Journal Analele Banatului N.S. Archaeology-History

Radu Harhoiu

Erwin Gáll

Necropola din secolul XII de la Sighişoara-Dealul Viilor, punctul „Necropolă”.Contribuții privind habitatulepocii medievale timpurii în Transilvania estică / The 12th century’s cemetery from Sighişoara-Dealul Viilor, place‘Necropolă’. Contribution Concerning the Habitat From the Early Middle Age in Eastern Transylvania / Das Gräberfeld des 12. Jhs. von Sighişoara-Dealul Viilor, Fundstelle „Gräberfeld” („Necropolă”). Beiträge zummittelalterlichen Habitat aus Ostsiebenbürgen (12. – 13. Jhs.)

Jan. 1, 2014

Abstract

"e Dealul Viilor (Vine Hill) site called is situated around the eastern edge of Sighișoara (ger: Schäßburg; hun.: Segesvár), Mureș County, on the &rst and second terrace on the right bank of Tirnava Mare. Systematic researches at the location called ‘Aşezare’ (Settlement) led to the unveiling of over 120 archaeological complexes (homes, ceramic workshops waste pits, etc.) from the 3rd–8th and 12th centuries and also to the discovery of important archaeological artifacts (412 complexes) belonging to the Bronze Age (the Wietenberg culture, the Noua culture) then to the post-Romane age and early medieval era. Post-Romane assemblies which largely destroyed prehistoric complexes are represented by several cemeteries (from the end of 3rd and the begining of the 4th century, and from the fourth and sixth centuries) of complex settlements (ceramic kiln from fourth century; living home from the 8th century) while early medieval era is illustrated by a large necropolis of the 12th century and also the beginning of the next century. As we can see 94 graves were investigated, resulting in a total of 106 skeletons from them, which we linked to the medieval necropolis (12th century) based on aspects of their topographic position, and based on the inventory. "ere were a total number of 101 fully recovered, undamaged skeletons, while other 5 graves were destroyed (graves no: 36, 72, 77, 95, 112). Also 4 graves could not be investigated due to objective reasons (graves no: 140, 159, 172, 173) and one pit contained no skeleton (157). Altogether we can speak about at least 99 graves (including the pit without bones), which probably would have resulted in a total number of at least 110 skeletons (plus the pit without bones). For objective reasons only the north and south areas of the cemetery could be investigated, of which characteristics indicate the category which in archaeological literature we call churchyard (‘Friedhof’ or ‘Kirchhof’ in German, ’cimitire din jurul bisericii’ in Romanian, ‘templom körüli temetők’ in Hungarian, etc.). Taking in consideration the given characteristics of the churchyards, which show exactly the same characteristics, as the cemetery at Dealul Viilor (Vine Hill) Sighisoara, through several successive levels of burial sites, it is more than likely there can be found a church, but because of the road it could not be investigated. "e funerary rite is limited to that of inhumation. In the graves belonging to this chronological interval there were identi&ed mostly adults (22) and mature-adults (32), and two iuvenis as well as many infans (38). Due to the lack of anthropological analysis the (biological) sex of the deposited there could be determined only hypothetically and only in some cases. From the biological point of view the skeleton in tomb 31 was de&nitely female (in whose womb her unborn child was found). "e topographic position of the settlement and the necropolis could possibly explain the aspects of the status and role of this community near to Târnava Mare. Even though if the narrative sources of those times does not give us conclusive data, the settlement could have played the role – with all the required reserves – of salt transport checkpoint towards the west. An argument in support of this hypothesis can be provided by the treasure from Sânpaul-Bélabánvára with coins from Ladislaus I, Coloman Cărturaru and Béla II. "e lack of chemical analyzes of the bones deprives us of essential data on the lifestyle and the food composition of the community in Sighișoara-Dealul Viilior, although it is considered that until the fourteenth century the farming was the dominant economic activity. If we take a closer look at the settlement and the necropolis at Dealul Viilor and we analyze more carefully it’s environment, taking in consideration the spaciousness of the place and it’s proximity to water we can conclude that community of Dealul Viilor might have raised a lot of large animals, which was obviously determined essentially by climate evolution. Based on all the data collected from the necropolis and the settlement: pottery, weapons, harness, traces of the skeletons graves (45 and 76), the topography of the location, and the environment of the site that we can assume the social multifunctionality of Dealul Viilor (Vine Hill) settlement. "e necropolis from the twelfth century began to be used in the &rst decades of the twelfth century until to the end of the reign of Béla III. "e analysis of the chronological aspects of the cemetery at Dealul Viilor showed that the &rst burials may date to the &rst decades of the twelfth century, which means that the population of the community sat / was sitting here around this time; while the ‘treasure’ of coins found in tomb 28B represents the last period of use of the necropolis, belonging to the end of the twelfth century or the beginning of the next one. Contemporary with the necropolis and settlement from Dealul Viilor there should have been in the a microzone a forti&cation of land and wood, a royal fortress which was controlling the gorge and the roads that intersected here. According to archaeological data that we have at our disposal we can state very clearly that people established here could not have been located in the eastern and south-eastern border area of the kingdom because contemporary with the analyzed necropolis there are settlements, churches, cemeteries, treasures, isolated discoveries, which lie south and east of this line, which clearly demonstrates the existence of a dense network of housing 12th century (from the churchyard from Avrămeşti, Chilean Cristuru Székely, Drăuşeni, Feldioara Jacodu, Székelyudvarhely-Szentimre, Bögöz, Meresti Ocland, Petén Petriceni, Cold, Ulieş, Viscri, Zabala; “motte” fortress type from Ocland, Racoşu Lower-Rika, Racu (Ciuc) Pogányvár, Tusnad -Vártető; royal fortresses like the ones in Székelyudvarhely-Budvár or Praid-Rapsonné; rural settlements from Văcăreşti Bârzava Ciceu Misentea, Racu, Şumuleu Ciucsangeorgiu, Sântimbru, Leliceni, Sansimion, Tomeşti Tuşnad Sat, Garciu, Cotormani , St. George-Bedeháza, Turia).