A view into a greener future at Călugăreni/Mikháza

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Thanks to an initiative by the Barn Theatre Association, a total of 100 fruit trees were planted at Călugăreni/Mikháza on the 6th of March. Our museum participated in this project and planted 40 fruit trees at the Bellevue.

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The varieties of apple and pear trees are all native to the region and were planted with the help of our colleagues and members of the local community.

DSC_0058We hope that in the future our visitors will have the opportunity to taste these delicious fruits while enjoying the nice view.

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8R (Roman) Festival at Călugăreni/Mikháza

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The motto of this year’s festival is „…IN CORPORE SANO”. Health and self-care was just as important to the Romans as it is to us nowadays.

The festival respects the newest sanitary regulations and will have Roman military demonstrations, exhibitions, workshops, guided tours and concerts.

Let’s discover the wonders of the Roman world together on the 1st of August!

 

PROGRAM

BARN THEATHRE

ODEON
14.00–18.00 Exhibition: A Box of Archaeology
14.00–18.00 Exhibition: The Insignias of the Roman Legions

ARENA
14.00–15.00 Concert: Neumarkt Brass Quintet
15.30–16.00 Military exercises of the Roman soldiers: Milites Marisensis
17.00–17.30 Dance performance: Antheia Imperialis
17.30–18.00 Military exercises of the Roman soldiers: Milites Marisensis
18.00–19.00 Folk night: Maros Ensemble

CASTRUM
14.00–18.00 Roman military camp life
14.00–18.00 Museumpedagogycal presentations

FORUM
13.00–19.00 Taberna
13.00–19.00 Rostra (Information kiosk)
15.00–15.30 Exhibition opening: Joannes Kájoni 390

ROMAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK

14.00–18.00 Exhibition: TIME BOX
14.00–18.00 Bellevue: Compass
14.00–18.00 Guided tours at the archaeological site

FRANCISCAN FRIERY AND COURTYARD

ECCLESIA
14.00–18.00 Exhibition: Bibliotheca claustri
14.00–18.00 Exhibition: Collegium naturae curiosorum
14.00–18.00 Guided tours inside the Franciscan church

HORTUS
14.00–18.00 Museumpedagogycal presentations
16.00–17.00 Concert: Kájoni Consort

European Archaeology Day at the Călugăreni/Mikháza Archaeological Park

DSC_0115European Archaeology Days (Journées européennes de l’archéologie) had its 11th edition this year. A total of 28 countries participated with 1.000 events. The aim of the organizers is making the public aware of the importance of archaeological researches.

DSC_0128The Mureș County Museum participated for the first time, the event was held on the 20th of June at the Călugăreni Archaeological Park. In spite of the initial bad weather, we had almost 100 visitors. The guests could attend guided tours inside the pavilions (Time Box), the archaeological excavation and the experimental garden. Those who were interested could also make scented sacks from herbs during the day. The members of the Milites Marisensis Association made the occasion that more festive with their presence.

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European Archaeology Day at Călugăreni/Mikháza

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Spend an exciting day at the Archaeological Park from Călugăreni!

The Mureş County Museum participates at the European Archaeology Days for the first time. On the 20th of June, Saturday, between 10 and 18 o’clock, the visitors will have the chance to participate on guided tours at the archaeological excavation site inside the Roman fort, and also at the newly re-opened exhibition pavilions (TIME BOX). You can also have a look at our experimental garden and take a walk to our bellevue.

Keeping it neat!

The Archaeological Park in Călugăreni is being prepared to welcome visitors this year as well. With the arrival of spring the experimental garden started to grow again. Since the museum gained a new property, the flowerbeds were moved into the new garden. The existing plant specimens were preserved and soon we will plant new ones as well.

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The general maintenance of the Archaeological Park requires several days every week. The TIMEBOX pavilions were cleaned and disinfected, the information boards, the courtyard of the Interdisciplinary Research Centre and the area of the Belvedere was cleaned as well.

Lecture about the 2019 excavations at Brâncovenești

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Szilamér Péter Pánczél, archaeologist at the Roman Limes Research Centre of the Mureș County Museum, has been invited to give a lecture about the 2019 excavations at Brâncovenești. Due to the renovations partaking at the church, there was need for preventive archaeological researches, which were carried out by the colleagues from the museum, students of the Babeș-Bolyai University and the young workers from Brâncovenești. The project was financed by the Transylvanian District of the Reformed Church and coordinated by the Pósta Béla Association from Cluj-Napoca. They managed to identify the foundations of the bell tower, belonging to the 18th century church. The exact reasons why the tower wasn’t built is unknown as of yet. Archaeological material belonging to the Roman period was found inside and around the tower, since the church was built on the Roman military settlement.

thumbnailAnother research location was the Kemény family’s orchard in the area of the Roman military fort. We wanted to find the remains of a smaller church or chapel, a part of which was already discovered in 1970’s. Based on the geophysical data, we managed to localize a part of the sacristy, sanctuary and a 18-19th century crypt.

