Zoran Markov | Muzeul Banatului Timisoara (original) (raw)

Papers by Zoran Markov

Analele Banatului, XXVIII, 2020

The collection of weapons in the National Museum of Banat includes two 19th century Hungarian cer... more The collection of weapons in the National Museum of Banat includes two 19th century Hungarian ceremonial swords which feature many design and ornamental elements that can mislead the laymen in the field of old heritage weapons. Made in accordance with the tendencies of the historical style, the two pieces imitate the design of the end of the Middle Ages Transylvanian princely swords. Moreover, representations and inscriptions dedicated to the Transylvanian princes Gabriel Báthory (prince between 1608–1613) and Gheorghe Rákóczi I (between
1630–1648) are preserved on both sides of the blades.
The two swords from the NMoB collection are part of a larger series of pieces inscribed with the names of Transylvanian princes, similar swords having been identified both in the online bibliography and in two other museum collections in our country: at the National Museum of Romanian History (Gabriel Báthory) and in the collection of the National Military Museum “King Ferdinand I” in Bucharest (Gabriel Báthory and Gheorghe Rákóczi II). The common element of all these swords is the blade, the basic component of the weapon, which is identical in all these pieces, from a typological point of view: it has a curved shape, with a wide fuller placed under the blunt edge, on both sides, more than two-thirds of the length of the blade. The decorative motifs and inscriptions are engraved in identical layout in all the analyzed pieces. Regarding the arrangement of the engraved decoration, it must be emphasized that it is laid out on superimposed registers, perpendicular to the length of the
blade, in the same order on all the swords examined. As regards the inscriptions present on these blades, especially the princely portraits, we can appreciate that the main source of inspiration was the Transylvanian princely numismatic heritage, preserved to this day in museums or private collections. The princely portraits present on the blades
of the swords are copies of representations present on the obverse of the vintage coins. The princely bust and the official title, which appear on the obverse of the coins, are elements shown on the reverse side of the blades, while the princely coat of arms, present on the reverse of the coins, is engraved on the reverse side of the swords.
The swords from the NMoB collection were analyzed with an XRF spectrometer, and the results obtained show a very high similarity between the two blades: a very high concentration of iron and an insignificant presence of other related chemical elements. The other components of the swords are of different types and shapes and the
materials used range from solid gilded silver to plain brass. Based on the results offered by the XRF spectrometer, we can conclude that the blades used on the two swords were made in the same time interval, using modern metal processing techniques. The differences found in the other components of the swords indicate a ranking of the pieces according to value, which corresponds to the social status of the sponsors.
From a chronological point of view, the two bladed weapons from the NMoB collection date from the second half of the 19th century, possibly the last decades of that century. We agree to this point of view, given the evolution and impact of the historical style in this space, an artistic current which the two analyzed weapons represent.
The lack of information on the origin of the two swords negatively contributed to the long process of identifying and documenting the parts. The two swords were registered in the museum’s inventory on January 8, 1959, being part of a swords lot which also includes that of the noble Osztoics family from Șemlacu Mare and Șemlacu Mic.
Given the uncertainty surrounding the origin of the swords, we hope that future research will elucidate this mystery and will be able to identify the sponsors of the pieces.

ИСХОДИШТА 7, 2021

The family Nikolić of Rudna was one of the most important families of Serbian descent from Hungar... more The family Nikolić of Rudna was one of the most important families of Serbian descent from Hungary. The history of this noble family is largely unknown, as it didn’t receive much attention in the historiography. The present document was written by a member of the Nikolić family and addressed to the adopted son of baron Mihajlo Nikolić, Jovan Tirfelder. The document is an excellent information source about the history of the family.
The document was written in German in the first decades of the 20th century. It comprises six pages and nowadays it is preserved, in a good state of conservation, in the document collection of the History department of the National Museum of Banat from Timișoara. The document comprises five short chapters: 1. General data
about the Serbians in Hungar, 2. Sources about the history of our family, 3. The name of our family and its notation, 4. The history of our family end 5. Remarks regarding the use of the genealogical charts.
The original documents regarding the history of the family before 1848 were lost during a fire, which occurred in Rudna during the 1848-1849 revolution. That is why it was necessary to use other sources in order to write the present document: e.g.: National Archives of Hungary in Budapest or the Archives of the Timiș County. A short history of the family, which contains previously unpublished aspects, constitutes
the most significant part of this document and of the present article.
Another part of the article is dedicated to the baron Fedor Nikolić of Rudna. He was the most important member of the family and a notability in Banat in the second half of the XIXth century. As a deputy, he represented various districts of Banat in the Hungarian parliament. He had an important position in the governing body of Bosnia
and Herzegovina (1882-1886). Additionally he led several associations and commercial companies from Banat and Hungary and received various titles and medals.

