System atic archaeological investigations w ere co n d u cted on the te rrito ry o f Babócsa b etw een 1979 built o f bricks an d supplied with a horseshoe-shaped ch ancel. T h is c h u rc h m e a su re d 13 m etres by
8 m etres. T h e viliágé itself lay to its w est. 13
Following th e M ongol invasion, som etim e in the laté th irte e n th o r early fo u rte e n th ce n tu ry the B en
+ L domb TSz-fürdó
1. C astle a n d cem ete ry ( 1 8 " 'c.) 2. B u ild in g fro m th e O tto m a n p e rio d 3. C h u rc h a n d c em ete ry (14 th—16,h c.) 5. C e m eteries
6. M edieval c h u rc h a n d c em ete ry (up to th e 17"* c.) 7. C astle o f th e O tto m a n p e rio d
S tro n g h o ld fro m th e é ra o f th e Á rp á d dynasty 9. S tro n g h o ld , ch u rch a n d cem etery fro m th e 11lh—17th c.
11. Viliágé ( l l " ’- 1 6 ,h c.)
2. C e m e tery a n d se ttle m e n t fro m th e R o m án é ra 13. M edieval se ttle m e n t
14. C e m e tery fro m th e A var p e rio d
111. 1. A rchaeological sites in Babócsa
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1 t 6. R esid en tial b u ild in g fro m th e é ra
ts. 1.3 í o f th e Á rp á d dynasty
«. s i ■ 7. Residential building from the 16* c.
8. O fferin g fo u n d in a n Á rp ád ian - e ra resid en tial b u ild in g 9. T u rk ish b a th h o u s e
10. T u rk ish seray w ith a p riv áté b a th 11. G a rd e n o f th e seray
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% 13. R em ains o f b u ild in g s fro m th e éra
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Key:
1. P arish C h u rc h o f St. Giles 2. C em e tery
3. P ilgrim s’ hostel
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111. 2. P lán o f th e excavations a t B abócsa-N árciszos (B asakert) u p to 1992
family, which belo n g ed to the T ibold kinship g ro u p , built a large m a n o r h ouse at rou g h ly th e sam e tim e. S im ultaneously, the ru ra l settlem en t so u th of th e B ened ictin e m o n astery beg an to flourish. T h e e n tire a re a was p ro v id e d w ith a ditch an d ra m p a rt.
A d istrict w ith a craftsm en ’s q u a r te r alsó evolved. 14 B etw een th e close o f th e fo u rte e n th ce n tu ry a n d th e b e g in n in g o f th e fifteenth c e n tu ry the vil
iágé in th e fortified ce n tre develo p ed intő a m ark ét tow n. T h e small p arish ch u rch from th e é ra o f Á rp ád dynasty was re p la ced by a large brick ch u rch (m ea su rin g 25 m etres by 10 m etres) - built in the G othic style a n d su p p lied w ith b uttresses - th a t h ad an elo n g ate d chancel e n d in g in six sides o f a deca- g o n. 15 In 1390 this en larg ed p arish ch u rch , dedi- cated to St. Giles, was g ra n te d th e rig h t to hold fairs. T h e in h ab itan ts o f th e viliágé th a t was now beco m in g a m a rk é t tow n d ev elo p ed it prim arily as
a piacé o f pilgrim age: we u n co v ered th e rem ains o f brick a n d stone walls o f a large (m easu rin g at least 30 m etres, 25 m etres a n d 20 m etres, respectively) p ilg rim ’s hostel at th e e a ste rn e n d o f th e cemetery.
It w ould a p p e a r th a t th e ra m p a rts a n d ditches fór th e p ro tec tio n o f th e a re a w ere m ad e p rio r to the co n structio n o f th e p ilg rim ’s hostel, since the last m en tio n ed was cut intő th e S outhern ra m p a rt. 16 We w ere able to establish th a t th e im p o rtan ce o f the B enedictine m onastery declined as th e im p o r
tance o f the m ark ét tow n a n d its ch u rch grew.
