Tóth Boglárka Márta

The paper presents the results of a dendrochronological research focused on the medieval churches of the Ciuc Basin (East Carpathians, Harghita County). More of these churches preserved the medieval chancels
although the exact building dates were unknown and only indirect data, such as altar and bell inscriptions, give a more precise dating.
Earlier dendrochronological sampling remained unsuccessful because of the timber species used: Norway spruce for which we had no
valid local chronology. After a campaign dedicated to a new chronology, sampling was repeated and more roof structures were successfully
dated.
The dendrochronological data (Mihăileni 1491 chancel, 1492 nave, Cârța 1505, Cozmeni 1506, Armășeni 1532 chancel and 1533 nave, Ciucsângeorgiu 1533) assures narrow limits for the chronology of the Late Gothic constructions, and also provides important knowledge regarding environment reconstruction, historical carpentry etc.

The paper presents the results of a recent (2020) dendrochronological research in Csík seat (East Transylvania, Harghita County, Romania), that led to the identification of more, earlier unknown roof structures from the Middle Ages.  While above four churches the historical roof are still in function (Mihăileni 1491 chancel/1492 nave, Cozmeni 1506, Armășeni 1532 chancel and 1533 nave, Ciucsângeorgiu 1533), in Cârța the late 18th century structure preserved more elements of the earlier chancel roof (1505). All of them were made of Norway Spruce. The dendrochronological data gives a precise ante quem dating  for the Late Gothic constructions of these churches, and also provides important knowledge regarding environment reconstruction, historical carpentry etc.

The present paper discusses the research carried out at the Black Church in Brașov where a
consistent effort to accurately date the wooden structures and the framework of the roof was recently
undertaken. A total of 141 samples were taken from the wooden structure of the building and were
examined using dendrochronological analysis in order to date the relevant elements, identify the
original structure as well as and later additions, and to determine the tree species. We have studied
55 samples extracted from the nave’s roof framework, 31 from the choir, 35 from the tower’s roof
frame and its interior wooden structure, 15 from pine shingles and 5 from above the pipe organ. The
analysis performed at the Miercurea Ciuc dendrochronology laboratory (Anno Domini Dendrolab)
indicated that the aforementioned Brasov roof framework was built between 1689 and 1694 and
can be identified as the earliest known structure of its kind in Transylvania consolidated through the
liegender Stuhl system.

The roof structure above the Lutheran
Parish Church in Sibiu consists of several
units. Based on the dendrochronological
studies conducted between 2012 and 2016, the
building and repair of the 14th-16th century roof
structures can be dated accurately to a year,
and at the same time the church’s building
history, which was previously uncertain, can
be easily traced. The roof structures in Sibiu
are the earliest still standing roof structures in
Transylvania, thus they deserve special attention,
especially as they allow us to observe the
development of mediaeval carpentry and roof
structures.

Abstract: The roof structure above the Lutheran Parish Church in Sibiu consists of several units. Based on the dendrochronological studies conducted between 2012 and 2016, the building and repair of the 14 th-16 th century roof structures can be dated accurately to a year, and at the same time the church's building history, which was previously uncertain, can be easily traced. The roof structures in Sibiu are the earliest still standing roof structures in Romania, thus they deserve special attention , especially as they allow us to observe the development of mediaeval carpentry and roof structures.

Dendrochronology is a dating method which uses tree ring-width measurements and
analysis of recent and historical wood to specify the procurement date of historical beams, with
the aim to date building phases of monuments. The dendrochronological research of the bell
tower and roof of the Gheorgheni Catholic church was done in several phases between 2013
and 2015. The goal of the research was to date the construction year of the tower and of later
interventions. We collected oak, spruce and elm samples from of the original floor-beams of
the tower, and from the beams above the arrow slits. The dendro-data prove that the five floors
of the medieval tower were built in the summer of 1498 (in concordance with the inscription
above the tower-door), but during the works earlier wood elements from the ’70s of the same
century were also used. In 1675, the tower was heightened with one level, while the present
form was achieved using spruce timber, procured sometime after 1752, probably during the
great Baroque reconstructions.
The roof structure of the church was build from spruce, cut during the winters of
1753/1754 and 1754/1755. Some decades later a strange intervention occurred: the original
tie-beam/rafter joints were dismounted and new elements were placed among them. These
elements come from spruces which were cut down in the winter of 1793/1794.

