ANNALES Volume 96

HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI Budapest, 2004

NATIONALIS

HUNGARICI pp. 19-28.

A critical review of 16-17th century reports on meteorite falls in and around the Carpathian Basin (Additions and corrections to the N H M Catalogue of meteorites) G.PAPP

Department of Mineralogy and Petrology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, H-1431 Budapest, Pf. 137, Hungary. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract - Reports on four historical meteorite falls in and around the Carpathian Basin are dis­ cussed. The Keresztes (or Keresztesmező) fall, 1558 (although not listed in the NHM Catalogue of meteorites) was probably a genuine meteorite fall. Out of the other three falls (all listed in the N H M catalogue) the "Miskolcz" fall happened in 1560 and not in 1559. The "Steiermark" fall did not exist but corresponds to the (not listed) Odranec fall in Moravia (June 11, 1619). The "Ofen" fall (1642) was most probably a hailstorm and not a meteorite fall. In the appendix data about a fifth possible me­ teorite fall at the modern town Oradea (March 8, 1692) are briefly summarised. With one figure. Keywords - Meteorite falls, historical data, Carpathian Basin, Keresztes, Miskolcz, Odranec, Ofen, Oradea, Steiermark.

INTRODUCTION Old chronicles frequently recorded accounts of unusual phenomena o f nature (for a rich collection of examples see R É T H L Y 1962), among them fall of stones from heavens. Reports of four possible meteorite falls in the 16-17th century are discussed here. Three of them are listed as doubtful ones in the Natural History Museum (London) Catalogue of meteorites ( G R A D Y 2000) but the published data proved to be either inaccurate or incomplete. The review of the original sources, on the one hand, cleared up many questions but on the other, demonstrated the diffi­ culties in the interpretation of the sometimes contradictory or obscure historical accounts.

KERESZTES / K E R E S Z T E S M E Z Ő , 1558 Not listed by G R A D Y (2000). The fall was reported by three 16-17th century sources. The oldest, practically contemporaneous account was published by I S T V Á N

SZÉKELY (7-1563?), Protestant minister at Gönc, in his chronicle (SZÉKELY 1559: 473): MAGIAR ORSZÁGBA A ' KEREZTESI mezcen pinkest hauanac tizen kilenczedic napian finies nappal a' tiszta egbœl, három kce essec ala, kic a' mertekbe húszan neg' fontot niomanac egietebe. Three stones fell from the clear sky in broad daylight on the field at Keresztes in Hungary, on the 19th of the month of Pentecost [May]. They weighed 24 pounds altogether.

Another brief record was written down later by MICHAEL FORGÁTS (1563-1633), a burgher of Hermannstadt or Brassó in Transylvania (now Bra§ov in Romania), in his manuscript notes (FORGÁTS 1903: 41): f 1558] 26. Julii sind 3 Stein vom Himmel gefallen, einer hat gewaegen 26, der ander 28, der dritt 30 Pfund, auf dem Crestes-Mezö.

The third note was taken by M Á T É SEPS! LACZKÓ (15707-1633?), Reformed minister in Abaúj and Zemplén counties, in his manuscript chronicle (SEPSI L A C Z K Ó in M I K Ó 1858:

18):

[1558] A keresztesi mezőn három kő esik le az égből, 28 fontot nyoma. /1558] Three stones fell from the sky on the field at Keresztes. They weighed 28 pounds.

A l l three of the sources reported the fall of three stones, but their data on the day of the fall and the weight of the meteorites are inconsistent. The localisation of the fall is also uncertain. FORGÁTS (1903) wrote "Crestes-mezö", which can be identified with the Keresztesmező area (PAPP 2000), a traditional place of Transylvanian national assemblies, south of Torda (now Turda, Romania). SZÉKELY (1559), however, wrote that the locality was " i n Hungary", which contradicts this identification, Keresztesmező being in Transylvania. The locality name was writ­ ten by SZÉKELY (1559) and SEPSI LACZKÓ in M I K Ó (1858) as "keresztesi m e z ő " i.e. 'field at Keresztes', which cannot be identified unambiguously considering that there were several localities named Keresztes at that time in the country. The whereabouts of the meteorites are unknown.

