Changing lifeways: impact of sedentism and Christianity in Medieval Hungary

Rusu, Iulia 2024. Changing lifeways: impact of sedentism and Christianity in Medieval Hungary. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

	PDF - Accepted Post-Print Version Restricted to Repository staff only until 3 January 2026 due to copyright restrictions. Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (7MB) | Request a copy
	PDF (Cardiff University Electronic Publication Form) - Supplemental Material Restricted to Repository staff only Download (141kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

Magyar tribes settled in the Carpathian Basin at the end of the 9th century and rapidly transitioned from a semi-nomadic lifestyle to sedentism, adopting the Christian faith around the year 1000 A.D. Three cemeteries from Romania (10th -11th centuries) and one cemetery from modern-day Hungary (12th-14th centuries), have presented an invaluable opportunity to explore the impact of this transition via the investigation of cultural, health and dietary changes. The research represents the first multi-proxy study into this transitional phase. Key questions relating to dietary variation, demographics and health of these communities were addressed using isotope and osteological analyses. A total of 195 individuals, comprising 147 pre/peri-transition from Izvorul Împăratului, Brânduşei and Pîclişa and 48 from post-transition Szada, were subject to δ13C and δ15N isotope analysis, along with 48 faunal samples to provide a dietary baseline. Results were integrated with demographic and palaeopathological data. Results revealed a gradual shift from a mixed and less stable C4 based diet present within all three pre-transition cemeteries, to a homogenous C3 diet, characteristic of the later post-conversion Szada cemetery. Similarly, some discrepancy was observed between the two sexes in the earlier (10th century) cemetery, whereas this was absent in the later (12th-14th centuries) Szada. No clear differences were observed between pathological and non-pathological individuals, suggesting that chronic dietary stress was rare. A decline in general health was present, however, from the pre-transition cemeteries onwards. The present thesis represents a catalyst for studies on the impact of religious and social change on diet and health in wide-ranging contexts, especially on a local level. The analysis of novel materials from less studied areas will benefit our larger understanding of the impact of Christianity, as well as our understanding of Magyar adaptation in their new homeland.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	History, Archaeology and Religion
Subjects:	C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CC Archaeology D History General and Old World > DB Austria G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GT Manners and customs
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	3 January 2025
Last Modified:	03 Jan 2025 16:10
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/174974

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item