The Castle of Regéc, hidden in the wild Zemplén forest, has become famous not only among hikers, ... more The Castle of Regéc, hidden in the wild Zemplén forest, has become famous not only among hikers, but also nationwide, thanks to the large-scale tourism and monumental developments of the recent years. The beginnings of the work, how the work of archaeologists and architects intertwine, and how the restorers turn a scattered find from the ground into a wonderful work of art, have only been partially discussed so far.
The White Friar
A brief, edited summary on the archaeological research of Pauline monasteries in ... more The White Friar A brief, edited summary on the archaeological research of Pauline monasteries in Hugary in 2019. In Hungarian.
On 12 September, the historical exhibition entitled “Paulines”, organized jointly by the Hungaria... more On 12 September, the historical exhibition entitled “Paulines”, organized jointly by the Hungarian Pauline Order and the National Museum, closed its doors after three months (Fig. 1). The exhibition was originally planned to be on display in 2020, commemorating the 750th anniversary of the death of the Order’s founder, Blessed Eusebius of Esztergom. The aim of the jubilee year and the exhibition was to draw the attention of the public to the Pauline Order that is the sole medieval order founded in Hungary that is still functioning as a male monastic order with papal approval. Behind this complicated description there is a great history, a lot to tell, and each word of the Order’s complex definition evokes centuries of history.
Szeptember 12-én zárta kapuit három hónap után a Pálosok című történeti kiállítás a Magyar Pálos ... more Szeptember 12-én zárta kapuit három hónap után a Pálosok című történeti kiállítás a Magyar Pálos Rend és a Nemzeti Múzeum közös szervezésében (1. kép). A kiállítást eredetileg 2020-ban terveztük bemutatni, hiszen akkor emlékévvel tisztelegtek a rendalapító Boldog Özséb halálnak 750. évfordulója alkalmából. A tárlat fő célkitűzése az volt, hogy az egyetlen magyar alapítású, pápai elismerésű, középkori eredetű és máig fennmaradt férfi szerzetesrendre irányítsa az érdeklődők figyelmét. Eme összetett és talán elsőre bonyolultnak tűnő mondat mögött nagyon sok történet, sok mondandó rejtezik, minden szó súlya évszázadok történetét idézi meg. Kurátortársammal, dr. Bojtos Anitával együtt az előkészítési munka során törekedtünk arra, hogy a rendtörténetre vonatkozó alapinformációkat adjuk át érthetően, illetve a pálos rend karizmájára, annak változásaira is ráirányítsuk a figyelmet.
Somogy megye pálos kolostorairól egy rövid ismeretterjesztő írás A Fehér Barát 2017 karácsonyi sz... more Somogy megye pálos kolostorairól egy rövid ismeretterjesztő írás A Fehér Barát 2017 karácsonyi számában.
a short informative summary on the Pauline monasteries in Somogy Co. in the Christmas (2017) edition of A Fehér Barát [The White Frater/Friar]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL TOPOGR APH Y AND THE RELICS
OF HISTOR ICAL LAND-USE IN THE SZENDRŐ VALLEY
Zsuzsa P... more ARCHAEOLOGICAL TOPOGR APH Y AND THE RELICS OF HISTOR ICAL LAND-USE IN THE SZENDRŐ VALLEY Zsuzsa Pető The present study reviews the complex historical and archaeological research of the Szendrő Valley, a geographically closed area along the ca. 100 km long Bódva River in north-eastern Hungary (Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County). Only a few excavations and targeted field surveys had been carried out in the past few decades, and thus an extensive survey promised to broaden our knowledge on the history of the valley and offer an insight on those elements that created an ideal habitat for the human communities living there. The extensive field surveys significantly increased the number of known sites: one-third of the sixty sites were previously unknown. Most of these were settlements inhabited before the medieval period (Sites 6, 18, 19, 21–23, 29, 30, 32, 33, 46, 47, 54–61). The Szendrő Valley has been intensely occupied since the Neolithic. The sites are principally located on the western side of the valley, mostly on the low- and mid-level geographical terraces. Since the Bronze Age, secondary mineral deposits of iron and copper provided a very stable basis for local industry that can be attested even in medieval (early Árpádian Age) life and settlement patterns. Some points need to be highlighted concerning the administrative system of early metal deposits since one of the largest metalworking (iron) industrial areas of the Hungarian Kingdom lay in the neighbourhood of this area. Additionally, the proximity of the royal forest estate of Torna also affected the topography of the area’s settlements and fortresses. In addition to the royal authority over the valley’s central part around Szendrő, a high noble family owned the northern portion of the valley and another noble family had established itself in the southern area, where an early fortress is assumed (Gordonos). The archaeological and historical record would suggest that by the end of the Angevin period (late 14th century), the triple division of the valley, each with its small settlements and lands, had evolved and that by the mid-16th century, all lands were ruled by royal persons. Although the early royal castle still remains to be identified, the so-called Lower Castle had been built by the Bebek family by the late medieval period. Following the Ottoman conquest, this castle (and two others in the town of Szendrő) functioned as a border fortress (system); therefore, in order to strengthen the defences, a new fortification was built on the top of a hill immediately outside the town of Szendrő in the 16th century. The medieval villages were gradually abandoned and the population moved to the town of Szendrő; this centralised feature of the valley is still perceptible in modern topography. Besides GPS-based documentation and GIS processes, further geoarchaeological methods (coring, geophysical survey, LiDAR) would also be useful in the research of areas such as forested areas that cannot be surveyed easily.
