Site ID: 52327
Keywords: Middle Ages, settlement, city, building, Early Modern Period, layer finds, Modern Period, layer finds
Between September 30 and October 16, 2020, the Budapest History Museum conducted a planned excavation at 9 Táncsics Mihály Street in District I, in the western wing of the barracks building. The excavation was commissioned by the Várkapitányság Integrated Regional Development Centre Nonprofit cPlc. The aim of the excavation was to uncover the cavity identified during archaeological research conducted in 2016 by archaeologist Zoltán Bencze. The previously discovered 40 cm thick wall runs approximately north–south at the site, and the excavation continued on its eastern side.
It was necessary to dismantle rooms located east of the earlier excavation, which was done by Várkapitányság. After breaking through the concrete floor, a loose layer containing stone and brick debris with mixed-period artifacts was encountered. Beneath this, a dark brown, heavily charcoal-rich layer with stone debris and 17th–18th century finds was revealed. In the central and southern parts of the excavation area, we observed a brick floor laid over a 3–4 cm thick mortar layer (Fig. 1). In the northern part, the bottom of a lime pit was uncovered (Fig. 2). At this point, the structural engineer from Várkapitányság noted that further deepening across the entire area would pose a structural risk, so excavation continued only in the central part. After removing the brick floor, a yellowish-reddish clay layer with Early Modern artifacts appeared. Further excavation revealed a loose, brown, heavily stoneand brickfilled debris layer. Beneath this was a few centimeters thick, yellow, clayey, hard-packed floor level. This floor likely formed when previously dumped rubble created a cavity in the area, which was later covered. The ceiling of this cavity collapsed, and we found the previously described loose debris layer inside, as well as a roughly east–west oriented stone-based brick wall on the northern side, with its southern side plastered. This wall had been attached to the north–south wall found in 2016. A second brick floor segment was partially covering this wall. The loose, collapsed debris layer from the cavity was removed, revealing a compact, mixed, stone debris layer below. Excavation stopped at this level, as the goal of the planned excavation had been met (Fig. 3).
In the southern section, we dismantled part of the profile wall and discovered an east–west oriented wall that aligned well with the upper brick floor. This wall extends in both directions under the foundations of the barracks building, making it impossible to determine its relationship with the north–south wall found in 2016 (Fig. 4).
Contributors: Eszter Magyar (archaeologist), György Terei (archaeologist), Zsolt Kevevári (surveyor), Zsolt Viemann (surveyor)
Eszter Magyar