Темишварски зборник 12, 2020

The Banat Locality of Variaş is among the most important rural settlements of the Timiş county, a... more The Banat Locality of Variaş is among the most important rural settlements of the Timiş county, as far as publishing and selling postcards is concerned. This is proved by the 29 types of postcards identified until now, as well as the exiting variants. The relatively large number of illustrated postcards published in the first half of the 20th century can be explained by the massive implication of the local German community in the publishing process, but also in their commercialization.
The themes of the Variaş postcards from the first half of the 20th century are exclusively topographic, predominantly of buildings and representative panoramic images: the panorama of the main street, the building of the Communal Hall, the two churches – the Orthodox Serbian and the Catholic German, the building of the Railway Station, the Schnur Hotel, the First Savings Bank, the monument from the Catholic Cemetery, etc. As far as the local Serbian community in Variaș is concerned, we presently know only of one postcard with a Serbian thematic and with explanatory texts in Serbian. The postcard represents the Serbian Savings Bank, the Orthodox Serbian church and the Serbian Reading Society and the Serbian Inn at the beginning of the 20th century. Even though the Serbian topographic thematic in Variaş, respectively the building of the Orthodox Serbian church is shown on later postcards, at this phase of our researches we do not know of other illustrated postcards containing Serbian texts or traces of a local Serbian editor.
The oldest topographical illustrated postcard of Variaş identified during our research was mailed from Variaş in 1899. Among local editors we mention Franz Julius Elsner, Johann Gillich și E. Winkler.
The illustrated postcards of Variaş represent a valuable documentary fund for getting familiar with the local topography and for the researches on the evolution of the rural architecture of Variaş in the first half of the 20th century. The large number of the printed and sold illustrated postcards with Variaş as thematic indirectly prove the economic prosperity and the well-being of its inhabitants during the first decades of the past century.

Analele Banatului, S.N., Arheologie - Istorie, XXVII, pp. 269-290, 2019

The collection of weapons of the National Museum of Banat in Timişoara currently includes ten pie... more The collection of weapons of the National Museum of Banat in Timişoara currently includes ten pieces attributed with certainty to the African space, all ten objects falling into the category of cold weapons. Even though it is numerically small, the Timişoara collection includes five different types of cold weapons: 1. A Kaskara-type Sudanese broadsword; 2. A Shotel-type Ethiopian sword and a Mandingo-type West African sword; 3. Two Gabonese Fang daggers, one Congolese Konda dagger and one Sudanese Khanjar dagger; 4. Two Marutse-Mambunda battle axes; 5. A Zande-type Central African arrow quiver. The Timişoara collection covers a vast geographical area, from Sudan and Ethiopia in the east, to Mali and Gabon in the west, and from the central part of the continent, respectively the Congo area, to the south-eastern extremity of Black Africa. The Timişoara collection includes both weapons of Islamic influence, in the geographical area that separates the north of the continent from sub-Saharan Africa, and pieces typical of Black Africa, attributed to indigenous tribes who lived in the central and southern part of the continent. Islamic influence, especially Persian, is found mainly in Sudan, in Northeast Africa, where many types of cold weapons made after the Iranian model were used at the end of the nineteenth century.
A special feature of African pieces is related to the materials and techniques used to make them. In the northern half of the continent, predominantly Muslim, the skins of various reptiles were used to cover the scabbard and handles (the most extravagant pieces are those covered in crocodile skin), and some less used metal-chemical
techniques practiced in Europe (a process in which the calligraphic inscriptions were embossed on the surface of the steel). Among the weapons from the Black African area, the most spectacular pieces are the Gabonese daggers, which stand out with an extravagant design and superior quality of the materials used.
Of the ten African weapons in the NMoB collection, two are purely ceremonial pieces, not designed for use on the battlefield. The two Sudanese weapons, the Kaskara broadsword and the Khanjar dagger, have many characteristics typical of ceremonial pieces: blunt edges, thinness and fragility of the blades, scabbards made of cardboard reinforced with textile material, then covered in crocodile skins.
Regarding the dating of African weapons in the NMoB collection, we can propose a general dating ranging from the 19th century to the first decades of the following century. We also have more accurate dates of some of the pieces. This is the case of the two Marutse-Mambunda battle axes, picked up by the Czech explorer Emil Holub during his South African expeditions in the second half of the 19th century. The two pieces are also the oldest African weapons in the NMoB collection, having been inventoried in the fall of 1894. In terms of provenance, along with the Holub donation, we must also mention the batch of weapons inventoried in 1968 (Fang daggers and Zande arrow quiver), but also the parts purchased in 2009 (the Mandingo sword and the Konda dagger).
The ten African weapons, which are part of the group of exotic pieces in the NMoB collection, illustrate the richness and diversity of Romanian museum collections in the military field. Unfortunately for scientific research, the collections of exotic weapons present in Romanian museums, although spectacular and attractive, are far too little
known in the international specialized literature.