M I S K O L C Z [ M I S K O L C ] , 1560 Listed by G R A D Y (2000: 335) as doubtful and dated to 1559 after C H L A D N I (1819: 214-215). The original source, however, is the chronicle of the historian M I K L Ó S I S T V Á N F F Y (1538-1615). C H L A D N I reported the event using the slightly abridged translation of I S T V Á N F F Y ' s description published by K A N O L D (1722: 512), who gave 1559, though the fall is listed in the chronicle among the events of

the year 1560. The description given by ISTVÁNFFY (1622: 394) clearly indicates a meteorite fall: Ceciderunt etiain ad Miscolcium oppidum, quinque praegrandes instar humani capitis lapides, luteo & ferrugineo colore, gravi pondere, sulphureoque odore, quum darum coelum subito fulgure, & tonitribus, terribilique aeris commotione repente conturbatum fuisset, iis mox puncto temporis quiescentibus. Quorum unum in arce Diosgioriana, hodieque asservatur, caeteris Sigismundus Balassius ad Ferdinandum missit. At the town of Miskolc five large stones, equal to a human head in size, of yellowish and brown­ ish colour and sulphurous smell, fell, after sudden disturbance of the clear sky by terrible lightning, thunder and motion of air, which then died away in a twinkle. One of them is still kept in the Diósgyőr castle, the others were sent by Zsigmond Balassa to [King] Ferdinand.

The day of the fall is given by MÁRTON SZENT-IVÁNYI (1633-1705), Jesuit

Professor of the Nagyszombat University, in a compilation of Hungarian memora­ bilia (SZENT-IvÁNYI 1699: 30): [1560] Quinque ingentes lapides 10. Maji de Coelo ceciderunt in Oppido Mosocz. [1560] On May 10, five huge stones fell from the sky at the town of Mosóc.

The date of year and the number of stones correspond to the data of ISTVÁNFFY, proving that the note refers to the Miskolc fall, although the locality was confused with M o s ó c (now Mosovce, Slovakia). A third subsequent brief reference is included in an early 18th century manu­ script chronicle of the Lutheran church in Szepes (Zips, Spis) county (Acta diversa circa Ecclesiam scepusiensem sedulo conquisita, published by PEKÁR 1904: 53), the fall is dated to 1559 in this note: In diesem Jahr [1559] sind in Miskoltz 5 Steine aus der Luft gefallen wie Menschen Köpfe gross.

C H L A D N I (1819) made unsuccessful inquiries after the stones in Diósgyőr and in the imperial collections in Vienna. According to FlTZINGER (1856: 449) the stones had already been missing from the Treasury (Schatzkammer) in the late 1770s when the other meteorites (Hrascina and Tábor) were transferred from there to the natural history collection of the Court. The fate of the Miskolc meteorite specimens in Vienna is untraceable. They haven't been mentioned in the detailed description of the Schatzkammer given by BROWNE (1677) or other travel itinerar­ ies of the 17th and 18th c. (SABINE H A A G , pers. commun.). The earliest available

inventory of the Schatzkammer (from 1750; ZlMERMAN 1889) hasn't listed them either. A search after a contemporary document on the sending of the meteorites to Vienna among the archival materials published in the volumes of the Jahrbuch der

Kunsthistorischen

Sammlunges

des allerhöchsten

Kaisershauses

proved to be un­

successful.