D u rin g th e years from the fifteenth ce n tu ry to the m id-sixteenth century, th e p erio d in which the area passed intő th e possession o f the M arczali an d B áth ori families, th e B enedictines d eclin ed an d th e ir buildings feli intő disrepair. B oth families p atro n iz ed the Franciscans, fór ex am p le those at S egesd. 17
14 Magyar 1994, 8 6 . 15 Nagy 1990, 3 8 0 -3 8 2 .
16 Magyar 1994, 79.
17 Magyar 1988, 7 3 -8 3 .
ZARANDOKHAZ
111. 3 . E xcavation o f th e T u rk ish c o m m a n d e r’s seray in 1 9 8 9 . Key: t ö r ö k pa r a n c sn o kpalo tája= Seray o f th e T u rk ish c o m m a n d er,
pa lo t a k e r t = g a rd e n o f th e seray, za r á n d o k h á z= p ilg rim s’ h o stel, k e m e n c e = oven, Sz t. Egy edt e m p l o m = C h u rc h o f S t. G iles, t e m e t ő h a t á r = c em ete ry b o u n d a ry
T h e investigations c o n d u c te d on this site re- vealed th a t the large stro n g h o ld o f Nárciszos, occu
p ied by th e O tto m a n forces in 1566, was used as a fortification a n d as a settlem ent. We u n co v e red th e re m a in s o f th e T urkish houses o f th e settlem en t, to g e th e r with a T urkish b a th h o u se an d th e co m m a n d e r’s resid en ce with a p riváté bath (Ills. 2-6 ) . 18
Archaeological remains o f settlements dated to the Ottoman age
tollo w in g the fali of th e Szigetvár fortress in 1566, alm ost all o f Som ogy C o unty cam e u n d e r O tto m an control. It was at this tim e th a t th e T urks built up a chain o f fortifications a n d settlem en ts th a t stretch e d as far as Segesd. Im p o rta n t arc h a e o logical rem ains from the O ttom an p erio d have com e to light at Babócsa, too.
S ituated n ex t to th e R om án C atholic ch u rc h in the centre o fth e present-day com m unity, the B átho
ry fam ily’s brick castle - p ro v id e d with bastions in
th e O ld Italian style a n d p ro te c te d by a p alisade as well as by a ditch a n d ra m p a rt - co n tin u e d in use.
T h e o u te r do u b le e n tra n c e tow er on its w estern side indicates th e p resen ce o f an o u te r fó rt encir- cled by a palisade. T h e excavations c o n d u c te d in 1978-79 b ro u g h t to lig ht th e rem ain s o f this o u te r fórt, as well as th e re m a in s o f a m u lti-ro o m e d O tto m an -p e rio d b u ild in g o n a hill rising above the m arsh lan d at th e foot o f th e castle (111. I) . 19
O n th e basis o f ceram ic finds, th e a re a o f th e m o tte-ty pe fortification from th e tim e o f Á rp ád dynasty was used as a lo o k o u t post d u rin g th e éra o f O tto m an rule.
Excavations c o n d u c te d betw een 1984 a n d 1992 show ed th a t th e stro n g h o ld at Nárciszos was in use d u rin g O tto m a n times. In 1989 we cu t th ro u g h the e a ste rn side o f th e fortification by m eans o f a tren c h 250 m etres lo n g a n d 1 m e tre wide. T h e rem ain s o f the tim b e r s tru c tu re w ere u n co v e red d u rin g the investigation o f the ditch a n d ra m p a rt n o rth a n d east o f th e m a rk é t tow n’s p arish c h u rc h. 20 T h is tim b e r stru c tu re c o rre s p o n d e d to th e o n e observed
18 N a g y 1990, 3 8 9 -3 9 0 ; V a s s 1993, 201.
19 M a g y a r 1981, 62; 1990, 1 0 8-109. Cf. G e r e l y e s 1988, 278, 20 M a g y a r 1990, 102; 1994, 87, 111. 12. Cf. alsó K o v á c s - R ó z s á s III. 38 fó r a su n k e n h o u se fro m th e O tto m a n p e rio d u n co v - 1996, 168, 180, no tes 3 7 -3 8 , fó r a d e ta ile d d iscussion o f this
e re d at O zo ra. p a lisad e fortification.
