Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 33/4. (2013)
Articles
174 E. Gall 2.a. On the second finger on the left hand: Däbäca-Castle Area IV: Grave 190.A. 2.b. On ‘a finger’ on the left hand: Alba Iulia-Roman Catholic Cathedral: Grave 15/2000. 12.5.2. Finger rings in the graves in Transylvania Although there are many different types of strap rings in the 1 lth-13th century Transylvanian cemeteries, their validity for dating is usually low. Mainly because their use is of long standing: the simple open and punched strap rings (Types la, lbl-lb4,) were found both in the Avar graves and in the graves of the conquering Hungarians, as well as the zig-zag patterned scratched rings .161 However, the zig-zag patterns on the ring found in Däbäca-Casf/e Area IV is not the work of the ring maker but that of the owner who must have seen this pattern somewhere and tried to copy it. It is in stark contrast with the elaborated items in Graves 41, 75 and 141 in Cluj-Mänästur}62 It must be noted that the item found in Däbäca- Castle Area IV was also made of high quality silver. The ring with grooving in C\\i)-Mänästur (Type lc) was found in the earliest phase of the cemetery, and the type lb4 ring in Grave 141 is dated by the burial right next to it with a coin of King Ladislaus I to the end of the 11th century. The type lb3 ring found in Grave 75 is also dated by an H22 coin of King Ladislaus I to the end of the century, whereas the H25 type coin dates the lb2 type ring to the end of the century quite exactly. At other sites these types of rings are known from the Avar era, and - in smaller quantity - from the 10th-century burials .163 An analysis of the rune-inscribed rings can be read in the work of Béla Miklós Szőke and László Vándor .164 The two pieces from Cluj- Mänästur can be dated to the end of the 11th or the beginning of the 12th century. The open braided rings of type 3 are all dated from the 11th century (6 pieces). Braided rings are known in the greatest number, which were found in the graves excavated in different parts of the cemetery .165 It is important to note that the surface of the silver finger ring from 161 The punched strap ring (Type lbl), which is a similar technological solution to that of the ring in Cluj-Napoca- Mänästur: Grave 114, was already detectable since the 9th century in the western part of the Carpathian Basin. Szőke - Vándor 1987, 74. 162 lambor - Matei 1979, 602, Pl. VHI/m. 41/1; lambor et al. 1981, 140, PI. V/m. 75/4; Gáli et al. 2010, 77, 79, PI. 49/4, PI. 52/4. 163 Istvánovits 2003, 305. 164 Szőke - Vándor 1987, 57-61. 165 Szőke 1962, 97; Giesler 1981,113, Types 29-30. Däbäca-Castle Area IV: Grave 282 was gilded, like the surface of the two silver hair rings with S-shaped ends from this burial. So in this case, the artefacts may have been made by the same master as ordered goods. The closed bronze ring with semicircular cross-section found in Grave 116 (Däbäca-Casf/e Area IV) on the edge of the cemetery can also be dated between the end of the 11th century and the beginning of the 13th century. We have to mention of the glass ring found in the section of the church from Däbäca-CasfZe Area IV. Although its context is unknown, it cannot be excluded that this ring was an import product coming from the Lower Danube region with other mass products (such as the green glazed pottery dated back to the 11th-12th centuries ).166 The type 8 ring with pyramid shaped head, found in SE Transylvania (Dräuseni: Grave 3), is exceptional because of the decoration in the form of letters M and W .167 Even the type of this ring is unknown in lllh-12th century graves. Two close parallels were found in 13th century treasure finds near Balmazújváros and Nagykamarás ,168 respectively in Grave 59.A from Zäbala .169 Based upon its context, the ring can be dated to the second half of the 12th century or the beginning of the 13th century. As opposed to the graves with strings of beads, in the graves containing finger rings mainly adults were buried. In 16 graves most of the skeletons belong to adults (Cluj-Napoca- Mänästur: Graves 2, 60, 86, 75, 141 and 157, Däbäca-Castle Area IV: Graves 68, 108, 114 and 116, Dräuseni: Grave 3, 5 and 42.B, Giläu: Grave 2, Jucu: Grave 53), but we can register two adolescents (Däbäca-Casf/e Area IV: Graves 146 and 190) and three infants too (Cluj-Napoca- Mänästur: Graves 17 and 159, Däbäca-Castle Area IV: Grave 282). In conclusion, customs of finger ring may be related first of all of to the age. In the analysis of the topographical locations of the rings found in the Däbäca cemetery it was conspicuous that, in contrast with the hair rings with S-shaped ends, half of the rings that could be mapped were not found in the central graves of the cemetery, but mainly (4 pieces from 4 graves) in the SE part of the churchyard .170 166 A glass bracelet dating to the 12th century was found in Moresti. Their insignificant quantity may lead to the assumption that they were imported goods, but the possibility of migrating persons cannot be excluded either. 167 Dumitrache 1979, 174. 168 Parádi 1975,10. kép 1,15. kép 1. 169 Benkő 2012, 25. ábra 16. 170 Gáli 2011, 61. táb.
