Visit to Pomaz

Last weekend I went on a class trip to visit a local archaeological site that  my professor, Dr. József Laszlovszky, is currently excavating. It is in the village of Pomaz which is inside the Pils Hills just a short train ride from the center of Budapest. The adventure started off right when more than half of our group, lost in chatter, went right past our stop. We got off at the next town and as we waited for the next train back, we wisely laughed and came up with scenarios  of settling in the village and starting a commune. Then we upped the ante and created new mythologies. So, if you go to Hungary make sure to include the holy dogs of  the stop after Pomaz, they are quite sacred and amazing.  

Dr. Laszlovszky walked us through the archaeological history of the site including the debates around which monastic order the site had been, the various configurations that have been conceived of its layout and how various archaeologists have both helped and destroyed elements of the site. The current thought is that this area was a Cistertian industrial complex that  potentially specialized in glass production. The church you will see in the pictures below was the center  and workshops were built around it. A few weeks ago, as they dug pits to set up protective covering for their work,  they uncovered a cemetery site. An unexpected find. However, as winter approaches and the ground freezes excavations will have to stop but in the summer they will  continue to  excavate and make a detail plan for these bones.

It's surprising how much of ourselves we leave behind and what these material objects reveal about the communities that leave them . On the train ride home I wondered what it means to leave a material trace.  What stories will be created with our coke bottles and cellphones. What beauty will people find in our rubbish?

The remnants of the Cistertian Church

Sometimes you dig into a cemetery

 Medievalists know how to have fun!

Creepy

Piles of excavated stones

Beautiful landscape and former fishpond!

Learning is always better with hot spiced wine!

Dr. Laszlovszky showing us some remains of the glass industry. Learning happening behind his right shoulder.

Stuff!!