Ba b ó c s a- N á r c i s z o s: a Se t t l e m e n t f r o m t h e Ot t o m a n Ag e 1 0 1 clearly observed. No traces o f an ash-pit w ere fo und
21 G e r ő 1987a. service room s was conspicuously large co m p ared to the actual bath. ples o f O tto m an arch itectu re. Particularly interest- ing is th e glim pse intő the life o f a ra th e r sim ple
N Y
III E xcavation t h e * ^ ey: FURDÖRÉSZ - p a r t o f t h e b a th h o u s e , e ű t ó k e m e n c e m a ra d v á n y = p a rt o f t h e ace, TÉGLA, PATICS h á z m a r a d v a n y a i = re m a in s o f a b rick a n d w a ttle -a n d -d a u b h o u se
Ba b ó c s a- N á r c i s z o s: a Se t t l e m e n t f r o m t h e Ot t o m a n Ag e 1 0 3
111. 6. E xcavation o f t h e T u rk is h b a th h o u s e . 1. View fro m th e nor th e n o r th , w ith th e w ester
g ro u n d plán o f th e s tru c tu re suggests th a t th eir tlooring may have b een identical. 1 his b u ild in g lay far away from th e o th e r co n stru c tio n s o f th e settle
m ent, in the c e n tre o f th e stro n g h o ld a n d enclosed w ithin a wall. 25 Since th e m o re lavish O tto m an buildings usually h ad a b ath , this o n e can doubtless be re g a rd e d as th e re sid e n ce (seray) o f th e Iurkish co m m an d e r.26
T h e investigations revealed th at the earlier H u n g árián B enedictine m onastery an d the m ark ét town p e rish e d som etim e b etw een 1566 a n d 1686 with only th e ir ru in s surviving. T h e T urkish b ath h o u se was built o v er th e re m a in s o f th e B ened ictine m o n astery, d istu rb in g th e ce m etery su rro u n d in g the latter. O tto m a n -p e rio d refuse pits w ere fo u n d in th e m u lti-p a rtite re sid e n tia l a re a o f the one-tim e m a n o r house. A few m edieval brick buildings m ust have re m a in e d in use d u rin g th e O tto m an éra, since n e a r these, too, a la rg e r n u m b e r o f storage a n d refuse pits cam e to lig h t. 27 T h e sm aller resi
d en tial bu ild in g s o f th e O tto m an p erio d , in clu d in g th e w a ttle-an d -d au b houses, lay scattered a ro u n d th e hamam, fo rm in g an arc. T h e seray o f th e T urkish c o m m a n d e r in N árciszos (B asakert) was an eleg an t w alled com plex; th e bath a n d the walled g a rd e n (p lan te d with daffodils) both served the co m m and- e r ’s com fort.
25 N ow adays daffodils (called nárcisz in H u n g á riá n ) flow er m ost p ro fu sely o n th e sp o t o f th e o n e -tim e seray, p e rh a p s th e re is som é tr u th in th e o ld leg e n d th a t d affodils w ere first p la n te d in th e g a rd e n o f th e seray a n d t h a t th e o rig in s o f th e Babócsa d affodils in d e e d go back to th e O tto m a n p e rio d .
