"of the Árpádian period houses.) A strong rope was looped around the lower part of the rafter, and its free end was brought out of the house through a hole made in the roof. Thus the lower part of the rafter could be pulled with contempo-