Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 30/1. (2010)
Articles
Burials in the Tärgu Mure$ Franciscan Friary. A Fourteenth Century Burial with Diadem 195 at larger fairs or annual fairs probably all over the kingdom. The objects were part of the 14th century gothic clothing fashion and in some cases these clothes were buried together with the bearer. The items therefore were not very expensive and even the rural elite could afford to buy them. In conclusion the ten years old girl in M52 could be from a family that was part of the local elite and they could afford not only the purchase of the diadem but also the burial of their daughter in a Franciscan cemetery. The family could be also among the possible donors of the Tärgu Mure§ friary. The results of the C28 The C28 brought other significant results besides the M52. The anthropological analysis of the graves M39 and M42 revealed that the skeletons had a Germanic character. Of course in the 14th century the ethnic character of the graves is not relevant anymore. It is generally accepted that until the 14th century the different ethnic groups colonized in Transylvania were here for already three or four generations, therefore even if they show a certain anthropological features characteristic for an ethnic group these individuals lived in a Hungarian market town and in a Hungarian region. It is possible that the friars discovered in the Franciscan cemetery were of German origins but we do not know their cultural background. It is important the chronological definition of the archaeological complex. In the case of C28 we could establish a relative and an absolute chronology, as well. The relative chronology was offered by the position of the well versus the cemetery. We can confirm without risk that when the well was built the area was no longer used for burials. Therefore when the well was built around the second half of the 15th century the area was no longer used as cemetery for a few decades. This is also proved by the fact that the well pit destroyed a number of graves (Pl. 1). The absolute chronology was offered by the two coins (Fig. 2), one identified in the grave M39 and one found without a context. The Charles Robert coin found in the grave M39 gives us an important chronological horizon. The coin based on its catalogue identification12 was minted in 1327. It is a simple silver denarius and its presence in the grave tells us that the person could not be buried before 1327. Generally a similar silver denarius was not used longer than one or two decades. Of course there is no guarantee that the coin was kept for longer and it was used at the burial. However the presence of the coin let us think that the M39 was buried sometimes between 1330 and 1350. The graveyard we have found in the vicinity of the well functioned at least from the 1330’s until the late 14th or early 15th century. An excellent clue for the post quem functioning is the Louis the Great coin (1342-1382) from the 1370’s. Even if the coin was not found in a grave still helps to establish a chronological frame for the graves found in C28 and also for the diadem found in the M52. Based on the analogies and on the relative and absolute chronology the girl with diadem could have been buried in the second half of the 14th century around 1370-1400. This chronology is strengthened by the position of the M52 that seems to be among the latest burials in this cemetery part (Fig. 4), since the grave pit disturbed other graves (M47 and M53), while this grave remained free of later intervention. It seems that this was one of the last burials in this part of the graveyard, since there are no other burials that would disturb the graves. 12Unger 1997.
