Somogyi Múzeumok Közleményei 10. (1994)

Magyar Kálmán: A Babócsai Nárciszos-Basakert Árpád- és középkori településtörténete a régészeti kutatások alapján

92 MAGYAR KÁLMÁN KALMAN MAGYAR: THE SETTLEMENT-HISTORY OF BABOCSA-NARCISSUS FIELD IN ÁRPÁD AND MIDDLE AGE WITH THE ARCHEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION Resume In the Narcissus Field an important archeological excavation (between 1984. and 1992.) identified the settlement and the fortress of Babócsa. We could determine the age (Xlll—XVII

th century) and the architectural structure of the largest fortress of Somogy County and we could observe the buildings and objects of the inner settlement with its building periods. In the center of the fortress there was the Benedictine Abbey founded by the Tibold clan. We could examine the cloister, the cemeteries and its economical organization. (The abbey had an aparted supply settlement.) The cemeteries with hundreds of graves were fenced round by walls. The church was longer than 30 m. This abbey lost its importance by the XIV-XV

th century. In the golden age, after the Tartar invation the settlement was fortified by an important defense system. The village of Babócsa situated to the south about 100 m far from the abbey. This little village with a romanesque church (13x8m), and a cemetery became a market-town by the XIV

th century. The craftmen and other new habitants erected a richer gothic church and a pilgrim's house instead of the smaller romanesque one. Probably the new liege lords, Marczali and Báthori clans (their palace was to the west from the monastery), encouraged this intellectual and economical change. The Marczali-Báthori clan helped for the citizens of the market-town, the Franciseans, the town metamorphosis. In the Narcissus Field (the other name of this territory - Pasha's Garden - originates from the Turkish period) near to the buildings, built in the Xll-Xlll

th century, we digged up complete and partial building offering situated close to the monastery. This was a well-known superstitious custom of the Hungarian habitants. A short chapter gives a lot of important data to the archeological research of the examination of this popular custom. Earlier publications could mention this unical occurence in our country only at half a dozen places. We could form a conception of building practice of that time. The excavation collected a lot of data about circumstances of life of the citizents of the fortified market-town in the XIV-XVI

th century. In the period of the XI-XIV

th century the south routes like as Babócsa-Segesd-Barcs and CsurgóZákány-Berzence-(Somogy)Udvarhely-Bélavár lines, were controlled by the representatives of the King, the Queen, and the Tibold clan from Babócsa. It is probable according our research, that the same fortress system was in North, West and East Somogy County. Namely the center fortresses of the early tribes and clans just like as Somogyvár-Kaposvár Rupolyvár or Fonyód-Segesd-Babócsa could be existed at the first time. These, and the types of Ordacsehi-Babócsa Motte-Kisvár fortresses created the fortress-centers of Somogy County in the period of the conquest and the time of the state organization. The early courts of clans, respectively fortresses defending the later King's and Queen's curtises and courts (among these the three fortresses of Babócsa) got a special role in this inner defense line. The fortress and settlement of Babócsa-Narcissus-Field can be considered as a unical one from these, because the whole archeological excavation and its scientifical research work could be completed. The method was conform to the points of view of the national fortress research.