The Department of Early Medieval and Historical Archaeology was established in 2017 under the leadership of Tivadar Vida, taking over the responsibility for teaching Migration Period archaeology from the former Department of Prehistoric and Early Historic Archaeology, and medieval and early modern archaeology from the Department of Hungarian Medieval and Early Modern Archaeology (1990–2017). By integrating the research and teaching of periods represented by both written and material sources, the new department follows the themes and methodology of "historical archaeology" (historische Archäologie, Historical Archaeology).

Head of Department

Dr Tivadar Vida, Head of Department

Areas of Specialization

Archaeology of the Migration Period

The archaeology of the migration period specialization encompasses the teaching and research of the material and spiritual culture, as well as the history, of the steppe peoples who settled in the Carpathian Basin during the first millennium AD—such as the Huns, Avars, and conquering Hungarians—as well as the Germanic, Slavic, and Iranian groups.

In analyzing social structures and stratification, special emphasis is placed on the relationship between local populations and newcomers, the formation of centers of power, and the examination of cultural changes and economic systems. Research into the complex network of cultural relations also extends to communication among so-called “barbarian” peoples and the reception of Late Antique and Byzantine Mediterranean culture.

Medieval Archaeology

Within the Department of Early Medieval and Historical Archaeology, the medieval specialization deals with a somewhat broader period than the one implied by its name. Professor András Kubinyi, partly the founder of the department but certainly the visionary and initial developer of the specialization, from the beginning placed particular emphasis on the period beyond the classical Middle Ages in Hungary, which ended on August 29, 1526, commonly referred to as the early modern period. Accordingly, the period currently taught within the medieval specialization starts from the foundation of the Christian Hungarian state, around the year 1000, and extends until the death of Joseph II in 1790. Within this framework, the specialization covers the research and methodological training of all movable and immovable archaeological finds, including standing architectural monuments.

The teaching of the specialization—like the others—is fundamentally conducted in two areas. The theoretical training takes place during seminars and lectures, while the practical training happens in mandatory excavation field schools. The theoretical education, at both BA and MA levels, is thematic rather than chronological. Accordingly, separate semesters are devoted to topics such as towns and crafts, villages, castles and residences, ecclesiastical archaeology, medieval material culture, and the early modern period. At the master’s level, further detailed subjects are addressed, including stove tile production, burial practices, and building archaeology.

One of the conditions for practical training is the availability of longer-term excavations directed by our own instructors. For more than twenty years since the beginning of the specialization, Visegrád served as such a site, where excavations of the Franciscan monastery were conducted under the leadership of József Laszlovszky and Gergely Buzás, resulting in several theses. In the past decade, alongside several shorter excavations, multiple sites have served as locations for longer-term excavation practice. Among these are Szécsény-Belváros, Solymár Castle, Drégely Castle, Sándor Manor in Csíkvacsárcsi, and Sáska-Bakonyszentjakab.

An implicit task of the current field schools is to familiarize students with the pan-European connections and relationships of medieval and early modern material culture and architecture. For this reason, organizing excavations outside the present borders of Hungary is an important aspect. Accordingly, some of our recent or ongoing excavations take place within international cooperation frameworks. Among the official field schools, special mention should be made of the castles of Zvolen-Pusztavár and Čabraď, which have been excavated for several seasons. Additionally, Fiľakovo Castle has served multiple times as a training site for excavation methodology. Our newest objective is to establish the permanence of two cooperation programs launched in 2017: Château de Boves (France) and Klingenmünster-Schlössel (Germany).