DSC_0609The public could also ask other questions about the excavations, not only from Mr. Pánczél, but also from the other researchers present. The event was finished with an agape feast.

Protective shelter proposal for principia receives award 

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Out of the 53 entries to the “Youth in black and white” competition, organized by the Association of Hungarian Architects, 25 were selected for a special exhibition, and 5 of them got awarded by a jury of internationally renowned architects. The recipients of one such award were none other than Cseh András, Galántai Gergely, Karlovecz Ádám and Lévay Áron Farkas with their proposal for a protective shelter. The structure’s purpose is to present and protect the ruins of the headquarters building (principia) of the Roman fort. The team was inspired by the Transylvanian landscape and the already built architectural elements of the Călugăreni Archaeological Park. Congratulations to their team!

Read more about their proposal here.

 

There’s something about Pompeii

            It is no wonder that people in most historical times feared the force of nature, and prayed to the gods so that nothing bad would happen. One extreme example that supports the idea of this worry was the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The angry volcano devastated several cities and farms, burying the whole area with stone and ash. As a result, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae and the whole area became a sealed history, offering the opportunity to be rediscovered.

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            The Pompeii – Life and death in the shadow of Vesuvius exhibition is set in Kraków until the 8th of March, so our team decided to visit it. Frescoes of the highest quality, objects related to everyday life, agriculture, households, luxury, busts and statues of marble and bronze, which once stood in the forum of the flourishing city of Pompeii, testify the grandness which was erased in 20 hours. Of course, the exhibits are gorgeous, but seeing the data about the eruption and the results, one can only have mixed feelings regarding this story.  These puzzles of history, put very well into context in the exhibition must be seen in order to be understood.

Retrospect 2019/ Welcome 2020

People say, that it is better to leave the past behind and always look forward to what is coming. But this would object the whole purpose of our profession. So as people who constantly look back, we decided to refresh the memories of the past year.

Last year can be characterized as being colorful and active. As a good start, potato fields became part of the archaeological park and a house and courtyard was purchased. Experimental archaeology was also part of our activities. During spring time an experimental garden was founded with herbs, flowers and vegetables, which once were part of the flora of the Roman environment. Related to this, as theme of the Night of the Museums, we made pickles and vinegar-fruits after ancient receipts. This was a total success and we can approve that the pickles are still good. Many people tasted, also a month ago and the feedback is truly positive. The Roman Festival, despite the rainy mood of Jupiter, attracted many people, who enjoyed the wonders of the Orient.

As for the excavations, the principia and the whole site is starting to bloom from the point of view of information and a whole new, or better said old world is showing itself.  This year we follow the same way and we have new plans as well. So welcome 2020, we will be back with fresh news soon.

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IIIrd Archaeology-Art history workshop

Between the 6th and 8th of December, our team joined the IIIrd Archaeology-Art history workshop in Sovata/Szováta. The event was organized by the Babeș-Bolyai University and the Pósta Béla Association, to whom we are grateful for this experience. The presentations were very varied and interesting,  and awoke the spirits of prehistory, Romans, Huns, middle ages, and delighted us with art. Our team presented the results of the experiment of Gastronomika Romana and  the concept of the archaeological park from Călugăreni/Mikháza.

On Saturday we went on excursion to Mitrești/ Nyárádszentmárton, Sânvăsii/ Nyárádszentlászló, Ocna de Sus/ Felsősófalva, and we had the pleasure to invite the whole team to visit Călugăreni, so we quickly took our chance to set up a third tasting tour of the pickles and the archaeological site as well, of course.  This time we served the pickles washed with a sprinkle of oil, and the feedbacks were truly optimistic. Besides these, a lovely moretum, freshly baked bread and hot mint tea gave cozy feeling of the cold winter day. Since so many people were asking for the recipe of the moretum, we decided to share two variants.

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Moretum 1

The first variant is from Appendix Vergiliana, Moretum.

Ingredients: salty cheese, olive oil, vinegar, salt, garlic, celery leaves and stalk, herb grace and coriander leaves.

Preparation: For the procedure you need a mortarium, which can be replaced with a larger mortar. The garlic has to be cleaned and cut into smaller pieces, the herbs should be washed and placed into the mortar with the garlic and the salty cheese. The ingredients have to be crashed and mixed with some olive oil and salt, until it gets a creamy consistency.

Moretum 2

The second recipe is inspired from Columella’s De re rustica 12, 59, 1-3.

Ingredients: salty cheese, olive oil, vinegar, salt, celery leaves and stalk, coriander leaves, summer savory, leek, salad, savory, thyme, mint, walnut or sesame seeds.

Preparation: The leek and the salad should be cleaned and cut into pieces, the herbs should be washed and all placed into the dish, with the salty cheese. After mixing the ingredients we add roasted walnuts or sesame seeds, season the moretum with salt and make it lighter with some olive oil and vinegar.

Bon appétite!

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