Journal Analele Banatului N.S. Archaeology-History

Zsuzsanna Kopeczny

Cuţite medievale târzii şi pre-moderne din colecţia Muzeului Naţional al Banatului / Late Medieval and Early Modern Knives from the Collection of the National Museum of Banat

Jan. 1, 2016

Abstract

In the collections of the National Museum of Banat exists a number of knives coming from utilitarian excavations carried out in the historical centre of Timişoara during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Based on their shapes, most knives can be identified as coming from the medieval or early modern period; the clear archaeological context they belonged to is, however, uncertain or unknown. A small number of knives are coming from older archaeological excavations carried out throughout the county, mainly in the area of Cenad, formal episcopal see. These are items belonging to the so-called “Nagy Collection”, a collection of artefacts gathered during archaeological excavations undertaken by Kisléghy Nagy Gyula. 18 items, almost 50%, dispose of workshop or craftsmen marks, wich permit us to identify the producing centers, such as Viena, Nürnberg or Styria. In general these knives can be dated to the 15–16th centuries. There is also a group of knives wich come from anabaptist producing centers, and can be dated mainly to the 17th century. In some of the cases we find it extremely difficult to ascertain the exact period the knives were in use, for their shape perpetuated for long periods. Considered usually banal household items, knives prove to be very interesting objects for researchers, for they can offer many informations regarding everyday life, commerce and craftwork. We considered it important to draw the attention upon these artefacts and their historical potential.