Cseri Miklós, Tárnoki Judit szerk.: Népi építészet a Kárpát-medencében a honfoglalástól a 18. századig - A 2001. október 9-10-én Szolnokon megrendezett konferencia anyaga (Szentendre; Szolnok: Szabadtéri Néprajzi Múzeum; Szolnoki Damjanich János, 2001)
BELÉNYESSI Károly: Templom körüli erődítés Balatonszárszó határában
Fortification around a church in the fields of Balatonszárszó KÁROLY BELÉNYESSI The Archaeological Institute of the Hungarian Scientific Academy (MTA) began in September 2000 together with the Board of Museums of Somogy County to uncover the area of the planned highway junction south-east from Balatonszárszó. The main task of the excavation was the research of the wellknown church and graveyard of the medieval Szárszó, which the highway junction would affect. The results are amazing. The church-hill was surrounded by a 4—5 m wide and almost 2 m deep moat, which was probably accompanied by a mound in the inner side. We have discovered within this closed area, besides the 765 graves, a settlement arranged following a regular system and consisting of many buildings and dug-outs tightly built next to each other. 15 half-timbered houses with mud-plastered walls stood around the church in the middle within the protected area in the 14 th —15 th century. The group of dwelling houses and that of farm buildings (cellar, stables) are well distinguishable. They form a group on the more protected southern side. Provisory dwelling houses were built along the moat on the northeastern side. We can conclude that the closed area served as a shelter for the population, where their produces were stored and hoarded in case of danger. This shelter could be defended. A structure developed around the medieval church of Szárszó, not without roots in the Arpadian age, which is, in view of its function, not without similar examples, however still quite unique in the middle of medieval Hungary. Several questions emerged with regard to the fortification, which we hope, will be answered during further archaeological work.