Темишварски зборник, 2019

THE END OF THE GREAT WAR AND THE DELINEATION OF THE BANAT FRONTIERS AS VIEWED IN THE ROMANIAN HIS... more THE END OF THE GREAT WAR AND THE DELINEATION OF THE BANAT
FRONTIERS AS VIEWED IN THE ROMANIAN HISTORIOGRAPHY

Summary

The author points out three layers, or aspects, of the topic: the positioning of historians towards Otto Roth’s Banat Republic, their accounts regarding the period of stationing of the Serbian Army in Banat, and the delineation of the post-war state frontier between the two countries. A further aspect concerns differences in the treatment of these problems between the general-national and the Banat historiography.
Upon presenting a brief summary of the published works, the author deplores the partisanship and the ill-foundedness of most historians, who describe the presence of Serbian army as a military occupation and as a nightmarish period for the Romanian population. These authors have mainly relied on questionnaires that were designed using a non-scientific methodology and were filled up fifteen years after the events. The paper signals out the absence of a study devoted exclusively to this topic and points out several works noteworthy for their well-documented scientific approach.

Analele Banatului (S.N.), Arheologie-Istorie, XXVI, 2018

Issues Relating to the Dating of the Balkan Arms from the 18th–19th Centuries on the Current Terr... more Issues Relating to the Dating of the Balkan Arms from the 18th–19th Centuries on the Current Territory of Romania

