ADVANCED EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Techniques and tools used in archive work applicable to the teaching process MARIANA BORCOMAN Transylvania University of Brasov ROMANIA [email protected], [email protected] Abstract: The study of archives derives from the larger field of history. Archives comprise documents with an official character, and accompanied by personal documents and papers: letters, pictures, memoirs. Data regarding Transylvania and some episodes of its history can only be gathered by accessing these invaluable resources in order to complete the understanding of this historical province. The examination of documents within the educational process helps students familiarize with a different world, whose coordinates can only be grasped by using documents. Key words: archives, documents, librars, miniatures. I. Introductory terms II. Archives history in History is a complex science based on the Romania information gathered from various sources. In Romanian areas, the first archive Thus, the oldest sources are those dating from organization took place in the Roman province the classical ancient times. Once writing was of Dacia (the 24 wax tables of Rosia Montana), invented, the written sources contribute to and represented financial lists of the Roman describing a particular area at a certain administration. “That was also the time when moment in time. Also, the written data come an inscription mentioned the term libras, as from documents and papers issued by various well as the term scibus tabulari, which means authorities or individuals (royal or imperial archive worker. Libras refers to the person chancellor, monasteries, or abbeys). These who copied manuscripts, but also the person documents had an official character, and were who sells them” [1]. In royal chancelleries accompanied by personal documents and there were archives in the 14th century, papers: letters, pictures, memoirs. Such maintained by the chancellor, but most of them documents form archives which, alongside have been lost in time. “The logofetia, which libraries, store written information. issued property documents, did not keep The oldest information regarding the copies, neither did it keep records concerning archive organization comes from the Persians those who were issued the papers. The and Romans. Both the Persian and the Roman document became the property of the recipient, Empires covered large areas controlled by who took good care of it. If the papers were means of well-organized bureaucratic systems. lost, the beneficiaries brought witnesses in Its activity was sustained by thorough fiscal front of the authorities, and obtained new records. papers” [2]. The study of archives derives from the th The treasury may have been the only one larger field of history at the end of the 18 preserving an accurate record, due to the taxes. century, and it has been a constant This is why some Romanian kings of the 17th preoccupation ever since all over Europe. century adopted some laws of document regulations (a copy of which had to be entrusted to the laic or ecclesiastic authorities that issued them). During the Phanariot period, in the Romanian provinces official records ISSN: 1790-5109 98 ISBN: 978-960-474-186-1 ADVANCED EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES were introduced as “a type of register The education system in the field of containing copies of documents from Moldavia auxiliary sciences that developed in Romania and Walachia starting with the 18th century” started in 1862, when the Insitute of [3]. In 1741, prince Constantin Mavrocordat Paleography was set up, and specialized introduced the system of partial preservation of courses were taught in every history documents. After 1780, Pravilniceasca departments. Among the first history condica decided that private individuals could professors one can mention: V. A. Urechia, Al. submit their documents for preservation at the Odobescu, Gr. Tocilescu, V. Parvan, D. Onciu. Metropolitan church, and received a receipt in “In 1924, affiliated to the General Directorate exchange. The Metropolitan churches of of the State’s Archives, a school of archive Walachia and Moldavia kept all the official workers was established, where Nicolae Iorga and private documents until 1838. Dimitrie would teach for two years” [4]. In 1931 it Onciul is the one who established the national becomes a graduate establishment, and, after archives in 1925. the reform of 1948, it becomes the Institute of In the provinces under the Habsburgs Archive, Library, and Museum Sciences. It domination, i.e., Transylvania, Banat, and will be dissolved two years later, and only a Bucovina, the situation was different. At the section of archive science will survive within court of Transylvania, the copies of issued the