Introduction. In: Szabó et al., Adalbert Cserni and his contemporaries, Cluj-Napoca, 2017, 11-17. (original) (raw)
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We are kindly asking researchers and Ph.D. candidates whose research is focused on the history of archeology, life and work of great personalities or local history of urban archaeology and museology to send us their intention for participating at the conference, a title and an abstract of their paper (max. 400 words) in English until 15th October 2015 . The language of the conference is English. No fees for participation are required. The hosting institutions will assure the accommodation and the main meals during the three days of the conference. The conference will be followed by a historic city tour in Alba Iulia, a book presentation and the opening of a thematic exhibition on the life and work of Cserni. For further information, please contact us: cserni2016@gmail.com
The present volume is the first comprehensive work that focuses on the life and work of Béla Cserni (known also as Adalbert Cserni). Using the rich correspondence of the scholar and hundreds of archival and photographic materials from numerous Romanian and foreign institutes from 1867–1916, the author relocates the first archaeologist of Alba Iulia in the local historiography and presents the first detailed biography and genealogy of Cserni. The second part of the volume is focused on Béla Cserni, the scholar, archaeologist and museologist, presenting his important role in (re)discovering Apulum, founding and maintaining the first museum of Alba Iulia and his struggles and endeavours with national / international authorities and scholars. The volume aims also to contextualise the pioneers of urban archaeology of Transylvania in the early phase of the archaeological research in the Belle Époque of Europe.
Histories of urban archaeology in Alba Iulia (1916-2016)
CSERNI, founder of the first museum of Alba Iulia and father of urban archaeology in Transylvania died, he was one of the most well-known personalities of the discipline in the Danubian region. Due to his titanic work, the Roman archaeological heritage of Alba Iulia became well known in Europe and was cited by the most prominent scholars of the continent. Besides his important contribution to the evolution of local museology, urban archaeology , and ancient history, he was one of the first public archaeologists in the region, writing hundreds of works for the greater public. Since his death, both the Roman and mediaeval archaeological heritage of Alba Iulia increased significantly and faced political, ideological, legal, and theoretical changes. In this article the author will present the dynamics of urban archaeology in Alba Iulia, establishing the main periods and reflecting on the relevant ideological and theoretical changes of the last one hundred years of research, also highlighting some perspectives of future studies.
Abstract: Ottó Szőnyi (Pécs, 1876–1937) after studying theology and law in Pécs, he enrolled at the universities of Budapest and Kolozsvár (Cluj). He was ordained in1898, and the next year he began his work in Pécs as an episcopal archivist. He was an active member of the Association of Museums in Pécs, and later he became the director of this museum. In 1911, he became an ecclesiastical judge. In 1909, together with Möller István, he planned and supervised the construction of the water course for draining off the subsoil water that had accumulated as a result of the reconstruction of the cathedral. In 1922, he carried out the excavation of the Cella trichora. In 1925, he received the title of papal chamberlain. From 1929, he was the president of the Central Office for Ecclesiastical Art. As part of the analysis of the First Burial Vault (Peter-Paul), he produced an overview of the history of Roman Sopianae. He taught at the College of Applied Arts until his death in 1934. In 2005, a Late Roman brick grave was found next to the XIX early Christian burial chamber of Pécs. This grave was already excavated by Szőnyi Ottó and Möller István. The grave was made of Roman bricks, but inside it modern bricks were also found. These protected a closed little glass test tube which was actually a hidden time capsule which contained a text with the following phrase: “informing the researchers of future generations”.
Preliminary data on the rescue excavations of Alba Iulia Republicii Bldv. No. 3
Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology, 2023
The rescue archaeological research was undertaken between March – May 2022 in Alba Iulia city, at Republicii Blvd. no. 3. The archaeological investigations identified a number of 216 features, entirely examined and excavated, dating to the Bronze and Iron II Ages, the Roman and post-Roman periods, respectively the Modern period.