The Castle of Regéc, located in what is today Northeastern Hungary, is one of the largest fortres... more The Castle of Regéc, located in what is today Northeastern Hungary, is one of the largest fortresses built at the turn of the 13th and 14th century. The fortified castle has a complex history; in the post-mediaeval era, several noble and aristocratic families owned it (among others, the Alaghy, Mágóchy, Esterházy, and Rákóczi families). As the Haban wares became increasingly popular in the 17th century in the western, northeastern, and eastern areas of the Carpathian Basin, this type of ceramic can be found at Regéc as well.
Besides the numerous small potsherds and stove tiles, a plate and many fragments of a unique type of floor brick have been excavated. The latter two objects were selected for the present study, which will perhaps show that besides the traditional art historical analysis of ceramics stored in museums or private collections, it is just as important to make comparative studies to evaluate the historical archaeological material.
The present study gives an introduction to the selected material. The Haban plate, dated to 1659 by its inscription, is a unique piece; similar types can be found in some collections. The type of decorated floor bricks is possibly the only identified masterpiece of Haban craftsmen among those that have been found in the region.
"Unique Haban wares from the Castle of Regéc - Preliminary Report" Acta Ethnographica Hungarica, 60/2 (2015), pp. 445-461.
The research on different features, such as castles, villages or cemeteries, is linked to the map... more The research on different features, such as castles, villages or cemeteries, is linked to the mapping of our past. In addition it has become the task of archaeology to follow the changes in the areas that surround these features. Among the several features of these areas (e.g. fishponds, mines), roads that connect the different locations of human activity seem to have been the most important. Several factors influenced their creation, the timeframe of their usage and changes in their path or role. There is no doubt that present-day scholars can reveal only a small portion of these changes, however, if one attempts to research a broad chronological period there are still some reference points. The traditionally well-known Roman road network, which was planned by professionals, is such a phenomenon. The efficient construction of these roads in terms of their route and structure represented the highest standard for contemporary engineers, and therefore they were prominent even (many centuries) after the fall of the Roman Empire. An important question is: What was the scale of the actual usage of Roman Period roads that lay behind the traditions that are known from medieval written sources? What kind of factors played a role in some roads being used continuously while others were abandoned? What kind of effect did the roads have on medieval life? The present summary reveals the relationships of the Roman and medieval roads in the Carpathian Basin, and through the example of the Pilis-Visegrád Hills, provides an overview of the approach to research on roads both in the past and future.
Bódvaszilas is situated in the North-East of Hungary; it was the part of the historical, Torna co... more Bódvaszilas is situated in the North-East of Hungary; it was the part of the historical, Torna county, which was a royal comitatus from the Arpadian era. The first, partial archaeological results near from the baroque parochial church and its round fortified wall (Picture 1) were compared with the known historical sources; therefore further approaches expanded the history of Bódvaszilas.
Primary historical sources do not give any proof information concerning the medieval church; only three charters mention Bódvaszilas as a property of Szádvár Estate in the second half of the thirteenth century (first in 1283) and in the fifteenth century (Picture 2). Through Medieval and Early Modern times, the history of Bódvaszilas is strongly connected to Szádvár, which was the center of the estate and nowadays it is one of the largest fortifications of Hungary. It was destructed and eliminated in 1686, a few years before the beginning of the high noble Esterházy family’s possession. Later on, from the second half of the eighteenth century, rich sources available about the Esterházy Estate; clerical sources give information about the destruction of the medieval church; as a document says, only its sanctuary had survived.