The central aspect clarified in our research is the one related to the dating of the Balkan weapons of the 18th–19th
centuries identified on the current territory of Romania. First of all, the causes that led to an erroneous dating of
the Balkan pieces in the Romanian literature, especially during the communist period, must be mentioned. Given
the fact that the international bibliography in the field of Balkan weapons was at its beginnings, being inaccessible
to Romanian researchers, in order to date the Balkan weapons in our country we used the general western chronology
for the periodization of the evolution of hand-held weapons, a timeline that does not correspond to the
realities of the Balkan Peninsula, in particular of the Eastern territory in general. In the Balkans area, technological
innovations such as the percussion cap mechanism had a poor and delayed penetration, as the technological gap
between the West and the Balkans was of almost a century. This existing gap between workshops in the Balkan
Peninsula and Western Europe has not been addressed by the older Romanian literature. Another reason that led
to an erroneous dating of the pieces in our museums was the “custom” of Balkan workshops to copy Italian weapons
from the 18th century during the 19th century. It is well known that Balkan workshops purchased weapon
components, in particular pipes and detonating mechanisms, from the West, especially from Northern Italy. In the
Balkan Peninsula of that period (18th–19th centuries), European production pipes were imported, and sometimes
also the wooden components of weapons. Many times the Balkan workshops only assembled and decorated the
weapons, and the only indigenous elements were the decorations applied to the weapons. In the Balkans, another
practice was used on a large scale, which overturned researchers’ analyses: falsifying inscriptions. The temptation
of large incomes led many of the local gunsmiths to engrave, especially on gun butt, the names of famous Italian
gunsmiths from the 18th–19th centuries, which makes it difficult to date those pieces. We have a special situation in
cases where inscriptions made from symbols and letters without any logic have been identified. Modern research
believes that in these cases we are dealing with the “work” of illiterate craftsmen, who were addressing equally
illiterate clients. The problem of engravings “copied” by illiterate craftsmen is also encountered in the Balkan territory
in the case of yataghan production, but we cannot speak of a widespread practice. Another problem in the
dating of the Balkan weapons is the massive importation of finished parts from the West, made especially for the
Eastern and Balkan markets, given that the weapons specially manufactured for export were made to the tastes of
the Balkan customers – respecting the typology and appearance of those from the 18th century.
Returning to the dating of the Balkan weapons identified in the territory of Romania, very few of the analysed
weapons, except for the yataghans, keep the year of manufacturing. The best situation is in the case of yataghans,
where, out of the 59 pieces analysed in our research, 19 of the pieces still have the year of manufacturing damascened
on the blade. All the pieces studied fall within the last decades of the 18th century and the second half of
the 19th century. In terms of firearms, a very small number of pieces preserve the year of manufacturing, which
does not allow us to carry out an edifying statistical analysis. Of the pieces studied, the years of manufacturing
are engraved on a single pistol and on a single rifle, namely 1814 and 1865, respectively. Under these conditions,
Balkan firearms held in our country’s museums can only be dated generally between the second half of the 18th
century and the second half of the 19th century.
By analysing the situation of the dated yataghans, we can make a realistic assessment of the periods of Balkan
weapons from the current territory of Romania. Out of the 19 dated yataghans, most come from the early decades
of the 19th century, 12 pieces (63%), followed by the yataghans dating back to the second half of the 19th
century, 4 pieces (21%), while the yataghans dating back to the last decades of the 18th century hold the smallest
share, counting only 3 pieces (16%). Although the small number of dated yataghans (19 of the total of 59
weapons investigated) is not representative of the whole country, the results of our analysis are in line with the
situation of yataghans kept in the large weapon collections in Belgrade and Zagreb. Specifically, we refer to the
share held by the yataghans dated in the first half of the 19th century, the most numerous of which are kept in our
museums and from this point of view the situation is the same as that of the Military Museum in Belgrade and
the Croatian History Museum of Zagreb. The differences found compared to the situation in Romania result in
the much smaller gap between this group of yataghans and those of the second half of the 19th century, namely
from the last decades of the 18th century. The large number of weapons made in the first half of the 19th century
must be linked to the more than difficult political situation of the European part of the Ottoman Empire at that
time. The need for arming became a necessity in the years of the “Serbian Revolution” of 1804–1835, a multi-stage
anti-Ottoman movement that materialized with the establishment of an autonomous Serbian Principality within
the Ottoman Empire. In the same line with the anti-Ottoman movement in Serbia, the Greek Independence War
took place between 1821–1829, which ended with the recognition of the independence of the new Greek State by
the great European powers. A conflict situation was also faced by Bosnia in 1831, but its character was different,
as the Bosnians stood up against the reforms made by the central authorities of Istanbul. All these conflicts in the
Balkans required massive arming and generated an important weapon production, a fact reflected in the dating of
the Yataghans existing on the territory of Romania.
Analysing from a comparative point of view the situation of yataghan dating with that of the Balkan firearms,
related and most of all, contemporary weapons, we can propose an assimilation regarding the periodization of
white weapons with the firearms. Therefore, it can be appreciated that the vast majority of the Balkan firearms
existing in Romania, derived from the same sources as the white ones, can be dated in the first half of the 19th
century, according to the great effervescence in the Balkan weapon production level, the regional political situation
being presented in the paragraphs above.