The reasons behind elaborating this article are related to the results of the preliminary archaeological excavations performed in Ineu in 2016. We believe and especially hope that this stage represents a significant first step in the rediscovery of the early phases of use of the fortress in Ineu, an initiative that is also extremely important for the restoration process initiated by the local authorities. The history of the settlement of Ineu is tied to that of the castle and the medieval fortress now located in the central part of the town. Considering these aspects, we deemed necessary to complement the presentation of the results of the first archaeological excavations with a brief presentation of the most significant moments that have marked the history of the fortress and settlement of Ineu from the Middle Ages until today. Despite the fact that our investigations were limited, the results thus obtained are promising in relation to the development in time from the so-called castellum to the 17th century bastionary fortification and the modifications of the 19th century. The opened trenches have touched parts of the northern, western, southern, and central parts that only represent one percent (1%) of the total surface that measures 4500 m2, of what is today a castle, with a plan acquired in the second half of the nineteenth century. As for the entire complex, it is increasingly difficult to identify parts of the planimetry of the old noble residence, but also of the bastionary fortification due, on the one hand, to the town planning development that has largely overlapped the intra and extra muros areas, and on the other hand due to the chaotic edilitary “momentum” of the last few decades. The various maps, ground plans, conscriptions and inventories, vedute, sketches, or photographic images are thus of real help. They can at least aid in the reconstruction of the general planimetries, but sometimes also in reaching certain detail issues.

Dendrochronology is a dating method which uses tree ring data of living trees and tree ring series measured on
historical and archaeological wood. In optimal circumstances dendrochronology can produce absolute dating with a half-year accuracy.
Due to research carried out by our team, initiated in 2003, we can use now two master chronologies to date oak and fi r structures in
Transylvania for the period between the 13th and 19th centuries, a couple of absolutely dated series for the 12th to 14th centuries, and
also some fl oating series for the late migration period (7th ‒ 8th centuries) and Roman period. Th e article presents a few case studies of
dendrochronological research on medieval churches from this region (Dârjiu, Târgu Mureş, Cetatea de Baltă, Bistriţa, Sibiu). During
these campaigns of fi eldwork and following analyses we successfully dated more medieval roofs and later renovation phases. So far the
earliest dated roof is the structure above the Evangelic church in Sibiu, where the timber material comes from trees felled at the middle
of the 14th century. Th e method is also used to date art objects (altar panels) and wood installations (painted ceilings, furniture).
To extend the validity of the present chronologies, both in time and space (in Moldova and the Romanian Plain), stronger
archaeological involvement will be needed.

This paper presents some results of dendrochronological researches carried out on historical
wooden installations and furniture by the Transylvanian Dendrochronological Laboratory in the
past few years. The main tools for dating these ecclesiastical objects (Gothic painted panels, Baroque
altars, historical doors, painted ceilings, breastwork of galleries) are two local chronologies for oak
(Quercus sp.) and fir (Abies Alba) which cover the period between the 13th and 19th centuries.
Naturally, in the case of art objects, the dendrochronological data is obtained without real sampling,
only with non-destructive methods such as surface measurement and macro-digital photography.
Beside exact dating, the main achievements are the proof of local fabrication of a supposed
„import” altarpiece, the connection with art history, written sources and dendro data, and comparison
of fir and pine data from contemporary artifacts.
The successes achieved on different types of objects and installations investigated from various
periods has shown again the usefulness and importance of the dendrochronological method for art
historical studies.

