Medieval monastery in Hungary was a glass-making hub, researchers find

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbeIu-uG4iw47i5aDbtlCmSpFZsha7fjp4iyiyQ2qdoAWjgY-pdN7tniBZAWxXYi9sfwj0yH50Y6Gl7vE0AVpD5bYeWQ86xKsWjcp8PR3oYAFOX1MVe-BWQiUvm1uPiei9FQe0H-ltig/s1600/monasticsitehungary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbeIu-uG4iw47i5aDbtlCmSpFZsha7fjp4iyiyQ2qdoAWjgY-pdN7tniBZAWxXYi9sfwj0yH50Y6Gl7vE0AVpD5bYeWQ86xKsWjcp8PR3oYAFOX1MVe-BWQiUvm1uPiei9FQe0H-ltig/s1600/monasticsitehungary.jpg" /></a></div>Central European University Professor of Medieval Studies Jozsef Laszlovszky and his students have been hanging out in the 12th century. They haven't gone back in time, just up the Danube to the site of a medieval monastic estate in Pomaz that housed a glass-production center. Part of the site was poorly excavated in the 1930s and skeptics weren't sure that it was once a bustling manufacturing hub but Laszlovszky, who is also an archeologist, and his team have been studying the very real evidence. From bricks that bear the scars of very high kiln temperatures to broken pieces of glass, it's now clear that the site, which includes a church and a cemetery, was a specialized center.<br /><br /><br />“We got into archeological layers full of typical materials – for example, fragments of melting pots with melted glass and even complete glass object which were most likely the finished products,” said Laszlovsky. “Interestingly, they probably used recycled glass for the products. We think that's a 21st century thing, but it's not.”<br /><br />For decades the excavation site – about 20 kilometers from Budapest – was owned by a state company and was off limits to the general public. Laszlovszky was brought in by the local council to do an archeological survey to asses the site. Now owned by a private investor with a keen interest in preservation, the site will eventually be open to the public.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.ceu.hu/news/2012-09-25/ancient-technology" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Central European University</a></b><br />

Medieval monastery in Hungary was a glass-making hub, researchers find

Central European University Professor of Medieval Studies Jozsef Laszlovszky and his students have been hanging out in the 12th century. The...

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Medieval shipwreck found in Danube river

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitR8aGXhK4SYjeRPtNZ96HLvJt6dUYriO0rjc9YuDsAPCxY_H4lKHV3gbsRrLXObPXY5knWsHcWD2kctj6vE4wfEQUnrCSj942B_F41Dpe_Xw8kwTjoORU_kGdVcvRrRZc15eRC5lEeqA/s1600/imgres.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitR8aGXhK4SYjeRPtNZ96HLvJt6dUYriO0rjc9YuDsAPCxY_H4lKHV3gbsRrLXObPXY5knWsHcWD2kctj6vE4wfEQUnrCSj942B_F41Dpe_Xw8kwTjoORU_kGdVcvRrRZc15eRC5lEeqA/s1600/imgres.jpeg" /></a></div>Hungarian archaeologists have found what they believe may be an intact medieval shipwreck in the Danube river. Partially buried in mud and gravel near the riverbank at Tahitótfalu, some 18 miles north of Budapest, the flat bottom river wreck has yet to be excavated.<br /><br /> A preliminary survey from the Argonauts Research Group in cooperation with the county museum of Szentendre, revealed that the ship is about 40 feet long and 10 feet wide. The archaeologists could distinguish oak floor-planks, floor-timbers, and L-shaped ribs. They also noticed that the junction piece of the bottom and the side wall of the wreck is carved from a single log.<br /><br /> "Only a few river ships of this kind have been found in Europe," Attila J. Tóth, associate of the National Office of Cultural Heritage, told Discovery News.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://news.discovery.com/history/medieval-shipwreck-danube-120911.html" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Discovery News</a></b>

Medieval shipwreck found in Danube river

Hungarian archaeologists have found what they believe may be an intact medieval shipwreck in the Danube river. Partially buried in mud and ...

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Reconsecration of Pannonhalma Abbey Church

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2oI6j4j2zqSRr0abInF2rxs3OdVlLS8eMZHQA0xK7XuoQSG7evAak-HMh8JhLCAwClVgHnBgKo-cRPdt3Ee63oTSCz4XtzExg43rBFg-TX02Oe94fsgUx9CLOJPCt0V3F-aTbmK5KQJ8/s1600/Pannonhalma100.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2oI6j4j2zqSRr0abInF2rxs3OdVlLS8eMZHQA0xK7XuoQSG7evAak-HMh8JhLCAwClVgHnBgKo-cRPdt3Ee63oTSCz4XtzExg43rBFg-TX02Oe94fsgUx9CLOJPCt0V3F-aTbmK5KQJ8/s320/Pannonhalma100.jpeg" width="221" /></a></div>The medieval church of the Archabbey of Pannonhalma was restored over the last few months, and was solemnly reconsecrated today. The interior reconstruction of the 13th-century abbey church was carried out according to the plans of British architect, John Pawson. The reconstruction mainly focused on the main liturgical area of the church, the chancel and the monastic choir. The main goal of the alterations was to restore the simplicity of this space, and this meant the removal of the 19th century historicising decoration designed by Ferenc Storno (Storno similarly removed the earlier Baroque furnishing of the basilica, to make way for his own, 'historically correct' decorations - now his work suffered a similar fate). The Storno-reconstruction, which was completed in 1876, was the last major intervention inside the church. Storno's pulpit was moved to a chapel at Pannonhalma, while the 19th century stained glass windows - including the large rose window depicting the patron of the church, St. Martin - have been deposited at the Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest. On the other hand, the painted glass panes of the side aisle remained there, and the vault frescoes of Storno were cleaned.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://jekely.blogspot.ca/2012/08/reconsecration-of-pannonhalma-abbey.html" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Medieval Hungary Blog</a></b>

Reconsecration of Pannonhalma Abbey Church

The medieval church of the Archabbey of Pannonhalma was restored over the last few months, and was solemnly reconsecrated today. The interio...

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