Re-evaluation of the Late Bronze Age “warrior equipment” from the collection of the Ministry of Defence, Military History Institute and Museum, Hungary

Abstract

The study provides new results on significant armor (helmet, greaves), weapons (sword with a sheath mount), and feasting set elements (bronze cup, knives, flesh hook) from the collection of the Hungarian Ministry of Defence, Military History Institute and Museum (MoD MHIM). These finds were previously identified as one presumed elite assemblage characteristic for the Ha A–Ha B1 phase and deposited in the Ha B1 phase of the east-central European Late Bronze Age. Representative elements of the assemblage were chosen for the characterization of the alloy composition (PGAA, XRF), and structure (TOF-ND, NI) by different non-destructive and non-invasive techniques. The spatial analysis of the objects with a relatively large number of typological parallels suggests that the assemblage may originate from Transdanubia, maybe in the areas of Somogy or Zala Counties. The elemental composition characteristics of the finds share similarities with metal artifacts from Transdanubia and its adjacent areas dated to the Ha A1 (ca. 1200– 1140 BCE) or Ha A (ca. 1200–1080 BCE). The NI results provided quantifiable data on the casting quality and new information on the production technology of the helmet, flesh hook, and sword. ToF-ND supports the idea that the objects were exposed to high-temperature fire (800 °C) with an oxygen-rich atmosphere for a longer time, a condition that is in concert with the temperature measured during a local archaeological pyre experiment.