Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem. Bölcsészettudományi Kar. Történelemtudományok Doktori Iskola. Régészet Doktori Program. Summary of the dissertation

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1 Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem Bölcsészettudományi Kar Történelemtudományok Doktori Iskola Régészet Doktori Program Summary of the dissertation 9th-11th centuries cemeteries of Alba Iulia Budapest

2 9th-11th centuries cemeteries of Alba IuliaBu Introduction The title of my Ph.D. Thesis 9th-11th century Cemeteries from Alba Iulia. The base of my research project is the Necropolis from Alba-Iulia-"Staţia de salvare." 1 The "Staţia de salvare" medieval Cemetery is the larggest necropolis from Transylvania. The necropolis is located on the northern part of Alba Iulia, near the early medieval castle (Belgrad - named by the Bulgarians in the 9th Century). Thanks to the support of Dr. Horia Ciugudean, ex Director of the National Museum from Alba Iulia, I could made a detailed analysis of the early medieval cemetery, "Staţia de salvare." Without his permission, I could not realise my work. The object of my Ph.D. Thesis was to identifie chronological and cultural aspects with the analysis of burial rites and rituals, the archaeological material from Alba Iulia. Geography The Staţia de salvare/mentőállomás necropolis is located on the northern part of Alba Iulia, close to the "salt road", on the second bench of the Mureş river. The 9th-11th cemeteries are located near the gold and silver mines from the Metalliferous Mountains. The examination of Burial customs and the analysis of finds During the archaeological excavation of the Necropolis from "Staţia de salvare" were excavated aprox graves (between ). 2 According to the burial rites and rituals could be separate two early medieval cemeteries: 9th-10th centuries and 10th-11th centuries. 3 1 Near the "Staţia de salvare" cemetery we included to the project the archaeological material of another 10-11th, centuries cemeteries from Alba Iulia: Alba Iulia-Brânduşei street, Pâclişa, Alba Iulia-"Izvorul Împăratului", Alba Iulia-"Dealul Furcilor". 2 BLĂJAN-POPA 1983; MOGA 1987; HEITEL 1995, ; CIUGUDEAN 1996; BLĂJAN 2004; CIUGUDEAN et al. 2006; CIUGUDEAN 2007; COSMA Radu Heitel made a chronological order of the "Staţia de salvare" necropolis: I-IV. phases (from roman age to early Árpádian age - HEITEL 1995). 2

3 The graves of the 9th-10th centuries cemetery have a various orientation: W-E, E-W, NW-SE, SW-NE, SE-NW, N-S and S-N. Many graves are covered with brick and stones and in a few cases people used bricks from roman graves (sarcophagus). In the graves were discovered funerary offerings of late avar period (8th-9th centuries) and Lower-Danube type finds (9th-10th centuries). Late avar period`s finds are: 1-2 pots, hand-made pottery, animal offerings (bones of sheep/lamb, bovine), graves with sacrificated animals (sheep and bovine skulls), glass beads, Millefiori bead (typical for Karoling Age), several wearing objects, tools, etc. The archaeological material of the Bulgarians (Lower-Danube type finds from 9th-10th centuries): yellow or grey clays, carefully polished grey or yellow pottery, amphorae, moonshaped pair of earrings, plummet pendants, iron knife, etc. The 9th-10th centuries material have excellent parallels in the Blandiana A, Ciumbrud and Orăştie cemeteries and in the 8th-10th centuries cemeteries from the Lower-Danube (Sultana. Istria, Frăteşti, Obârjia Nouă, Pliska, Preslav, Varna, Kjulevča, etc). In the second burial stage could be separate graves from the 10th-11th Centuries. Only a few graves contain pottery. The pottery findings consist of small pots with incised decoration. Many graves are covered with brick and stone (could be observed graves orientated in E-W with placement of stones). The archaeological material contains smallfinds: earrings, necklases, bronze or silver bracelets, finger rings, "Grape"-type granulated earrings from silver - influance of Byzantine Empire -, silver pendants, glass bead necklaces, perforated shells or used Roman coins, etc. The tools found in graves include iron knifes and iron strike-a-lights, grit stones, etc. In the second burial phase appear the material culture of the Hungarian Conquest periode (the second part of 10th century in Transylvania): weapons (rhombic arrowheeads, iron reinforcements of quivers, iron battleaxes) and could be observed horse-burials (weapons and riding equipment in the grave). In the examination of horse-burials could be observed the phenomenon of syncretism (rider graves with placement of stones and E-W orientation). Conclusions With the analysis of burial rites and rituals, the archaeological material of the grave and anthropological analysis (skeletons excavated from OMV, Profi, Brânduşei street cemeteries, the 3

4 register of skeletons from "Staţia de salvare" from Anthropological Institute of Iaşi) we had found two several cemeteries close to the "salt road" and the gold and silver ores from the Metalliferous Mountains. The communities from 9th and 10th centuries on the territory of Alba Iulia had the prime object to dominate the silver and gold mines and to take control over the "salt road" on the Mureş river (the most important commercial road in Transylvania). List of publications Gabriel Rustoiu, Marius Ciută, Szilárd Sándor Gál: Mormântul unui călăreţ avar recent descoperit la Unirea-Vereşmort (Jud. Alba), Anexa I. Analiza morfo-taxonomică a scheletului uman, Apulum XLV, Szilárd Sándor Gál: Analiza antropologică a materialului osteologic provenit din necropola din secolul al VI-lea p. Chr. The anthropological analysis of the human bones from the sixth century A.D. necropolis, in: Patrimonium Archeologicum Transylvanicum I, Cercetări arheologice preventive la Floreşti-Polus Center, Jud. Cluj (2007). Rescue excavations at Floreşti-Polus Center, Cluj County (2007), , Mega kiadó, Kolozsvár, Gáll Erwin, Gál Szilárd Sándor: Mormântul 10. de la Str. Zapolya din Cluj Napoca, MCA, Bukarest, Ewin Gáll, Balázs Gergely, Szilárd Gál: La răscruce de drumuri. Date arheologice privind teritoriul oraşului Cluj Napoca în secolele X-XIII, Kolozsvár, Zalán Györfi-Szilard Sándor Gál: Archeological Data Regarding the Medieval History of the Unitarian Church in Adămuş (Mureş County). In: Marisia. Studii şi Materiale Arheologice, Erwin Gáll, Balázs Gergely, Szilárd Gál, Mátyás Vremir: Grave 10 from the Cluj-Zápolya cemetery and the dynamics of the Hungarian Conquest of Transylvania, Stratum Plus 5, Chişinău, ,

5 Szilárd Sándor Gál: Romania. In: The Routledge Handbook of Archaeological Human Remains and Legislation. An international guide to laws and practice in the excavation, study and treatment of archaeological human remains (edited by N. Márquez-Grant and L. Fibiger), London-New York, Mircea Mare, Daniela Tănase, Florin Draşovean, Georgeta El Susi, Szilárd Sándor Gál: Timişoara-Freidorf. Cercetările arheologice preventive din anul 2006, Cluj Napoca, Adriana Isac, Erwin Gáll, Szilárd GÁL, Un cimitir din secolul XII la Gilău (jud. Cluj) (germ. Julmarkt; mgh. Gyalu), MCA, , Szilárd Sándor Gál: Analiza osteologică a mormântului avar de la Măgina, Jud. Alba, Apulum L series Archaeologica et Anthropologica, Alba Iulia,