In the summer of 2010, during the first archaeological research around the parochial church, – which was related to the renovation of the church garden, – a hexagonal, post-medieval fortified wall was identified (Picture 3). It has one visible defense on the North side, which is a quadratic projection with two loopholes both in the Eastern and Western wall (Picture 4). Trenches were opened inside and next to the defense structure and also on the Eastern, South-Eastern area, next to the outer side of the fortified wall.
T he ideal reconstruction of the post-medieval wall-system and the surrounding terrain shows that there could be two more defenses on each angle of the hexagonal wall. There is a close architectural relationship between the analyzed walls of Bódvaszilas and the fortified churches of the Alföld and Zemplén region, where the “hajdú” soldiers had lived in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Also an inventory of the building-complex
at Bódvaszilas is available, which was written in 1721, just after the death of prince József Antal Esterházy.
This catalogue mentions the old house of the hajdú soldiers. Therefore, based on the known formally both functionally parallel walls and historical sources, it seems obvious to regard the hajdú soldiers as the constructors of the fortified wall at Bódvaszilas.
In the beginning of the eighteenth century, during the possession of the Esterházy family, Bódvaszilas had become the center of their lordship; thus continuous re-buildings and constructions were made near the fortified wall.
Agronomical buildings were built up and attached to the outer side of the unfunctional fortified wall; the bases of these buildings were also found at the time of the archaeological investigations. Both the wall and the baroque church were built out in this century, just as they can be seen in nowadays.
T here is no certain archaeological evidence of the medieval church but there is evidence for previous structures,
built before the fortified wall; however it can be hardly identified clearly (Picture 5). The terrain pattern gives just a weak point to determine those basements as the medieval church.
Bódvaszilas is an interesting piece of a local history developed and investigated within a wider historical phenomenon.
Mainly Post-modern and Early Modern architectural elements revealed, but compared them with written and pictorial sources, – and focused on a wider context, – a changing settlement hierarchy displayed.
The Castle of Regéc, hidden in the wild Zemplén forest, has become famous not only among hikers, ... more The Castle of Regéc, hidden in the wild Zemplén forest, has become famous not only among hikers, but also nationwide, thanks to the large-scale tourism and monumental developments of the recent years. The beginnings of the work, how the work of archaeologists and architects intertwine, and how the restorers turn a scattered find from the ground into a wonderful work of art, have only been partially discussed so far.
The White Friar
A brief, edited summary on the archaeological research of Pauline monasteries in ... more The White Friar A brief, edited summary on the archaeological research of Pauline monasteries in Hugary in 2019. In Hungarian.
On 12 September, the historical exhibition entitled “Paulines”, organized jointly by the Hungaria... more On 12 September, the historical exhibition entitled “Paulines”, organized jointly by the Hungarian Pauline Order and the National Museum, closed its doors after three months (Fig. 1). The exhibition was originally planned to be on display in 2020, commemorating the 750th anniversary of the death of the Order’s founder, Blessed Eusebius of Esztergom. The aim of the jubilee year and the exhibition was to draw the attention of the public to the Pauline Order that is the sole medieval order founded in Hungary that is still functioning as a male monastic order with papal approval. Behind this complicated description there is a great history, a lot to tell, and each word of the Order’s complex definition evokes centuries of history.
Szeptember 12-én zárta kapuit három hónap után a Pálosok című történeti kiállítás a Magyar Pálos ... more Szeptember 12-én zárta kapuit három hónap után a Pálosok című történeti kiállítás a Magyar Pálos Rend és a Nemzeti Múzeum közös szervezésében (1. kép). A kiállítást eredetileg 2020-ban terveztük bemutatni, hiszen akkor emlékévvel tisztelegtek a rendalapító Boldog Özséb halálnak 750. évfordulója alkalmából. A tárlat fő célkitűzése az volt, hogy az egyetlen magyar alapítású, pápai elismerésű, középkori eredetű és máig fennmaradt férfi szerzetesrendre irányítsa az érdeklődők figyelmét. Eme összetett és talán elsőre bonyolultnak tűnő mondat mögött nagyon sok történet, sok mondandó rejtezik, minden szó súlya évszázadok történetét idézi meg. Kurátortársammal, dr. Bojtos Anitával együtt az előkészítési munka során törekedtünk arra, hogy a rendtörténetre vonatkozó alapinformációkat adjuk át érthetően, illetve a pálos rend karizmájára, annak változásaira is ráirányítsuk a figyelmet.