26 N a g y 1990, 390.
thw est, with th e b u rials o f th e fo rm e r m o n aste ry ; 2. View from n p a r t o f th e b a th h o u s e
Sm aller bu ild in g s a n d storeh o u ses w ere u n e a rth e d scattered over th e e n tire area o fth e stro n g hold. S ettlem ent traces o f the O tto m an p erio d were fo u n d on th e area o f the p arish ch u rch , as well as in th e cem etery. T h e finds include th o u san d s o f T u rk ish p o ttery sh erds, stove tiles, b ro n ze an d iron artefacts, as well as anim al bones (111. 7) . 28
Summary
T h e investigations revealed th a t th e re w ere two fortifications at Babócsa on the left b ank o f the River Rinya in th e M iddle Ages: a small m otte-type fortification built in th e eleventh- to th irte e n th cen tu ries by the T ibo ld kinship g ro u p an d the castle o f th e M arczali an d B átho ri families co n stru c te d in the fifteenth to sixteenth cen turies an d located n ear the R om án C atholic ch u rch in th e ce n tre o f the present-day com m unity. T h e early eleventh- to four- teen th -cen tu ry m an o r house o f the T ib old kinship g ro u p , the m onastery with the cem etery, an d the early m edieval settlem en t lay on th e rig h t b ank o f th e Rinya in the so-called Nárciszos area. T h is area was first fortified afte r the M ongol invasion, som e
tim e in the early fo u rte e n th cen tu ry (Ills. 1 and 2) . 29 T h ese fortification w orks from d iffe ren t times
•7 M a g y a r 1994, 79. Sim ilar p h e n o m e n a w ere o b serv ed in the tow n q u a r te r fo rtified with a p alisad e a t S egesd ( M a g y a r 1988, 128-133), as well as in th e palisad es a t B arcs a n d O zo ra (K o v á c s - R ó z s á s 1996, 170, 178; G e r e l y e s 1988, 280).
28 M a g y a r 1990, 138-140, 171, Pl. 27, 174, Pl. 30. 4 -5 , 175-181.
29 M a g y a r 1993, 2 2 2 -2 2 3 .
111. 7. 1. O tto m a n -a g e stove-tile, d e c o ra te d
w ere in c o rp o ra te d intő a u n ifo rm fortification sys- tem , th e B abócsa b o rd é r fortress, afte r 1526, a n d they re m a in e d in use th ro u g h o u t th e p erio d o f O tto m an sway in the reg io n (1555-56; 1566-1686).
T h e investigations in th e Nárciszos area revealed th a t th e G othic ch u rch o f th e m edieval m ark ét tow n m ay have p e rish e d som etim e a ro u n d 1 5 55- 56.30 It alsó becam e clear th a t th e ch u rc h in th e S outhern p a r t o f th e Nárciszos te rrito ry could no lo n g er have b ee n u sed by th e H u n g á riá n p o p u la tion afte r 1566, since the settlem en t rem ain s o f the O tto m a n p e rio d - refuse pits a n d w attle-an d -d au b houses - overlay th e b urials o f the cem etery.
T h e m ost im pressive b u ild in g from this p erio d was a large T urk ish b a th h o u se - w ith its brick walls, h e a tin g ducts, d ra in a g e pipes, a n d fu rn ace - u n covered in the fortified cen tre. T h e rem ain s o f this b a th h o u se w ere u n co v e red above those o f th e Ár- p ád-dynasty ch u rch , th e B enedictine m o n astery o f the T ibold kinship g ro u p a n d th e n e ig h b o u rin g cem etery. It is th e re fo re clear th a t th e ch u rch an d its cem etery feli intő disuse im m ed iately afte r the arrival o f th e O tto m an s, a n d alsó th a t th e B enedic
tine m onks an d the H u n g á riá n in h ab itan ts lelt th e settlem en t. The O tto m an s p e rh a p s u tilized th e
, I » • • '
w ith a wavy line; 2. C u p -s h a p e d stove-tile
m o nastery as an o u tb u ild in g fó r th e b a th h o u se o r as a sto reh o u se until 1686, w hen C h ristian s re- occu pied th e te rrito ry (Ills. 2, 4 a n d 6).
O ne m ajo r re su lt o f th e excavation was th a t we fo u n d th e walled residence, th e seray o f th e T u rkish c o m m a n d e r th a t alsó in c o rp o ra te d a p riv áté b ath (Ills. 2-5).