" S T E I E R M A R K , 1618" = O D R A N E C , 1619 The Steiermark fall is listed as doubtful by G R A D Y (2000: 474) referring to C H L A D N I (1819: 99; 220-221). The fall was originally dated to the second half o f August 1618 on the basis o f the paper of H A M M E R (1816: 163). H A M M E R ' S paper included a passage (translated to German) from the Tarih, chronicle o f M U S T A F A N A T M Â (1655-1716), Turkish historian: Der Befehlhaber von Ofen Karakasch Mohammed Pascha berichte, dass in der Mitte des Mondes Schaaban 1: i. J. d. H. 1028 (1618) an der Grunze Ungarns im deutschen Distrikte der Mur eine schwarze Wolke sich gezeigt, aus der Blut regnete, dass dann mit einem grossen Donnerschlag eine kreutzförmiger Meteor erschien, worauf sich vieler Rauch verbreitete. Ein zweyter ungemein starker Donnerschlag betäubte Menschen und Thiere so sehr, dass diese auf die Knie fielen, ihre Köpfe den Himmel hoben und dann scheu entflohen, so dass man sie nicht fand. Hierauffielen drey andere starke Donnerschläge, und mit demselben aus der oben beschriebenen Wolke Steinkugeln, welche sich anderhalb Ellen tief in die Erde senkten. Man wog einige derselben, die drey Centner hatten. The erroneous date (see e. g. in H E Y 1966) was rectified to July 14, 1619 in H U T C H I S O N et al. (1977: 227). However, the translation by H A M M E R (1816) was misleading in respect of the localisation o f the fall as well. This part of N A T M Â ' s Tarih is practically a literal adoption from the Tiirkçe Fezleke, chronicle of the Turkish scholar K Â T I P Ç E L E B I (1609-1657). The English version o f the corre­ sponding passage (using the Hungarian translation by K A R Á C S O N 1916) is as fol­ lows: A report arrived from Karakash Mohammed pasha, beglerbeg of Buda, that in Northern Hun­ gary in the Morava region in the middle of Sha'ban [14 July, 1619] during the afternoon prayer a large round black cloud appeared from the direction of Germany. Blood fell from the cloud and a cross-shaped fire was seen in it after a big detonation. Then the fire diminished and big smoke spread out from it. Instantly a so frightful thunder cracked that who heard it, became confused and even the animals being there fell to their knees and raising their head to heavens prayed, then, going mad, they dispersed and many of them were impossible to find again and lost. Then three times one after an­ other so loud shouts sounded from the heavens that the bile of the people broke for fear. After that round black balls fell from the clouds and buried themselves in the ground at a depth reaching one and a half ell. It is said that they were dug out and weighed, and one of them was three cantors [~ 150 kg] in weight. In the original text o f N A T M Â (1864: 2: 173) we find "Murawa ülkesi", /. e. Moravia as w e l l . H A M M E R (1816) obviously confused the M u r river i n Styria for

the Morava river in Moravia. The fall reported by the Turkish chronicles without giving the exact locality now

can easily be identified with the Odranec fall.

Odranec is a small village in Moravia ( 4 9 ° 3 7 ' N , 16°7'E), northeast of N o v é M ë s t o na M o r a v ë . A detailed account of this fall (Fig. 1) was published by SEBASTIAN ANTONÍN ZELECHOVSKY, clerk of the N o v é M ë s t o estate in the perpetuum oeconomicum,

Calendarium

a contemporary calendar (cited by K O D Y M 1897):

First of all a rather small cloud appeared, just like a table or a mill-wheel, and those with sharp eye saw in it a strange tumult, which, on the whole looked like a battle. It seemed to others as if they saw at first some sort of gate and a large coat-of-arms in it with writing thereon. If somebody had been able to read and had seen it, he could have read it. It disappeared, then a sanguine wheel ap­ peared. Three sanguine crosses came out from this wheel, and they seemed to struggle with each other, then disappeared. Others, however, who were in the mountains, looking at this cloud saw smoke coming out from it, similar to the firing of a great army at another one. Others heard drums sounding alarm as well. Some people even didn't dare to run away, for fear that the hand of the wrathful Lord would reach them. The cattle pastured in the fields and mountains, though being insen­ sate, got frightened of this rumble, and almost tumbled down. But feeling these fearful deeds of God and recognising the anger of the Creator, they watched over, lifting their head to heavens. Likewise the horses ploughing in the fields and those being ridden, fell to the ground almost collapsing, be­ cause there was a horrible roaring and noise as if the greatest cannon hadfired, from where three ex­ tremely strange pieces of metal were shot out; a metal that was launched from the bow of God Almighty. It flew down with a great noise, getting hot like a flaming torch, and emitted such a sound as great bells did when ceased to ring, so that people stopped at work in the fields; they heard this sound and roaring as ifit had sounded by their ears. Then three pieces of some sort of metal fell, one of them in Vodranec [Odranec] village, another behind the village at the back of the gardens.

Fig. 1. The Odranec meteorite fall as depicted on a contemporary woodcut (from

ZELECHOVSKY

1619?)

Pavel Vorák [perhaps Vafák] and another herdsman, Václav Pekárek observing these metals noted the place where they fell down. They informed their neighbours and the village mayor's coun­ sellors, who wasted no time in going to look for the metals; and they did it with hard work, because it was impossible to come close to the pieces, as the earth had become very hot for this metal, thus some people burnt their hands. Then one of the pieces had to be raised by a lever, because it was in 5/4 ells [~1.25 m] depth. [This specimen weighed 15 pounds (-8.5 kg), according to the versified form of the account.] The other piece has also been found; it wasn't so deeply embedded, and weighed 2'A pounds [~ 1.25 kg], and it was of the same material. The third piece, which fell in the wood during this rumble, has not been found yet. The pieces stay at His Lordship Vilém Dubsky in Nové Mësto [na Moravë], and a lot of people goes or travels there in great amazement to have a look at them.