Somogy megye pálos kolostorairól egy rövid ismeretterjesztő írás A Fehér Barát 2017 karácsonyi sz... more Somogy megye pálos kolostorairól egy rövid ismeretterjesztő írás A Fehér Barát 2017 karácsonyi számában.
a short informative summary on the Pauline monasteries in Somogy Co. in the Christmas (2017) edition of A Fehér Barát [The White Frater/Friar]
ARCHAEOLOGICAL TOPOGR APH Y AND THE RELICS
OF HISTOR ICAL LAND-USE IN THE SZENDRŐ VALLEY
Zsuzsa P... more ARCHAEOLOGICAL TOPOGR APH Y AND THE RELICS OF HISTOR ICAL LAND-USE IN THE SZENDRŐ VALLEY Zsuzsa Pető The present study reviews the complex historical and archaeological research of the Szendrő Valley, a geographically closed area along the ca. 100 km long Bódva River in north-eastern Hungary (Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County). Only a few excavations and targeted field surveys had been carried out in the past few decades, and thus an extensive survey promised to broaden our knowledge on the history of the valley and offer an insight on those elements that created an ideal habitat for the human communities living there. The extensive field surveys significantly increased the number of known sites: one-third of the sixty sites were previously unknown. Most of these were settlements inhabited before the medieval period (Sites 6, 18, 19, 21–23, 29, 30, 32, 33, 46, 47, 54–61). The Szendrő Valley has been intensely occupied since the Neolithic. The sites are principally located on the western side of the valley, mostly on the low- and mid-level geographical terraces. Since the Bronze Age, secondary mineral deposits of iron and copper provided a very stable basis for local industry that can be attested even in medieval (early Árpádian Age) life and settlement patterns. Some points need to be highlighted concerning the administrative system of early metal deposits since one of the largest metalworking (iron) industrial areas of the Hungarian Kingdom lay in the neighbourhood of this area. Additionally, the proximity of the royal forest estate of Torna also affected the topography of the area’s settlements and fortresses. In addition to the royal authority over the valley’s central part around Szendrő, a high noble family owned the northern portion of the valley and another noble family had established itself in the southern area, where an early fortress is assumed (Gordonos). The archaeological and historical record would suggest that by the end of the Angevin period (late 14th century), the triple division of the valley, each with its small settlements and lands, had evolved and that by the mid-16th century, all lands were ruled by royal persons. Although the early royal castle still remains to be identified, the so-called Lower Castle had been built by the Bebek family by the late medieval period. Following the Ottoman conquest, this castle (and two others in the town of Szendrő) functioned as a border fortress (system); therefore, in order to strengthen the defences, a new fortification was built on the top of a hill immediately outside the town of Szendrő in the 16th century. The medieval villages were gradually abandoned and the population moved to the town of Szendrő; this centralised feature of the valley is still perceptible in modern topography. Besides GPS-based documentation and GIS processes, further geoarchaeological methods (coring, geophysical survey, LiDAR) would also be useful in the research of areas such as forested areas that cannot be surveyed easily.
The Castle of Regéc, located in what is today Northeastern Hungary, is one of the largest fortres... more The Castle of Regéc, located in what is today Northeastern Hungary, is one of the largest fortresses built at the turn of the 13th and 14th century. The fortified castle has a complex history; in the post-mediaeval era, several noble and aristocratic families owned it (among others, the Alaghy, Mágóchy, Esterházy, and Rákóczi families). As the Haban wares became increasingly popular in the 17th century in the western, northeastern, and eastern areas of the Carpathian Basin, this type of ceramic can be found at Regéc as well.
Besides the numerous small potsherds and stove tiles, a plate and many fragments of a unique type of floor brick have been excavated. The latter two objects were selected for the present study, which will perhaps show that besides the traditional art historical analysis of ceramics stored in museums or private collections, it is just as important to make comparative studies to evaluate the historical archaeological material.
The present study gives an introduction to the selected material. The Haban plate, dated to 1659 by its inscription, is a unique piece; similar types can be found in some collections. The type of decorated floor bricks is possibly the only identified masterpiece of Haban craftsmen among those that have been found in the region.
"Unique Haban wares from the Castle of Regéc - Preliminary Report" Acta Ethnographica Hungarica, 60/2 (2015), pp. 445-461.
The research on different features, such as castles, villages or cemeteries, is linked to the map... more The research on different features, such as castles, villages or cemeteries, is linked to the mapping of our past. In addition it has become the task of archaeology to follow the changes in the areas that surround these features. Among the several features of these areas (e.g. fishponds, mines), roads that connect the different locations of human activity seem to have been the most important. Several factors influenced their creation, the timeframe of their usage and changes in their path or role. There is no doubt that present-day scholars can reveal only a small portion of these changes, however, if one attempts to research a broad chronological period there are still some reference points. The traditionally well-known Roman road network, which was planned by professionals, is such a phenomenon. The efficient construction of these roads in terms of their route and structure represented the highest standard for contemporary engineers, and therefore they were prominent even (many centuries) after the fall of the Roman Empire. An important question is: What was the scale of the actual usage of Roman Period roads that lay behind the traditions that are known from medieval written sources? What kind of factors played a role in some roads being used continuously while others were abandoned? What kind of effect did the roads have on medieval life? The present summary reveals the relationships of the Roman and medieval roads in the Carpathian Basin, and through the example of the Pilis-Visegrád Hills, provides an overview of the approach to research on roads both in the past and future.