The paper presents the second part of the results of identification and dating of historical wood structures of Udvarhely (r: Odorhei, Harghita-county, Romania) region. During the fieldwork and lab analysis more medieval roofs, towers and building periods were discovered and successfully dated. It is also presented the oak chronology made from the samples collected.

The article presents the dendrochronological researches conducted between 2010 and 2013 at the tower and the choir roof structure of the Calvinist Church in Târgu Mureş. Corroborated with already known historical data, the information obtained throughout the analysis helps clarifying the chronology of construction and subsequent repairs implemented on the building. Furthermore, the article also presents the hypothetical reconstruction of the rafters in the choir's roof structure, dated to the end of the 15 th century, contributing to our knowledge about this historical period.

Summary
This contribution presents the results of dendrochronological analyses made on wood from two
archaeological sites located in Transylvania. The material from the  rst sample comes from a well at
Lazuri in north-western Romania, dated archaeologically to the end of the 8th and beginning of the 9th
century. The second sample stems from the inner structure of a rampart at Kakasbarázda in the eastern
Carpathian previously radiocarbon-dated to the 7th–8th century. The dendrochronological analysis
revealed that the samples are contemporary: they have an almost 100 year-long common sequence,
and hence the building of the well from Lazuri can be dated to the second half of the 8th or beginning
of the 9th century. A secure tree-ring database for the  rst millennium AD does not yet exist for Transylvania
and therefore the absolute dates of the samples cannot be established. Only the systematic
collection of wood from archaeological sites with clear stratigraphy and the application of different
dating methods like radiocarbon dating and dendrochronology will achieve a secure chronology in
the future.

THE DENDROCHRONOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE CENTRAL PANEL 'CORONATION OF THE VIRGIN' FROM SÂNDOMINIC
Abstract
The painted panel 'Coronation of the Virgin' comes from an altarpiece and it is kept in the Csíki Székely Múzeum in Miercurea-Ciuc (Csíkszereda). The panel was presented detailed recently (2009.) in a art historical study written by Zsuzsa Szabó. According to this analysis the panel is a import piece made in the style of the artistic circle of Salzburg, and can be dated to the beginnings of the 16th century. The present paper presents the results of the dendrochronological research made on four boards of the panel. The panel is mad of seven silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) boards but only four of them were suitable for denrochronological analysis. The tree-rings of the boards were documented with a digital microscope, then the ring widths were measured with a special software on the pictures. The united data set contains 97 years and could not be dated with German, Austrian, Poland and Swiss chronologies, but precise dating was possible with local Romanian series from Bistrița (Beszterce) and Sibiu (Nagyszeben). The first ring formed in 1389 the last in 1485. The last rings are missing from the boards so one can conclude that the panel was made from trees cut shortly after 1485. At the same time the wood material originates from Transylvania more precisely probably from the south part of the region. This leads us to the conclusion that
independently from the artistic influences the master of the Sândominic (Csíkszentdomokos) panel used local timber so the panel is not a import piece. The main achievement of the research is the definition of the timber provenience of a medieval panel, which is a novelty in the Romanian art history and dendrochronological research.