We fo u n d settlem en t rem ain s from th e O tto m an p erio d n o rth o f th e T u rk ish hamam (refuse pits a n d w attle-an d -d au b houses, to g e th e r with a wide arra y o f O tto m a n -p e rio d finds, in clu d in g stove- tiles, glazed pottery, a n d iro n a n d b ro n z e a r te facts) . 31
B etw een 1566 a n d 1686, no H u n g a ria n s lived in th e fortified settlem en ts d escrib ed above. T h e settlem en ts a n d places o f w orship o f th e local H u n g árián p o p u la tio n m oved a co u p le o f kilom etres away from th e castle a n d th e fortified p laces, 32 in o th e r w ords, away fro m th e T u rk ish forces. T h e ir settlem ents have b een fo u n d in th e w estern an d no rth w est p a rts o f to d ay ’s viliágé. T h e ir cem eteries w ere u n e a rth e d in th e L é rá n t-k e rt a n d the Bolhói ú t a re a in 1 97 9 -8 0 .33 J u d g in g by th e coin finds from th e burials, these cem eteries re m a in e d in use un til the Fifteen Years W ar (1 5 93 -16 06 ).34
30 In 1532 th e arm ies o f S u ltan S ü ley m an p asse d th ro u g h B abócsa. T h e O tto m a n s o c cu p ied th e tow n in 1555. T h e ab b o t o f B abócsa is n o lo n g e r m e n tio n e d as th e la n d o w n e r in d o c u m e n ts d a te d a fte r 1542, su g g e stin g th a t th e m o n a s
tery was a b a n d o n e d . Cf. J a n k o v i c h 1976, 5 -6 .
31 M a g y a r 1990, 140, Figs 17 a n d 44. Q u o te d by G yöngyi K ovács in co n n ec tio n w ith th e ex cav atio n s a t th e B arcs p alisade. Cf. K o v á c s - R ó z s á s 1996, 178, 181, n o te 47.
32 Cf. B a l a s s a 1994, 55, 6 8 -6 9 , 252, 259, fór se ttle rs fro m B abócsa w ho m o v ed to S á ro sp a tak in 1531.
33 M a g y a r 1981, 6 0 -6 2 .
34 T h e p h o to g ra p h s w ere tak en by K álm án M agyar; th e fig- u re s w ere d ra w n by Z su zsan n a M. H ro tk ó a n d G ergely Nagy.
A TTILA GAÁL T urkish palankas), situ ated at an average distance of tw enty kilom etres from each o th e r in a n o rth -s o u th d irection ro u g h ly on th e line o f the old R om án li
mes, have h ith e rto b een alm ost com pletely ig n o red by archaeologists. O f course, th e re is n o th in g p a rti
cularly a sto n ish in g in this, as these palisades, which usually were hastily erected a ro u n d a m edieval stone building, clid nő t play a significant role in th e history o f th e O tto m an p erio d . In d e e d , on the basis o f th eir size, the m ajority lacked even secondary im portance.
However, these small earth-and-w ood fortifications (palankas) were p art o f the border-fortress system, and alth o u g h of lesser significance th an larg er castles or fo rtre sse s, still h a d so m é tasks o f c o n s id e ra b le im po rtan ce fór th e O ttom ans:
(a) First and forem ost, by th eir m ere presence they exercised a certain d e g re e o f control. T h ey w atched the ro ad to Istanbul, because o f its craggy defiles and m a rsh y c ro ssin g s. T h e s e e n c o u r a g e d ra id s by m aking its way in the opposite direction. It is p erh aps e n o u g h to m e n tio n th e w ine, w hich p la y e d an increasingly im p o rta n t ro le in exp o rts, o r livestock deliveries, which prim arily im pacted o n th e custom s h o u se at Földvár. T h e larg e r settlem ents n e a r these often an im possible task, the defence o f these people feli to the palankas.
Finally, from the point of view of the archaeologist, the existence of these fortifications can be a ttrib u ted p a rtic u la r significance, in th a t - no tw ith stan d in g a
jo r castles, which ten d ed to change hands frequently, thu s m ak in g precise a n d reliable sep aratio n o f the object-finds a m uch m o re com plicated, an d occasio
nally im possible, task.
T h e rest o f this article will deal solely with the Ú jpalánk fortification an d th e excavation findings th e re as an illu strativ e ex am ple. B uilt only fo u r kilom eters sou th o f Szekszárd, th e Ú jpalánk fortifi
cation was som ething o f an excepdon in the series o f O tto m an palankas along th e fo rm e r Royal Road. It according to Evlia Qelebi, it was M ehm ed III (1595—
1603) who o rd e red th e palisade’s construcdon; m ore