H. Bathó Edit – Horváth László – Kaposvári Gyöngyi – Tárnoki Judit – Vadász István szerk.: Tisicum - A Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok Megyei Múzeumok Évkönyve 15. (2006)

PÉTER LANGÓ: ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND CHARTER DATA FOR THE JAZYGIAN SETTLEMENTAL HISTORY IN THE 10-15™ CENTURIES

Thus, the archaic elements of the serfdom of the Jász ensured fewer burdens than those of the serfs working on the priváté estates of the nobles. The Jász exploited these economic opportunities, as shown by the continuous growth of their villages in the Middle Ages. While the population of the neighbouring noble holdings moved away, if possible, the Jász tried to get hold of, and populate, these "heaths" as well. Thus, the medieval Jász not only lived in harmony with their environment, but tried to make use of the capabilities of the area. Contrary to the disadvantageous environment suggested by 19th-20th-century scholars, recent research and the examination of the settlement structure has shown that the area was far from unfavourable, as thought previously. In the case of the Jász, we are faced with an instance of successful assimilation. They strived to exploit the potential of the environment and adapted fást to the possibilities it provided: they created permanent settlements and took up plánt cultivation. The advantages of their legal status drew many people to the area both during the Middle Ages and the Ottoman occupation. The memory of these privileges played an important role in the later formation of a separate Jász identity. In the socially evén more strictly stratified Hungárián Kingdom of the early modern period, the Jász tried to transform their earlier legal status intő noble privileges. In the end, the myth of nobility brought about their redemption, when the whole community was freed from the burdens of serfdom. Nationalistic tendencies, increased by the effects of the Enlightenment, had their influence on the Jász as well; it nourished the earlier notion of nobility and Jász nationality and made it the basis of many modern myths. 97