Identical motifs of the Turkish and Czech accounts (cross-like celestial phe­ nomena, behaviour of the cattle, triple explosion before the fall) demonstrate that they refer to the same event in spite of the differences in the date (June vs. July) and in the size of the meteorites (largely exaggerated by the Turkish chronicles). The day of the fall is given by Z E L E C H O V S K Y as the Tuesday preceding St. Vitus' day (i.e. June 11), whereas a German leaflet published i n Frankfurt am Main ( A N O N Y M O U S 1619, see S O C H O R 1929) gave June 12.

The report of Z E L E C H O V S K Y has also been published in verse ( Z E L E C H O V S K Y 1619?), and this version was later reprinted a few times ( S O C H O R 1929). A short contemporary note about the Odranec fall is included in a manuscript chronicle written in the Zd'ár abbey and (in a somewhat longer form) in the town chronicle o f Jimramov as well (SOCHOR 1929). The recovered two meteorites were transferred to the Nové Mësto castle, seat of the estate o f VlLÉM D U B S K Y z T R E B O M Y S L I C , landlord o f Odranec. S O C H O R

(1929) and JAROS (1931) supposed that the meteorites have been lost in the early 1620s when D U B S K Y fell into disgrace and his properties were confiscated. Ac­ cording to S V O B O D A (1948), however, one o f them got into the collection of a L u ­ theran teacher in Teleci named K O B L Í Z E K . A search after this specimen was unsuc­ cessful, a magnetometrical prospection after the third specimen also failed due to the presence of low-grade magnetite ores in the area ( M A R C E L A B U K O V A N S K Á , pers. commun.). According to the above the "Steiermark" fall should be replaced by the Odranec fall in the Catalogue of meteorites.

OFEN [ B U D A ] , 1642 Listed as very doubtful by G R A D Y (2000: 379) referring to C H L A D N I (1819: 100). C H L A D N Í (1819), using unspecified sources, dated the event to "a few days after November 30 or, on the basis o f another report, December 12". H E Y (1966:

354), G R A H A M et al (1985: 268) and GRADY (2000) quoting C H L A D N I gave De­ cember 2, which is a misprint. The December

12 date published by C H L A D N I

(1819) corresponds to that found in a contemporary manuscript (ANONYMOUS 1642): Von Neu-Heüsell [now Nové Zámky in Slovakia] und andere Orten in Hungarn ward berichtet, dass den 11 diesses [Decemb. Anno 1642] bey hellem Tag umb 12 Uhr, zwischen Gran [Esztergom], und Ofen [Buda] ein dergleichen erschröckliches Wunder in der Lufft von viel tausend Menschen gesehen worden: Es seyen nemblich fünft grosse fewrige Kugeln gegen einander geschossen, und auss ihnen ein grosse menge Volcks mit unsäglichen Trachte, und Knallen aussgefahren, darauf so bald viel grosse Schuss, als auss den gröbsten Canonen, geschehen, und ein Gethön der Trommeten, und Trommelschläger, alss ob man zum Marche bliess, und Alarme schlüge, gehört worden. Nach solchem aber sich der Himmel in ein fewrige Rothe, ja in viel unterschiedliche Farben verwandelt, darauf ein solches Salve von Musqueten und Pistolgeschüssen gehört, so natürlicher Weise, alss wann zwey starcke Armaden gegen einander schlagen, und Schritte thäten. Diesses wessen habe alsso drey gutter Stunden gewehret, und seye unmüglich [!] alles zu erzehlen, und beschreiben, wass da gesehen, und gehört worden, welches grausam, und unerhörte Spectacul sich bey Gran angefangen, und umb Ofen niedergelassen. Des folgenden Tags [December 12] habe es zu Ofen Bley, und Zinn geregnet, alsso das es die Türcken ihrem Vezier Bassa in Schüsseins zu sehen vorgetragen. The town scribe o f Schässburg (Segesvár, now §ighi§oara in Romania), GEORG KRAUS (1607-1679) in his Siebenbürgisches