History Department of Bucharest. Since documents were all taken care of. Also, there 1992 it has developed and survived. were other authentication bodies (monasteries Nowadays, there are such sections as parts of of Alba Iulia, and Cluj – Manastur). Then, the the History and Letters Departments in Cluj, Hungarian royal authorities interfered and Bucharest, and Iasi. many Transylvanian documents were sent to Budapest in 1875, and not even after 1918 did III. The archive research they return to Transylvania. Today, they can be The archive science is defined as “the examined at the Budapest archives. Between science which studies aspects of collecting, 1691 and 1867, the Habsburg authorities preserving and using written testimonies interfered in the Transylvanian documents, and known as archives”[5]. four official bodies were established to edict In archives, there are several types of documents for the imperial provinces of documents: Transylvania, Banat, and Bucovina, as follows: - papers such as plans or maps; a. Transylvania’s aulic chancellery - photographic documents; established in Vienna; - graphic documents: drawings, b. Transylvania’s royal government engravings, miniatures; established in Sibiu; - seal documents and matrixes: sealed c. The royal table, which functioned Middle Ages documents. in Sibiu, in 1786; For their better preservation, documents d. The treasury for economic- are kept in roll-type boxes made of metal, financial documents. whereas the seal is kept in small carton boxes Apart from these official institutions, in attached to the document. To ensure their time Transylvania existed some documents issuing continuity, documents are microfilmed and and authentication bodies. They were both laic then examined. and ecclesiastic: The documents preservation conditions - the Germans’ Evangelic church, by must meet certain standards: no excessive means of the Germans’ University of humidity or dryness (temperature and humidity Sibiu and archives of the German are controlled by means of special devices), the towns (Brasov, Bistrita, Alba Iulia, storage space must be aired (artificially, not Sighisoara, Dej, Aiud, Sighed); naturally), free of hazardous agents, and water - the Szeklers’ Reformed church of and fire-proof. Transylvania (in St. Gheorghe and Every archive institute in the world also Odorheiu Secuiesc); has a library of ancient books for research - the archive of counties and Unitarian purposes. church (in Blaj, Oradea, the orthodox Then, such institutes have personnel metropolitan church of Sebes and specialized in studying ancient languages Targu Mures). ISSN: 1790-5109 99 ISBN: 978-960-474-186-1 ADVANCED EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES (Latin, Greek, Gothic, medieval Hungarian, 2. The archive of Vienna Slavic, Cyrillic, etc.), whose duty is to edit the Here, Transylvania-related documents are archived volumes and process the archive data. grouped into several funds in two head offices: At the same time, archive institutes have Haus, Hof und Statsarchiv and web pages, contact information, schedules of Hofkamerarchiv. events, and available archive lists. The archive of the imperial court and state is These developments have taken place for made of: 30-35 years in Austria, 15 years in Hungary, a. Ungaria Specialia consisting of and 5-7 years in Romania. Te study of Transylvania Separata (Maria archives can thus be made online, and pre- Theresa’s documents, resolutions, booking is available, which considerably correspondence with the bishops of reduces the time involved in the process. Vienna churches, and papers regarding the treasury); IV. The research funds of b. Comitialia-Ungarischen Akten, which comprises documents older than Vienna and Budapest Ferdinand of Habsburg (1563) 1. The state archive of Budapest concerning Hungary’s and Here, the Transylvanian documents fall Transylvania’s problems (financial into two categories: Transylvanian chancellery contributions of the counties, archive and Transylvanian state governmental administrative documents, etc.); archive. c. Ungarn Miscellanum made of The chancellery archive encompasses: the documents of the autonomous court agents’ documents, clerks’ literary kingdom during Rackozy the 2nd annotations and notes made by the two royal reign. commissaries: Vlasitis and Ester Ferdinand. The most numerous documents referring to The governmental archive is more Transylvania can be found in the section of the complex and covers several centuries. It aulic chancellery of Siebenbürgen Akten- consists of two secondary funds, as follows: Urkunden. Here, one may find documents of - the archive of the state clerical body the underground resources (gold, silver, salt, of Alba Iulia; and copper), as well as decreed and legal - the archive of the reformed clerical documents