Oameni, evenimente, tradiții din Banatul de câmpie, 2019

Темишварски зборник, 2018

THE ARMY OF THE KINGDOM OF SERBIA IN THE RURAL AREAS OF THE TIMIŞ-TORONTAL COUNTY IN THE ROMANIA... more THE ARMY OF THE KINGDOM OF SERBIA IN THE RURAL AREAS OF
THE TIMIŞ-TORONTAL COUNTY IN THE ROMANIAN PART OF BANAT
BETWEEN 1918-1919
Data from the Historical Museum Fund „Nicolae Ilieşiu”

Summary
At the end of the World War 1914–1918 the political and the administrative situation of Banat as a region was extremely complex, considering that both Serbia and Romania manifested their claim in taking over this former Austro-Hungarian territory. On top of that, the Hungarians and Germans in the region, not insignificant by numbers, have expressed their wish to remain in the newly formed Hungarian state or have opted for the proclamation of the independent Banat Republic. In this general context, after the Military Convention that took place on November 13th, 1918 in Belgrade, the army of the Kingdom of Serbia, as a winner of the Great War and a representative of the Entente Powers occupied Banat. The situation during the provisorium in the Romanian part of Banat, especially in the rural areas, when the Serbian army was present in the territory, has not been thoroughly studied so far and is therefore not very well known in the current historiography. The National Banat Museum owns in its collections a certain documentary source which provides a relative image of those times, namely the years 1918–1919. In 1934 a certain research was undertaken, based on questionnaires. The obtained results are various, subjective and, for sure, mostly approximate, given based on memories and stories after two decades from those events. Even so, they offer a certain image on the situation between 1918–1919, as well as on those who have asked for the questionnaire and those who have written it. In the article the questionnaire is reproduced in the original and also translated in Serbian.

Oameni, evenimente, tradiții din Banatul de câmpie, XI, pp. 11-24, Jun 1, 2017

In October 1982 the former tradesman and glass case decorator of Timişoara Francisc Branislav Mir... more In October 1982 the former tradesman and glass case decorator of Timişoara Francisc Branislav Mircsetics donated to Museum of Banat from Timişoara an interesting personal collection composed of eleven pieces of museum interest catalogued in the History collection and Medal collection of the institution. In the History Collection catalogue there were registered four diplomas and five photographies, while a medal and a photography were included in the Medal Collection catalogue. These pieces, published in detail in the present study, constituted the starting point of the documentation about F. B. Mircsetics.
Mircsetics was born in Timişoara, on the 4th of October 1897, in a tradesmen family. He graduated Primary School in Hungarian and Serbian languages and then he graduated the three years Middle School and a one year Trade Course in Timişoara. In 1912 he left for Berlin where he attended and graduated in May 1913 the Glass case Decorator Course called ”Das Schaufenster”. He worked as an apprentice and then as a tradesman assistant at famous colonial goods and dainties firms from Timişoara: „Iulius Galgon”, „Burghardt Zsuzsi” and „Babcsányi Ferenc”. In 1929 he opened his own business with colonial goods and dainties inside Makri House from Timişoara (Cetate/Fortress), firm that worked for almost a decade.
Complex and eccentric personality, Mircsetics remained in the memory of his contemporaries through the controversies related to his economic activity and his inter-war political activity. His socio-political activity was strongly connected to the life of the Serbian community from Timişoara, although Mircsetics barely expressed himself in Serbian language. At the beginning of the 30’s of the last century, F. B. Mircsetics was elected president of the Serbian Youth Society from Timişoara, and in the spring of 1934 was elected in the leading structures of the Regnicolar Party of the Serbian People from Romania.
F. B. Mircsetics remained popular till nowadays especially through his participation at the glass case contests and exhibitions organized in inter-war Timişoara. In September 1923, the young tradesman assistant and decorator got the First Prize and the Honor Diploma at the glass case arranging contest organized within the Sample Fair of Banat from Timişoara. Two years later, in September 1925, under the aegis of Chamber of Commerce and Industry from Timişoara, Mircsetics taught a four month course for the young glass case decorators, at which participated 30 persons. The course was completed with a glass case exhibition held at the Military Casino from Timişoara. In May 1934, on the occasion of the contests organized within ”Timişoara’s Week”, Mircsetics participated at two of the contests: the glass case and the glass case lighting contests. He got diplomas and prizes at both contests. The most important prize was the golden medal awarded at the glass case contest for the arrangement ” The picnic of the dwarfs in the forest”.
In the years that followed the Second World War, Mircsetics led a modest life, being marginalized by the communist authorities. He was not married and had no offspring. He resided with his sister in an apartment on Mărăşeşti Street in the quarter Cetate (Fortress) from Timişoara. He died in Timişoara on the 26th of December 1983, being buried in the cemetery from Lipovei Road.