Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 33/4. (2013)

Articles

Churchyards in the Transylvanian Basin from the 11th to the first half of the 13,h centuries

175

When mapping the spots where rings were found, it should be noted that almost all of them were found in cemeteries in the western part of the Transylvanian basin, mainly in the churchyards of the county centres, in relatively small quantities. The variety of the types of rings indicates the existence of workshops in these political-administrative centres, but foreign trade may have played a role too. The rare occurrence of rings in the E half of the Transylvanian basin can be explained by several different reasons, but it must have been driven by most of all the economic situation, although the two cemeteries in SE Transylvania may indicate that in some communities this lack of furnishings may be traced back to mental reasons. Based upon the grave goods found in the cemetery in Dräuseni (where the experts suppose the presence of hospites), the received conception that ‘Székely cemeteries are rich and the cemeteries of the hospites are poor’171 cannot be held. For example the grave goods in Dräuseni are much richer than those in the cemetery in Avrämesti or Lueta (the most graves without grave goods). Dräuseni, which has been categorised a hospessettlement, does not have any poorer furnishings than those in Däbäca-Casf/e Area IV, Däbäca-A. Tämas’s Garden, Moresti or the churchyards in Avrämesti, Lueta or Petriceni, which is in the Szeklerland but had at least as poor furnishings as the cemetery excavated in Feldioara.

12.6. Big churn rings (PI. 38. A)

In the cemetery in Däbäca-Casf/e Area IV, a bronze churn ring was also found with a bronze plate on one end. According to its dating and parallels it is datable to the 12th and 13th centuries

.172

Nándor Parádi thought that it was a bracelet, but in his excavations, Mihály Kulcsár observed that these big size rings were used as earrings

.173

In the Däbäca cemetery, they cannot be connected to graves and they have rarely been found in the 12th-13th century cemeteries in Transylvania.

12.7. Bracelets (Pi. 46, PI. 50)

In contrast with the great number of bracelets in the cemeteries of earlier periods, in the churchyard cemeteries bracelets are rare, only few of them were found: Alba Iulia-Roman Catholic Cathedral: Grave 9 and 78, Alba Iulia-Roman Bath stray finds (2 pieces), Streisängeorgiu - stray find. At Alba Iulia-Roman Bath a strap- and a twisted bracelet were found, in Alba Iulia- Roman Catholic Cathedral two twisted bracelets with a rhomboid cross-section items and in Streisängeorgiu a similar twisted type. Although they do not have much relevance for dating, they are likely to indicate the early graves of these cemeteries

.174

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The material culture from churchyards from the Transylvanian Basin dated to the 11th— 13th centuries comprise fashion commodities common in the Hungarian Kingdom and in Central and Eastern Europe. Similarly to other objects, the jewels of this era cannot symbolise more than a jewel of any kind could: fashion, commerce, social status. As it has been shown above, the objects cannot be connected to a gender, only their functionality bears with gender symbolism (Fig. 26).

Finds Female Neutral Male

Tin hairpin (Däbäca-Castle Area IV: Grave 172) •

Plain hairpin-in a ribbon, on a band (ex.: Däbäca-Casf/e Area IV: Grave 322) •

Hair rings used as hair rings •

Hair rings used as earrings •

Hair rings in a ribbon •

String of pearls •

Finger rings •

Bracelets •

Fig. 26. Gender and functionality

173 Kulcsár 1992-1995, 249-275.

174 Dienes 1964, 20; Jakimowicz 1931, 254; Révész 1996,

171 Ionitä 2010, 389-400. 90-91; Sternberger 1958, I, abb. 95; Szabó 1978-1979, 19,

172 Parádi 1975, 149. 31,12. ábra; Szőke 1962, 71-72, 94-96.