Bódvaszilas is situated in the North-East of Hungary; it was the part of the historical, Torna co... more Bódvaszilas is situated in the North-East of Hungary; it was the part of the historical, Torna county, which was a royal comitatus from the Arpadian era. The first, partial archaeological results near from the baroque parochial church and its round fortified wall (Picture 1) were compared with the known historical sources; therefore further approaches expanded the history of Bódvaszilas.
Primary historical sources do not give any proof information concerning the medieval church; only three charters mention Bódvaszilas as a property of Szádvár Estate in the second half of the thirteenth century (first in 1283) and in the fifteenth century (Picture 2). Through Medieval and Early Modern times, the history of Bódvaszilas is strongly connected to Szádvár, which was the center of the estate and nowadays it is one of the largest fortifications of Hungary. It was destructed and eliminated in 1686, a few years before the beginning of the high noble Esterházy family’s possession. Later on, from the second half of the eighteenth century, rich sources available about the Esterházy Estate; clerical sources give information about the destruction of the medieval church; as a document says, only its sanctuary had survived.
In the summer of 2010, during the first archaeological research around the parochial church, – which was related to the renovation of the church garden, – a hexagonal, post-medieval fortified wall was identified (Picture 3). It has one visible defense on the North side, which is a quadratic projection with two loopholes both in the Eastern and Western wall (Picture 4). Trenches were opened inside and next to the defense structure and also on the Eastern, South-Eastern area, next to the outer side of the fortified wall.
T he ideal reconstruction of the post-medieval wall-system and the surrounding terrain shows that there could be two more defenses on each angle of the hexagonal wall. There is a close architectural relationship between the analyzed walls of Bódvaszilas and the fortified churches of the Alföld and Zemplén region, where the “hajdú” soldiers had lived in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Also an inventory of the building-complex
at Bódvaszilas is available, which was written in 1721, just after the death of prince József Antal Esterházy.
This catalogue mentions the old house of the hajdú soldiers. Therefore, based on the known formally both functionally parallel walls and historical sources, it seems obvious to regard the hajdú soldiers as the constructors of the fortified wall at Bódvaszilas.
In the beginning of the eighteenth century, during the possession of the Esterházy family, Bódvaszilas had become the center of their lordship; thus continuous re-buildings and constructions were made near the fortified wall.
Agronomical buildings were built up and attached to the outer side of the unfunctional fortified wall; the bases of these buildings were also found at the time of the archaeological investigations. Both the wall and the baroque church were built out in this century, just as they can be seen in nowadays.
T here is no certain archaeological evidence of the medieval church but there is evidence for previous structures,
built before the fortified wall; however it can be hardly identified clearly (Picture 5). The terrain pattern gives just a weak point to determine those basements as the medieval church.
Bódvaszilas is an interesting piece of a local history developed and investigated within a wider historical phenomenon.
Mainly Post-modern and Early Modern architectural elements revealed, but compared them with written and pictorial sources, – and focused on a wider context, – a changing settlement hierarchy displayed.
Present research focuses on the identifiable features of the Pauline monastic space (Holy Cross, ... more Present research focuses on the identifiable features of the Pauline monastic space (Holy Cross, Holy Spirit, and St. Ladislaus Monasteries) in the medieval Pilis royal forest, which was part of the medieval medium regni, the heart of the Hungarian kingdom. The research of the Order of St. Paul the First Hermit always paid a special attention to a historical approach, partly archaeological and architectural as well, but other features, which were existing around a monastery, e.g. remains of fishponds, dikes, mills, roads, were only marginally mentioned. In the past few years the Pauline monastic space of the Zemplén and partly the Bakony region were recorded, which proves that these features are still recognizable in the landscape. The paper argues that in the Pilis royal forest, as a wooded area until the modern ages, the features of the Pauline monastic space were preserved, thus they are describable and have a special value by a systematic analysis and a complex approach (historical, archaeological, spatial) on digital platform, by using GIS software. The spatial dimensions (location, role, circumstances of daily life) of Pauline monasteries’, are also correlating with the large-scale dynamical tendencies in the Pilis. The thesis reveals some aspects around the foundation of the Paulines, the symbolical, political, and economic characteristics of their location, the correlations with the dynamic changes of the Pilis (regarding the most important royal and ecclesiastic centers of the Kingdom), and their crucial role in royal policy and representation. A main task was also to record the spatial features around the monasteries and evaluate the local economy by written sources.
