Janus Pannonius Múzeum Évkönyve 13 (1968) (Pécs, 1971)

Régészet - Kralovánszky, Alán: The Paleosociographical Reconstruction of the Eleventh Century Population of Kérpuszta. Methodological Study

80 KRALOVÁNSZKY either unhistorical (e.g. some periods are missing, or the beginning of the period is defined only), or they amount to demographical absurdities (the number of assessed families is insufficient to produce the supposed number of descendants; there are more decendants than the number of assessed families).

16 Since two graves at the extremities of section II have yielded the coins of King St. Ladislas (1077—1095), we are justifield in suggesting that this section was filled during (or immediately after) the reign of St. Ladislas. It is also possible that it happened in the time of King Coloman (1095—1116). In view of these statements, our calculations may regard either the end of the reign of St. Ladislas (1095), or the bisector of King Coloman's rule (1105) as the upper time limit of the cemetery. It is more difficult to draw the lower time limit. The earliest coin is derived from St. Stenhen (997—-1038), whereas the coins of King Peter (1938—1041; 1044—1046), King Aba Sámuel (1041—1044) and King Andrew I. (1046— 1061) have been found in graves near the one dated by St. Stephen's coin. This fact, together with the circumstances that the cemetery was filled in the direction South-North and that a coin of Aba Samuel was found south of the tomb with St. Stephen's coin (!), allow us to suggest that the latter was not buried during the reign of King St. Stephen but later, in the 1040s. This hypothesis is supported by several data. It is known that the coins of St. Stephen, being a currency of good quality, were in favour both abroad and in the country even after his reign.

17 It is also probable that it takes some time until the issued new coins reach a remote village, or play a role in the burial rites.

18 Thus St. Stephen's coin may represent the 2040s roughly, but in principle they may mark also the beginning of the reign, round 2000. Consequently it is the most suitable solution if we take the bisector of St. Stephen's reign and we assume a round number, 2020, as a date wich causes to + direction the least source of error. Recently Gyula László suggested that a part of the coins with the legend »Stephanus« may have been minted by Prince Géza, the father of St. Stephen, having been christened equally 16 For example there is hardly any cemetery in Hungary, dated to the ninth century. The same is valid for the aboriginal inhabitants in the fifth and the sixth centuries, etc. 17 Huszár, 1938, 1965—66, 1967. 18 The issued first coins seem to have reached the rural population through merchants and soldiers. The very novelty and actual market value of the money makes it probable that it is accepted by the burial rites after a generation at least. Stephen (972—997).

19 In view of this hypothesis, we may complete our calculation, basing it on the bisector of Géza's reign, 984. (Table If we take the calculated mean value of the 8 suggested varieties, we have to reckon with the four possibilities between the years 971 and 1105 in the following. The possibilités marked 1—2 and 7—8 seem to represent such extreme values wich have little likelihood. (It is unlikely that Prince Géza minted coins;

20 it is not probable that St. Stephen's coins were put into the graves at once or too late.) Among the remaining four possibilities we regard the mean value of those marked 5—6 (998—1100) as the most probable. This estimate is supported by the following reasons. Since the investigated cemetery lies in Southern Transdanubia, in Somogy county, we can't supnress the suggestion that the beginning of burial may be due to the all-important political and religious change effected in the last decade of the tenth century. As it is known, this area was the abode of a relative of King St. Stephen, the heathen Koppány, dominating the Somogy region. After the death of Prince Géza, the father of St. Stenhen (997), Konpány revolted against the new king (998) and was annihilated by St. Stephen, together with his army, with the help of the Bavarian Vencelin and his knights near Veszprém. After the battle St. Stephen »allotted the lands of Koppány to the monastery of Pannonhalma and to his more valiant soldiers. St. Martin's church at Pannonhalma recevied the tithe of all products and offspring of the province of Somogy, and in addition several villages and a large number of people.«

21 As it is well know, it was in those years that St. Stephen began to convert the heathen Hungarians to Christianity energetically, to break the power of the tribes and to rearrange the groups of the aboriginal population and the clans; so we are justified in supposing that the large-scale reorganization of settlements and the triumph of the new religion was manifested in the beginning of new cemeteries too. Another reason of the founding of a new place of burial may have been an eventual inner movement of the inhabitants, either spontaneously or in course of a flight (Koppány's people!). At any rate it is certain that after 998 the territory of Somogy came under a strengthened royal and mainly ecclesiastical centről. Their influence must have been felt in our area as well. 19 László, 1962. 20 Huszár, 1965—66. 21 Hóman, 1935, 177—178.