Analiza mormântului 10 din necropola de la Cluj – strada Zápolya (Dostoievski, gen. Traian Moşoiu)
Archaeological Findings from the 10th – 11th Centuries Grave Uncovered in Cluj, Zápolya street (Dostoievski, gen. Traian Moşoiu)

Summary/Abstract: The first archaeological findings from the 10th–11th centuries in Cluj were uncovered in 1911, on no. 78 in Zápolya street (the current Gen. Traian Moşoiu street) (graves 1–8) and followed in 1942 (graves 9–11). Till now only one drawing has been published about the most frequently quoted from the age of the Hungarian conquest. Our study aims to present the finds and analyze it anthropologically and pale zoologically and tries to contribute with some actual questions to the research of Hungarian conquest in Transylvania. The finds of the grave: mounds, 10 arrowheads, quiver fragments, sabre, quiver suspender, pear-shaped stirrups, snaffle. The simply furnished grave arouses attention with the quiver suspender. On the basis of its typological parallels two questions emerge: 1. Did it come to Transylvanian basin through commercial relations? 2. Is it a sign of population migration ie. can it be related to the “first generation” of Hungarian conquerors? The authors do not exclude this possibility on the basis of the finds of some other graves as well, trying to arouse attention to a bit confused archeological interpretation of the notion “first generation”. What does it really mean? At the first sight, it might seem as an easy thing to establish. The classic answer was the first generation consists of those members of the communities in late 9th century born in the Atelcuzu area, mentioned by Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porfirogenet, already buried in the Carpathian basin. It is or it should be obvious that in the year 895 or 896 several age categories must have reached the Carpathian basin, ranging from infants to seniors, namely people who could expired in any year, be it 900 or 945–950. It is obvious that in this interval their material culture could have changed profoundly, totally or not at all, yet biologically all members belong to the same first generation. In this respect, this generation needs to be differentiated from the biologic and the cultural point of view. The bone material from Zapolya Street is in bad condition, although we could made morphological measurements for age and sex determination, stature, demography and pathological investigation. In analyzing the human skeleton we applied for the methods of Martin-Saller, Miles, J. Nemeskéri, K. Éry, Alekszejev-Debets e.g. Using classic anthropological approaches we analyzed ecto- and end cranial sutures, situation of teeth, measurements on skull and hypostasis phases of the epiphysis ends. The characters of the skull (glabellas occipital bone, mandible e.g.) and dimensions of long bones show a man (+1 after K. Éry). The ecto- and end cranial sutures of the skull and situation of teeth present signs of and adult person (35–40 years old). In one case I found pathological alteration: recovered fracture of the right tibia (this type of fracture is happening often). In conclusions, the human skeleton from 10th grave has similar characters with the 44th grave from Hunedoara „Kincseshegy”. In both cases the skull is dolichocranic according to the Nordic and Riazan anthropological type. The deceased had medium stature and are epigenetically marks on the skull (Worm bones) in both cases. The examination of the men- and animal-bones found in the 10–11th century graves in the Transylvanian Basin, in Partium and in Banat is on a very elementary level even after more than a century research. The horse bones of the 10th grave excavated in 1942 were found in anatomical position. On the basis of the denture and the morph metrical features it could be a middle-aged, 7–8 year-old stallion which sustained injury on its shin, probably during jumping. A bone of a presumably juvenile sheep also belonged to the furniture.

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