Hungarian Pauline Order - Hungarian National Museum, 2022
The Hungarian Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit-the only operating male monastic order founded... more The Hungarian Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit-the only operating male monastic order founded in Hungary to date-was established in the Kingdom of Hungary around 1250. It evolved steadily up to the late Middle Ages, moreover, it has gained a foothold not only in Central Europe but also in Rome and other places of Europe since the 15 th century. This book, based on the temporary exhibition of the Hungarian National Museum, strives to provide a comprehensive picture about the past of the Order originating from Hungary, about its present and perspectives. Special attention is paid to the life of Pauline Fathers in medieval and early modern Hungary, to the relics of early Pauline monasteries as well as the historic role and Hungarian relations of the Częstochowa Monastery, the centre of the Order in Poland. Readers may admire illustrations of archaeological finds of the monasteries in the Carpathian Basin, codices preserving medieval Pauline literary records, gold and silver liturgical vessels, early modern prints, numerous sculptures, paintings and engravings all of which bear witness to the rich heritage of a monastic order capable of constant renewal.
PETŐ ZSUZSA ESZTER: Hermits in the Heart of the Hungarian Kingdom
Medieval Monastic Landscape of ... more PETŐ ZSUZSA ESZTER: Hermits in the Heart of the Hungarian Kingdom Medieval Monastic Landscape of the Pauline Order in the Pilis Budapest, Archaeolingua, 2018.
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Papers by Zsuzsa Pető
A brief, edited summary on the archaeological research of Pauline monasteries in Hugary in 2019. In Hungarian.
a short informative summary on the Pauline monasteries in Somogy Co. in the Christmas (2017) edition of A Fehér Barát [The White Frater/Friar]
OF HISTOR ICAL LAND-USE IN THE SZENDRŐ VALLEY
Zsuzsa Pető
The present study reviews the complex historical and archaeological research of the Szendrő Valley, a geographically closed area along the ca. 100 km long Bódva River in north-eastern Hungary (Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County). Only a few excavations and targeted field surveys
had been carried out in the past few decades, and thus an extensive survey promised to broaden our knowledge on the history of the valley and offer an insight on those elements that created an ideal habitat for the human communities living there. The extensive field surveys significantly increased the number of known sites: one-third of the sixty sites were previously unknown. Most of these were settlements inhabited before the medieval period (Sites 6, 18, 19, 21–23, 29, 30, 32, 33, 46, 47, 54–61). The Szendrő Valley has been intensely occupied since the Neolithic. The sites are principally located on the western side of the valley, mostly on the low- and mid-level geographical terraces. Since the Bronze Age, secondary mineral deposits of iron and copper provided a very stable basis for local industry that can be attested even in medieval (early Árpádian Age) life and settlement patterns.
Some points need to be highlighted concerning the administrative system of early metal deposits since one of the largest metalworking (iron) industrial areas of the Hungarian Kingdom lay in the neighbourhood of this area. Additionally, the proximity of the royal forest estate of Torna also affected the topography of the area’s settlements and fortresses. In addition to the royal authority over the valley’s central part around Szendrő, a high noble family owned the northern portion of the valley and another noble family had established itself in the southern
area, where an early fortress is assumed (Gordonos). The archaeological and historical record would suggest that by the end of the Angevin period (late 14th century), the triple division of the valley, each with its small settlements and lands, had evolved and that by the mid-16th
century, all lands were ruled by royal persons. Although the early royal castle still remains to be identified, the so-called Lower Castle had been built by the Bebek family by the late medieval period.
Following the Ottoman conquest, this castle (and two others in the town of Szendrő) functioned as a border fortress (system); therefore, in order to strengthen the defences, a new fortification was built on the top of a hill immediately outside the town of Szendrő in the 16th century. The medieval villages were gradually abandoned and the population moved
to the town of Szendrő; this centralised feature of the valley is still perceptible in modern topography.
Besides GPS-based documentation and GIS processes, further geoarchaeological methods (coring, geophysical survey, LiDAR) would also be useful in the research of areas such as forested areas that cannot be surveyed easily.
Besides the numerous small potsherds and stove tiles, a plate and many fragments of a unique type of floor brick have been excavated. The latter two objects were selected for the present study, which will perhaps show that besides the traditional art historical analysis of ceramics stored in museums or private collections, it is just as important to make comparative studies to evaluate the historical archaeological material.
