Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 33/4. (2013)
Articles
Churchyards in the Transylvanian Basin from the ll,h to the first half of the 13lh centuries 169 go to show that hair rings might vary functions in these cases too: they could have been used as hair rings but they could also have embellished some kind of ribbon or band. In the case of Grave 310 we cannot exclude the possibility that they were earrings. Therefore the table showing the hairstyles characteristic of the genders indicates hair rings on hair buns and ribbons and hair rings functioning as earrings with the female sex, whereas with males they could have functioned as hair rings or earrings: The hair style worn by the conquering Hungarians was basically different from that of those people who they found in the Carpathian Basin. It is attested by several written sources. For example Liutprand's embassador report from 968 that the bishop of Cremona met the embassador of the Bulgarians, ‘whose hair was clipped in Hungarian style’.'37 According to Regino, ‘they cut their hair to the skin with knives’.'3* According to the Chronicon Pictum (Vienna Illuminated Chronicle), Vata shaved his head leaving three locks in pagan style in the 11th century. Both the archeological finds and the written sources allow us to suppose two hairstyles in the 10th century: I. Braided male hairstyle (the interpretation of the hair rings found in female graves remains a question). The Vienna Illuminated Chronicle and the plain hair rings in the archeological finds may refer to this. II. Hair locks. The data given by the Vienna Illuminated Chronicle and Regino may refer to this. 137 MGHS 1915, 185; Bálint 2006, 332. 138 Györfiy 1975, 25, 27. However, this hairstyle began to change at the turn of the 10th-11th centuries when more and more graves are registered where more plain hair rings were found (3-6) as opposed to the one or two plain hair rings, which was characteristic for the graves of the previous era (one can suppose one or two hair locks). It is also important to note that the 10th century ‘Hungarian’ hairstyle, which was considered archaic, remained fashionable for a long time. The change in the shape of the hair rings, knowing the hair rings found in the Däbäca graves, indicate the change of the hairstyle, the possibility cannot be excluded that based on the above mentioned examples. The hair rings with S-shaped ends could also have been used as lock-rings, or even earrings as similarly to the 10th century hairstyle. At the same time one or two hair rings remained dominant in the 11th—13th centuries. The hairstyle with one and with two hairlocks is to be seen on page 21 in the Vienna Illuminated Chronicle written in the 14th century, which allows us to suppose that this hairstyle was worn throughout the Middle Ages. Moreover, according to the research conducted by Alice Gáborján, we know that it remained in use as far as the 20th century .139 140 12.3. Hairpins (Fig. 23; PI. 20, PI. 32, PI. 38, PI. 45) The different types of this jewellery, worn mainly by women, are known from ancient Egypt, and hairpins were worn by the Etruscans, the ancient Greeks and the Romans. Ballhead hairpins are known from the finds found in the different types of cemeteries of the researched era in the Transylvanian Basin. Its early similar variants made of gold and silver were registered in the graves in Aregonde, France (dated to 584), 140 and in Grave 131 in Bredav-Pohansko, which datable to the 9th century .141 This type of jewellery was categorised among the characteristics of the 12th century Hungarian Kingdom back in 1978,142 which was in connection with the change of the hairstyle .143 However, they are not known from all the 12th century cemeteries, and their quantity also changed. 139 Gáborján 1997, 239-240. 140 Périn 2008, 432-435. 141 Kalousek 1971, 87, PL 133/1. 142 Bóna 1978, 140-141. 143 Bárdos 1978, 194.
