Salló Szilárd (szerk.): A Csíki Székely Múzeum Évkönyve 11-12. (Csíkszereda, 2016)

Régészet - Nyárádi Zsolt: Helynévtan és régészet. Vizsgálódás az udvarhelyszéki falvak kezdeteiről

Nyárádi Zsolt

TOPONYMY AND ARCHAEOLOGY. STUDY OF THE ORIGINS OF THE VILLAGES OF ODORHEI (UDVARHELY) SEAT

Abstract

During the archaeological excavations, made in recent decades, on the territory of the old Medieval Odorhei Seat (Udvarhelyszék), new evidence was found regarding the foundation of the first villages dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries. The current study focuses on the toponymy of the Medieval villages, correlating them with recent archaeological discoveries.

Most of the materials were collected during surveys. These fragmented materials were considered of secondary value, but their analysis reveals that, in most cases, the foundation of the villages dates back much further than their first appearances in written sources. In some cases, the dating is even different from the classification of the toponymical names. The territory of one of the villages was subjected to archaeological excavations that brought to light much older materials than the ones found during the survey.

Medieval churches and their cemeteries have a special role in determining the origins of a

settlement. In Odorhei Seat, several churches which date back to the middle of the 12th century were excavated. In many cases, the oldest artefacts were recovered during these excavations.

During the 11th and 12 th centuries, approximately 28 villages were established, in the studied area. During the Árpádian Period, there were approximately 87-89 settlements, but we should note that we do not have any archaeological or ecclesiastical data, in the case of 37 ones. Toponymically, 18 of these date back to the Árpádian Period, so we may estimate a total number of 105-107 settlements. Between the 14th and 16th centuries, about 12-13 new villages were established.

The data coming from the analysis is presented in the form of a table which also includes the first toponymical appearance, ecclesiastical status along with the oldest artefacts found on the territory of the modern village. The villages and churches were also illustrated on a map.

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