The present study gives an introduction to the selected material. The Haban plate, dated to 1659 by its inscription, is a unique piece; similar types can be found in some collections. The type of decorated floor bricks is possibly the only identified masterpiece of Haban craftsmen among those that have been found in the region.
"Unique Haban wares from the Castle of Regéc - Preliminary Report" Acta Ethnographica Hungarica, 60/2 (2015), pp. 445-461.
Primary historical sources do not give any proof information concerning the medieval church; only three charters mention Bódvaszilas as a property of Szádvár Estate in the second half of the thirteenth century (first in 1283) and in the fifteenth century (Picture 2). Through Medieval and Early Modern times, the history of Bódvaszilas is strongly connected to Szádvár, which was the center of the estate and nowadays it is one of the largest fortifications of Hungary. It was destructed and eliminated in 1686, a few years before the beginning of the high noble Esterházy family’s possession. Later on, from the second half of the eighteenth century, rich sources available about the Esterházy Estate; clerical sources give information about the destruction of the medieval church; as a document says, only its sanctuary had survived.
In the summer of 2010, during the first archaeological research around the parochial church, – which was related to the renovation of the church garden, – a hexagonal, post-medieval fortified wall was identified (Picture 3). It has one visible defense on the North side, which is a quadratic projection with two loopholes both in the Eastern and Western wall (Picture 4). Trenches were opened inside and next to the defense structure and also on the Eastern, South-Eastern area, next to the outer side of the fortified wall.
T he ideal reconstruction of the post-medieval wall-system and the surrounding terrain shows that there could be two more defenses on each angle of the hexagonal wall. There is a close architectural relationship between the analyzed walls of Bódvaszilas and the fortified churches of the Alföld and Zemplén region, where the “hajdú” soldiers had lived in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Also an inventory of the building-complex
at Bódvaszilas is available, which was written in 1721, just after the death of prince József Antal Esterházy.
This catalogue mentions the old house of the hajdú soldiers. Therefore, based on the known formally both functionally parallel walls and historical sources, it seems obvious to regard the hajdú soldiers as the constructors of the fortified wall at Bódvaszilas.
In the beginning of the eighteenth century, during the possession of the Esterházy family, Bódvaszilas had become the center of their lordship; thus continuous re-buildings and constructions were made near the fortified wall.
Agronomical buildings were built up and attached to the outer side of the unfunctional fortified wall; the bases of these buildings were also found at the time of the archaeological investigations. Both the wall and the baroque church were built out in this century, just as they can be seen in nowadays.
T here is no certain archaeological evidence of the medieval church but there is evidence for previous structures,
built before the fortified wall; however it can be hardly identified clearly (Picture 5). The terrain pattern gives just a weak point to determine those basements as the medieval church.
Bódvaszilas is an interesting piece of a local history developed and investigated within a wider historical phenomenon.
Mainly Post-modern and Early Modern architectural elements revealed, but compared them with written and pictorial sources, – and focused on a wider context, – a changing settlement hierarchy displayed.
Conference Presentations by Zsuzsa Pető
A brief, edited summary on the archaeological research of Pauline monasteries in Hugary in 2019. In Hungarian.
a short informative summary on the Pauline monasteries in Somogy Co. in the Christmas (2017) edition of A Fehér Barát [The White Frater/Friar]
OF HISTOR ICAL LAND-USE IN THE SZENDRŐ VALLEY
Zsuzsa Pető
The present study reviews the complex historical and archaeological research of the Szendrő Valley, a geographically closed area along the ca. 100 km long Bódva River in north-eastern Hungary (Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County). Only a few excavations and targeted field surveys
had been carried out in the past few decades, and thus an extensive survey promised to broaden our knowledge on the history of the valley and offer an insight on those elements that created an ideal habitat for the human communities living there. The extensive field surveys significantly increased the number of known sites: one-third of the sixty sites were previously unknown. Most of these were settlements inhabited before the medieval period (Sites 6, 18, 19, 21–23, 29, 30, 32, 33, 46, 47, 54–61). The Szendrő Valley has been intensely occupied since the Neolithic. The sites are principally located on the western side of the valley, mostly on the low- and mid-level geographical terraces. Since the Bronze Age, secondary mineral deposits of iron and copper provided a very stable basis for local industry that can be attested even in medieval (early Árpádian Age) life and settlement patterns.