The Reformed church localized inside the castle of Târgu
Mureş (Marosvásárhely) belonged in the Middle Ages
to the Franciscan-order. Despite of destructions and
renovations of the last centuries the church preserved
more wood structures which chronological relations
could bring important information about the periods
of the building. The most appropriate method for such
research is the dendrochronology which in optimal
circumstances can result dating with half year accuracy.
For the analysis we took 65 samples in all. In the bell
tower there are no wood elements contemporary with
the construction, the inside structures belong all to the
renovation made after the devastation of 1601–1602,
some are even younger. The roof of the tower and
the beams of the old bell-structure were made from
oak-timber cut in 1603, while the actual bell-structure
is made from oaks felled in the winter of 1834–1835.
Unlike the tower and the nave the roof structure of the
sanctuary contains elements from a much earlier roof.
Four complete trusses on the east side and the elements
in the centre and south part of the structure were made
from oaks cut during the winter of 1479/1480 and the
next summer. One has to presume a bigger intervention,
construction on the friary for this period. The devastations
from the beginning of the 17th century had strong
effects on the north-west part of the roof positioned
near the bell tower, there fore the rafters located here
and also the connected tie-beams were replaced with
wood material cut in winter of 1602/1603. Surprisingly
the assembly marks used on the 17th century elements
are almost the exact copies of those dated in the 15th
century. The following major intervention on the roof
was in the 20th century, when every second secondary
truss was strengthened with a pine structure.
The main importance of the dendrochronological
research is the identification of a historical structure
in the heart of Transylvania on a well-known building,
and the exact dating of the construction and reconstruction
years.

[The archeological research of the Csonkatorony of Tomesti in 2002] The study presents the first year's results of the archeological excavation in "Csonkatorony" Tome §ti, Harghita County (Romania). The medieval parish church was almost totally destroyed in the 18 ,h century, except the tower and the medieval wooden statue of Madonna. The tabernacle and the bell were transported in the newly built baroque building. The remains were excavated in 2002 and in the researched surfaces a part of the south ship wall and the southern side of the gothic sanctuary were found. The excavation revealed that the building had two major periods. During the first one the ship was 7,8 m long and had a 6,5 m width. The sanctuary was a five metres long and wide semicircular. Written sources and archeological remains date this phase in the 13* century. Approximately in the middle of the 15* century the first sanctuary was demolished, and a new late-gothic one was build being as wide as the old ship. This polygonal sanctuary was arched with stoneribs, having a 10,6 m length. The bell-tower was built in this period on the west side of the ship. The comparing of the carved stones revealed a close relation between the churches of Tomcsti and the neighbouring parish church from Carta. During the research 101 tombs were excavated. Rezumat: [Cercetarea arheologicä a Turnului Ciuntit din Tomeçti-campania din anul 2002)] Lucrarea prezintä rezultatele primei campanii (2002) de cercetäri arheologice efectuate la a §a-numitul Turn Ciuntit din Tomeçti, judetul Harghita. Biserica parohialä medievalä a satului de odinioarä, aflat la nord de actuala localitate Tome §ti a fost aproape complet demolatä în secolul al XVIIÎdea, pästrandu-se pana astäzi doar turnul-clopotnitä gotic de pe fatada vesticä. Clopotul datând din 1495, tabernaculul gotic si o Madonä sculptatä din lemn din altarul medieval au fost mutate în biserica ridicatä în Stil baroc dupä demolarea bisericii médiévale. In cursul säpäturilor au fost trasatc trei sectiuni, dezvelindu-se partial fundatiile laturii sudice a navei sj a corului gotic precum si portiuni ale necropolei din jurul bisericii médiévale. S-a constatât cä biserica medievalä a fost construite în douä faze. Prima bisericä construite la sfârsjtul secolului al XIIIdea avea o navä de dimensiuni exterioare de 7,8 x 6,5 m si o absidä semicircularä sj a rämas în folosntä pana în prima jumätate a secolului al XVdea. Dupä sfârsitul primei treimi a secolului al XVdea, dupä demolarea vechii abside s-a construit un cor poligonal gotic flancat de contraforti, cu o lähme égala cu cea a navei romanice pästrate. Lungimea noului cor era de 10,6 m si avea bolti cu nervuri din piaträ. Formeie acestora prezintä similitudini cu cele de la Carta (jud. Harghita). Dupä mijlocul aceluiasj secol un turn-clopotnitä a fost adósat fatadei vestice. Biserica a fost abandonatä eel târziu la începutul secolului al XVIIIdea. Pe parcursul säpäturii au fost cercetate în total 101 morminte.