Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 32/2. (2012)
Articles
A PERISHED MEDIEVAL SETTLEMENT IN UDVARHELYSZÉK ZSOLT NYÁRÁDI Haáz Rezső Museum, Odorheiu Secuiesc, RO Near the town of Odorheiu Secuiesc (Hungarian Székelyudvarhely), a medieval village called Szentimre hasfallen victim to the town’s growth. The settlement was permanently emptied by a princely order and its inhabitants moved to the town. Because of the fact that the perishing of settlements is not quite common in the region, it was a rare opportunity to archeologically inspect the history of a settlement which saw its last days during the middle of the 16th century. We have previously subjected the site to field surveys on several occasions and managed to locate the perished village’s church, which we have investigated through archaeological diggings. Near the site of the church dig site, in an area which appeared very promising during the field survey, we have also begun investigating the settlement itself and found houses along with other site features. The present study summarizes this, so far poorly known historical source, and Opfers insight into information obtained through the processing and interpretation of the materials yielded by the dig site. The data from the field survey, during which we have detected traces of several cultures and periods, was recorded on a map. In order to discover the reasons why the settlement perished we have gathered all the known perished settlements in Udvarhelyszék (Udvarhely Seat). Keywords: medieval village, coins; pottery; iron tools; church; cemetery; settlements By studying the history of settlements from Udvarhelyszék, according to traditional beliefs, many villages have shifted their position or moved during their history. These traditions have been recorded by Balázs Orbán when he was collecting information about the area. As such, by studying the “A Székelyföld leírása” (“The description of Székely Land”) we will find numerous mentions of deserted villages. Reality however, shows us an entirely different picture. The archaeological field surveys done so far, examining the interior of settlements resulted in the conclusion that, since their establishment, the settlements still inhabited today stand above the traces of their predecessors, which in most cases date back to the age of the Árpád dynasty. By examining historical sources one can still find a few villages that are missing from today’s maps. The desertion of settlements is a known occurrence also in this region but by far not in the same measure as in other regions of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary (Jakó 1945, 5), and not in the same form as described by Orbán. In the case of the traditional beliefs regarding settlements which moved from one place to another, depending on the case, there may be actual explanations; just to name one such example we may mention the case of tradition remembering the existence of Locfalva, west of Bezid in the valley of Lo| creek, which is confirmed by the finding of fragments of pottery and bricks, MARISIA XXXII, p. 155-192