Some points need to be highlighted concerning the administrative system of early metal deposits since one of the largest metalworking (iron) industrial areas of the Hungarian Kingdom lay in the neighbourhood of this area. Additionally, the proximity of the royal forest estate of Torna also affected the topography of the area’s settlements and fortresses. In addition to the royal authority over the valley’s central part around Szendrő, a high noble family owned the northern portion of the valley and another noble family had established itself in the southern
area, where an early fortress is assumed (Gordonos). The archaeological and historical record would suggest that by the end of the Angevin period (late 14th century), the triple division of the valley, each with its small settlements and lands, had evolved and that by the mid-16th
century, all lands were ruled by royal persons. Although the early royal castle still remains to be identified, the so-called Lower Castle had been built by the Bebek family by the late medieval period.
Following the Ottoman conquest, this castle (and two others in the town of Szendrő) functioned as a border fortress (system); therefore, in order to strengthen the defences, a new fortification was built on the top of a hill immediately outside the town of Szendrő in the 16th century. The medieval villages were gradually abandoned and the population moved
to the town of Szendrő; this centralised feature of the valley is still perceptible in modern topography.
Besides GPS-based documentation and GIS processes, further geoarchaeological methods (coring, geophysical survey, LiDAR) would also be useful in the research of areas such as forested areas that cannot be surveyed easily.
Besides the numerous small potsherds and stove tiles, a plate and many fragments of a unique type of floor brick have been excavated. The latter two objects were selected for the present study, which will perhaps show that besides the traditional art historical analysis of ceramics stored in museums or private collections, it is just as important to make comparative studies to evaluate the historical archaeological material.
The present study gives an introduction to the selected material. The Haban plate, dated to 1659 by its inscription, is a unique piece; similar types can be found in some collections. The type of decorated floor bricks is possibly the only identified masterpiece of Haban craftsmen among those that have been found in the region.
"Unique Haban wares from the Castle of Regéc - Preliminary Report" Acta Ethnographica Hungarica, 60/2 (2015), pp. 445-461.
Primary historical sources do not give any proof information concerning the medieval church; only three charters mention Bódvaszilas as a property of Szádvár Estate in the second half of the thirteenth century (first in 1283) and in the fifteenth century (Picture 2). Through Medieval and Early Modern times, the history of Bódvaszilas is strongly connected to Szádvár, which was the center of the estate and nowadays it is one of the largest fortifications of Hungary. It was destructed and eliminated in 1686, a few years before the beginning of the high noble Esterházy family’s possession. Later on, from the second half of the eighteenth century, rich sources available about the Esterházy Estate; clerical sources give information about the destruction of the medieval church; as a document says, only its sanctuary had survived.
In the summer of 2010, during the first archaeological research around the parochial church, – which was related to the renovation of the church garden, – a hexagonal, post-medieval fortified wall was identified (Picture 3). It has one visible defense on the North side, which is a quadratic projection with two loopholes both in the Eastern and Western wall (Picture 4). Trenches were opened inside and next to the defense structure and also on the Eastern, South-Eastern area, next to the outer side of the fortified wall.
T he ideal reconstruction of the post-medieval wall-system and the surrounding terrain shows that there could be two more defenses on each angle of the hexagonal wall. There is a close architectural relationship between the analyzed walls of Bódvaszilas and the fortified churches of the Alföld and Zemplén region, where the “hajdú” soldiers had lived in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Also an inventory of the building-complex
at Bódvaszilas is available, which was written in 1721, just after the death of prince József Antal Esterházy.
This catalogue mentions the old house of the hajdú soldiers. Therefore, based on the known formally both functionally parallel walls and historical sources, it seems obvious to regard the hajdú soldiers as the constructors of the fortified wall at Bódvaszilas.
In the beginning of the eighteenth century, during the possession of the Esterházy family, Bódvaszilas had become the center of their lordship; thus continuous re-buildings and constructions were made near the fortified wall.
Agronomical buildings were built up and attached to the outer side of the unfunctional fortified wall; the bases of these buildings were also found at the time of the archaeological investigations. Both the wall and the baroque church were built out in this century, just as they can be seen in nowadays.
T here is no certain archaeological evidence of the medieval church but there is evidence for previous structures,
built before the fortified wall; however it can be hardly identified clearly (Picture 5). The terrain pattern gives just a weak point to determine those basements as the medieval church.
Bódvaszilas is an interesting piece of a local history developed and investigated within a wider historical phenomenon.
Mainly Post-modern and Early Modern architectural elements revealed, but compared them with written and pictorial sources, – and focused on a wider context, – a changing settlement hierarchy displayed.
Medieval Monastic Landscape of the Pauline Order in the Pilis
Budapest, Archaeolingua, 2018.
ISBN 978-615-5766-09-1
HU-ISSN 1216-6847