Chronik

also noted this

shower of lead and tin in Buda, but (mis)dated it to 1643 (KRAUS 1862: 138): [1643] Zu Offen Stadt alias Buda hats Bley undl Zinn geregnet. The story on the appearance of five fiery balls in the sky accompanied by heavy detonations leading into a celestial battle of three hours and a shower of lead and tin on the next day may have been inspired by a meteorite fall indeed. H o w ­ ever, the duration of the "celestial battle" and its moving from Esztergom towards Buda and the shower of lead and tin in the latter place rather suggest a particularly overcoloured description of an uncommon meteorological event, namely a heavy December hail. This interpretation is supported by a report included in a printed list of the most interesting events in Hungary and Transylvania i n the 17th century. It mentioned an unusual heavy hail in Buda, also (mis)dating it to December

1643

(ANONYMOUS 1698: 34): 1643. Dec. Zu Offen [Buda] es so grossen Hagel, dass die Menschen vor Schrecken fliehen musten. According to the above the "Ofen" fall should be deleted from the Catalogue of

meteorites.

APPENDIX (ORADEA [VÁRADAVARDEIN],

1692)

There are data about another possible meteorite fall happened in the discussed period. In an official military report sent by Count FRIEDRICH VETERAN I to Em­ peror LEOPOLD I on A p r i l 20,

1692

a brief note of Count OTTO FERDINAND

AUERSPERG, commander of the Austrian imperial troops blockading the fortress of Várad (Wardein, now Oradea in Romania) was included: len

Übrigens hat der Graff von Auersperg berichtet, dass den 8 dieses [Monats,] nachts um 10 Uhr bei Waradein ein feurige Kugel an dem Himmel gesehen worde, welche sodann über unsere Schantz, die Festung und unsere Feldwachte in dem aldortige Wald gefallen seye. There is a sketch attached to the report showing the trajectory of the meteor­ ite. According to the drawing the meteorite was fragmented into several pieces during the impact. The size of the object was compared to that of a 200-kg bomb. The quotation and all further data were taken over from GEORGITÄ (2003). It is to be noted that this phenomenon has already been reported by C H L A D N I (1819: 105), quoting the Bresslauer Medicin-

wie

auch hierzu

Sammlungen (i. e. Sammlung von Natur-

gehörigen

Kunst-

und

Literatur-Geschichten),

und 33

rd

Versuch, p. 36 but confusing Várad with T e m e s v á r (Timi§oara in Romania): [1692] den 9. April Nachmittags zu Temeswar ein Feuer-Meteor mit schrecklichen Knalle. * Acknowledgements - The author gratefully acknowledges the help of Dr. F R A N Z BRANDSTÄTTER (Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna, AUT), Dr. MARCELA BUKOVANSKÁ (Národní múzeum, Prague, CZE); Dr. S A B I N E H A A G (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, AUT), D I E T E R H E I N L E I N (Augsburg, GER), Dr. S T A N I S L A V H O U Z A R (Moravské zemské múzeum, Brno, CZE), K L A U S P Ó P A (Meschede, GER), T Í M E A S Z A B Ó (Herman Ottó Múzeum, Miskolc, HUN). Czech texts were translated by Dr. J Ú L I A J U H Á S Z .

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SVOBODA, J. F. (1948): Novomëstsky okres, (Vlastivëda Moravská, Stará fada, 5 9 ) - M u s e j n í spolek V Brnë, Brno. SZÉKEL', E. [=SZÉKELY, L] (1559): Chronica ez vilagnac ieles dolgairól. - Strynkoviai Lazar, Craccoba [Krakow], SZENT-IVÁNYI, M . (1699): Dissertatio paralipomenonica rerum memorabilium Hungáriáé exporte prima decadis teniae Curiosorum et selectiorum variorum scientiarum Miscellaneorum. Typis Academicis, Tyrnaviae [Trnava]. ZELECHOVSKY, S. A. ( 1619?): Nowinaprawdidá o welikém a hrozném zázraku, kteryz. se stal w dëdinë Wodrancy, nedaleko Nowého Mësta na gruntech urozeného pana Wylima Dubského z Trebomyslic na Nowém Mëstë, Dacicych a Rzeckowicych léta 1619. w autery pfed Swatym Wttem, togest 11. dne czerwna 1619. etc. [Title of an illustrated print, see Fig. 1. Other title variants are given by JUNGMANN, J. (1825): Historie literatúry ceské. Praha, Antonín Strasirypka; and SOCHOR (1929)] ZlMERMAN, H. (1889): Inventarie, Acten und Regesten aus der Schatzkammer des allerhöchsten Kaisershauses. - Jahrbuch der Kunsthistorischen Sammlunges des allerhöchsten Kaisers­ hauses 10: CCI-CCCXXIV.