Rezümékötet 2008. - vmtdk

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T Á R S A D A L O M T U D O M Á N Y O K
their location, furnishings and structure, followed by a discussion of the smithies known from Zala County and their
possible Slavic ties. The next section offers a detailed description of the smithies in question: their dimensions, circumstances,
contexts, the finds recovered from them, and the interpretations proposed by the excavator, supplemented
by the author’s critical remarks on current theories. The final section provides an overview of the general features
of the discussed smithies and the conclusions that can be drawn from them.
The main purpose of the study is to examine to what extent the smithies uncovered in Zala County (and their reconstructions)
differ from the current general picture of Árpádian-age smithies, and how the smithies of this period
should be conceptualised. The assumed reason for the differences between the smithies known from Zala County and
from other regions of Hungary is that the smithcraft of the Slavs was a living tradition in Zala County during the period
in question. Archaeological records suggest that in the early Middle Ages, this tradition was primarily reflected in
the type and layout of the workshops, as well as in how smithying was organised, which differed from the smithies elsewhere
in the country. The workshop pits used by the (possibly Slavic) smiths of Zala County were surrounded by
above-ground buildings, which left little or no trace in archaeological records, and it also seems likely that in contrast
to the currently accepted view, iron production and iron processing were not conducted in separate locations during
the 10th century.
Many controversial issues still remain to be resolved in the research of smithies and ironworking. The clarification
of these issues remains a task for future research.
Keywords: smithcraft, smithies, Slavic influence
V I I . V A J D A S Á G I M A G Y A R T U D O M Á