Somogyi Múzeumok Közleményei 8. (1987)

Bárdos Edith: Középkori Templom és temető Kaposvár határában II.

78 BARDOS EDITH the sides. The Christion custom of crossing the fingers is found only in later, dating from the 14th-16th centuries. Graves gradually become closer to each other near the church. Here some changes in the rituals can also be observed. Grave pits are regular rectangles and wooden coffins are also frequently found. Graves mounted on bricks have also been found (no. 736 and 1,061). (See Fig. 10-11.) In the later graves, often the position of the skeleton is different. Arms were bent at the elbow, with the forearms or hands crossed in the middle. Double or triple funerals are also found. (See Fig. 12-14.) The author gives a long account covering the 'races of pagan customs in Christian cemeteries, and she regards these phenomena as an important substratum of the melting of our beliefs. These pagan customs have been preserved in people's minds, in spite of all laws and taboos. In grave no. 184, there is a skeleton of a woman, with the bones of a well-developed embryo in her pelvis. There is a sickle llaid under her right ankle and a jar by her left leg. (See Fig. 16.) Both these objects bear witness to the presence of pagan beliefs: the aim of these objects was to provide the dead with food and drink in the other world. There was also a sharp, pointed iron-tool for protection against harm. The same positioning was found in grave no 773, where another woman lay with a baby in her pelvis. On her femur, there was an iron sickle which had been broken into two before the burial. An iron heel-guard played a similar role as the iron-tool mentioned above: it was a harm prevention talisman, stopping the dead from haunting the world. In grave no. 1,061, there was an iron knife by the skeleton's hand. A large number of graves contained so-called „S-shaped lock-rings"; in fact, 125 graves were found containing this type of jewellery, nearly in all known varieties. A typical find in the late 15th—16th century graves of young girls was their special headdress, tihe symbol of virginity. The author depicts these different head-dresses in detail. The best example was recovered from grave no. 836. (See Fig. 20.) It has been well-preserved, so its original design, and even the hair-style under it, was easy to reconstruct (there was even a dock of hair left on the skull). (See Fig. 24.) There were leaves between the headdress and tihe skull. (Fig. 22.) Two nice narrow, fillet-like headdresses decorated with beads were found in graves no. 1,085 (Fig. 26.) and no. 1,091 (Fig. 22.). A separate chapter is devoted to the question of hairpins. 8 silver-gilt hairpins with ball-shaped beads were recovered from 3 graves, evidence of a popular fa Ilk custom These refined pieces of jewellery (grave ло. 772; Fig. 30.) were used to fasten the veil around the bride's forehead. This custom, therefore, was not only alive in Sárköz, Transylvania, Slovak Upper-Northern Hungary and the SerbianDanube valley in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was also the custom in the Somogy county. Among the other jewels and decorations, a castbronze lunula from grave no. 1,217 is worth mentioning (Fig. 32.). Some amulets and bronze corpuses were unearthed from the younger graves - ecclesiastical objetcts sold at church festivals. The settlement itself has only been partly explored. The finest examples of Medieval pottery came from section no. XXIII/5 (The „egg-shell ceramic" XX. t. 4. and the „white battle" XX. t. 3.), as well as the rubbish heaps from the 9th cenltury cemetery and remains from the ovens: 12th and 13th century ceramics and huge tankards (See Fig. 41-42.). The author treats some glass fragments found in one of the granary pits in detail, since all kinds of glass objects typical of the 13th and 14th centuries were found there, most of them fragments of „conical bottles" (for their reconstruction, see Fig. 36.). In the last chapter, the author puts forward two theories: the settlement of the explored cemetery is probably a tribal settlement called „Keszi", mentioned in the Kaposszentjakab Charter of 1061 (see Györffy György). Or it could form part of the property of the Szerdahelyi family. It seems certain however, that the settlement used to belong to the Abbey of Szentjakab, amd it may have been under the direct patronage of the Abbey. In fact, it is possible that even the landowner's manor-house was under this patronage. This would explain the presence of finds which are otherwise uncharacteristic of Medieval cemeteries, lacking in gravegoods. I should like to express my thanks to the chief consultant of the excavation, Dr. Károly Mesterházy Hungarian Natural Museum; to the archeologist, Mr. Péter Gróf; graphic-artist, Mr. László Hornyok; assistant archeologist, Mr. Káíroly Trunk and, to Mrs. Mária Sótomyi, who illustrated this publication.