Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 33/4. (2013)
Articles
136 E. Gáll philosophy, which always tries to achieve certainty, it has been well known since the time of Aristotle that things of different characters or genders are very difficult to connect or to compare. It is possible only to a certain extent. In archaeology it means that historical facts and archaeological data can only be connected if the latter rely on a sound basis, otherwise a vague thing would be used to support uncertain fact that can hardly be connected to it.5 A very important aim of our research is, apart from the categorization and analysis of the archaeological data, to point out the non-scientific nature of this mixed argumentation. I created a database on medieval cemeteries, which presently includes the information on 54 churchyards, which, compared to the Cris and the Nir Region, the Maramures, or the Banat, seems to be more significant and better equipped with in depth studies. 2. The geography of the Transylvanian Basin When studying the history of the 11th- 13th centuries, an unavoidable question arises concerning what the concept of the Carpathian Basin meant to those people who lived in that time. From an archaeological point of view, it is the excavation sites, particularly the culturally more specified cemeteries that give us the only guidance. Based on these archaeological sites it can be stated that in a demographic aspect in the 11th-13th centuries (as far as it can be detected) the Carpathian Basin did not correspond to the geographical Carpathian Basin, which neither excludes nor proves the existence of a political-military rule over this area. A major part of these areas appears as white spots on our maps in the 10th century. It warns us to treat the existing or non-existing 5 In German archeology this method was criticized by Joachim Werner back in the 70s and with the motto ‘Gettrent Marschier, vereint Schlagen he promoted that archeology should adopt an independent standpoint and research position. Werner 1979, 9-10. As opposed to this, Reinhard Wenskus said that the aim of archeology could only serve historical purposes and they should be considered secondary to them. Wenskus 1961, 637. Fig. 1. Transylvanian Basin (basic map by Daniel Spänu) connections between geographic concepts and the extension of a network of settlements with care not to mention the conclusions can be drawn based upon them. Geographically, the Carpathian Basin, which is situated in Central Europe, is divided into two parts: the central basins and the surrounding 1500-km-long and 150-200-km-wide mountain ranges. 51% of this 325000 km2 is constituted by flatlands with altitudes lower than 200 m above sea level. The hills (201-500 ms) constitute 24%, the mountains lower than 1000 m 20% and the mountains higher than 1000 m 5% of the Carpathian Basin. The lowlands, the hills and the small intermountain basins provide good conditions both for breeding animals and for growing crops. The inner part of the basin is covered by a woody steppe surrounded by the thick forests which form zones changing according to the higher regions. The woody mountains of the Carpathian are connected to the central basins (the Great Plain/Nagyalföld and the Small Plain/Kisalföld, the Transylvanian Basin) by the terraced valleys of the concentric water system. The rivers arriving in the lowlands regularly flood huge areas. Until the 19th century, these regions made up 15% of the Carpathian Basin. Geographically the Transylvanian Basin (around 35.000 km2) is semi-independent of the Carpathian Basin. The Basin is the range of the SE Carpathians and the Transylvanian Alps. It spreads from the Alps of Bucovina, from the Alps of Maramure§, from the valley of the Upper-Tisza/Tisa, and from the source of the river of Suceava to the valley of the Danube at the Porfile de Fier. It spreads in a semicircular arch shape. At the western region of this huge geographical unit stands the Transylvanian Range (its Romanian name
