Avar Khaganate Research Articles

On the ethnonym of Rutheni in medieval Transylvania

Medieval chronicles record an ethnonym that is confusingly close to the name Rus' not only in Eastern, but also in Central Europe. Attempts to explain the toponymy of “Russian” origin north of the Danube by exclusively late waves of migration from the lands of Galicia and Podolia contradict the indications of a number of sources. The ethnonym Rut(h)eni, Oroszok and their accompanying toponyms, scattered across the east of the Carpathian Basin, mark not only the settlements of East Slavic migrants, but also, possibly, the settlements of the autochthonous ethnos, also known as veteres Russi, Rutheni. The autochthons of the region partly merged with the the 13th-15th centuries Ruthenian resettlement wave from the northeast, as a result of which, in the historical tradition they were most often considered to be single. At the same time, it is possible that the autochthons and their ethnonym were not directly related to the Eastern Slavs and their origin was associated with ethnic processes on the outskirts of the Avar Khaganate. The initially multi-tribal population of the Khaganate, primarily the Gepids and the Romanised population, being exposed to the cultural influence of its ruling layer, lost its own identity and acquired a new common name, reflected in the resource or geographical origin of the name Rus'.

Gentile- und Reichsadel am östlichen Rand des Karolingischen Reiches

Abstract At the eastern border of the Carolingian Empire two different groups of elite emerged. When referred to, the individuals in one of the groups were called either by personal names, or by the name of the area they governed; individuals in the other group were called by the name of their people. Members of the first group administered the territorial units of the central area of the former Avar Khaganate just like the Carolingian chief officials and royal vassals in the interior of the Empire. The members of the second group were (indirect) allies of the Avars and had their own tribal prince and gentile nobles. The administrative centres of the Carolingian province Pannoniae developed in synchrony with the inner centres of the Empire, while the centres of power outside the Empire had their own special settlement structures showing a conglomerate of the courts of the tribal nobility.

Lány – ein Produktionsort gegossenener Bronzen der Spätawarenzeit in der awarisch-slawischen Kontaktzone des unteren Thayatals

Abstract:Interdisciplinary research, carried out by the Masaryk University Brno and the University of Vienna, at the site of Lány (CZ) at the border between Austria and Moravia has revealed a large settlement (∼12ha) from the 6th century until the 8th/9thcentury in a contact zone between Slavonic and Avarian influences. Aside from pottery that ranges from early slavic finds of the Prague type to specimens of the middle-danubian tradition („mitteldanubische Kulturtradition“) and other finds such as spindle whorls etc. several dozen typical Avar belt accessories have been found. Most of them date to the late Avar III period, are brand new and do not show any traces of usage. Together with semi-finished products, miscast objects and remains of the bronze casting process, we interpret Lány as a production site/workshop for Avar belts.Lány is at the very Northwestern periphery of the Avar Khaganate. However, material culture, aside from the belt accessories, is much more associated with what we know from regions where Slavonic populations of the 7th/8thcentury had settled.We furthermore discuss the usage of Avar belts amongst the Slavic elites of the 8th century and possible explanations for the dense distribution of Avar finds outside of the Khaganate.

Das mittel- bis spätawarenzeitliche Gräberfeld von Edelstal/Nemesvölgy – Ein regionales Machtzentrum im nordwestlichen Karpatenbecken?

Abstract Although well known to the community of Avar Age archaeologists, the old excavated cemetery of Edelstal (Hung. Nemesvölgy) played a quiet limited role in the discussion about social structures and societies, even for the northwestern part of the Carparthian Basin. This circumstance was also linked to the lack of publication of all graves. Based on this and the complete analyses of this cemetery the author wants to illustrate how important the burial community might have been in the social system of the Late Avar Khaganate. A special focus lies hereby on prominent items like gilded boar belts, buckles with the emperor's image or golden earrings and hair clips indicating wealth, communication, relations and links to the top social elites and presuming a high elaborated prestige chain network.

Economic history of Avar Khaganate

6.ile 8 yüzyıllar arasında hüküm süren Avarlar, Orta Çağ Avrupası’nın tarihini ve kaderini belirlemişlerdir.Avarların kendilerine ait günümüze ulaşan yazılı metinlerin olmayışı Avar tarihinin aydınlatılmasındayerleşim yeri ve mezar yeri arkeolojik çalışmalarını çok daha önemli kılmaktadır. Avarlar konusunda pek çokakademik çalışma bulunmakla birlikte Avarların iktisadi hayatı ve faaliyetleri üzerine odaklanmış çalışmalaryok denecek düzeydedir. Bu çalışmada, Avar ekonomisinin başlıca yapı taşlarını oluşturan sektörler olaraksavaş ekonomisi, tarım ve hayvancılık, ticaret, madencilik ve metal işleme ile çömlekçilik sektörleri detaylı birşekilde incelenmiştir. Erken dönemde göçebe yaşam tarzına özgü yağma ve savaş ekonomisinin yanı sırakonar-göçer hayvancılıkla uğraşan Avarların bilhassa bitkisel gıda, gündelik eşyalar ve tekstil ürünlerindeçevre kabilelere bağımlı oldukları gözlenmiştir. Erken dönemin sonlarından itibaren kademeli olarak yarıgöçebe-yarı yerleşik hayata geçişle birlikte ev ekonomisi şeklinde başlayan bazı zanaatların zamanla yerel vebölgesel üretime dönük faaliyetlere dönüştüğü ve sınırlı bir toplumsal iş bölümünün ortaya çıktığıgörülmektedir. Tuz, çömlek ve hayvan ticaretinin de Avar ekonomisinde önemli bir yer tuttuğu, dahası Avarfetihlerinde ticari saiklerin önemli bir motif olduğu anlaşılmaktadır. Avar mezarlarına konulan eşyalarınincelenmesinden toplumsal katmanlaşmanın var olduğu ve yerleşik hayata geçişle birlikte söz konusukatmanlaşmanın daha da belirginleştiği değerlendirilmektedir.

Social Context of Late Medieval and Early Modern Deforestation Periods in the Apuseni Mountains (Romania) based on an Integrated Evaluation of Historical and Paleobotanical Records

ABSTRACT Coeval changes in the reconstructed bog surface wetness and the pollen record of a peat sequence extracted from an ombrothropic bog (Calul de Piatră, 1630 m, Apuseni Mountains) allowed the natural and anthropogenic environmental changes over the past 1500 years to be assessed. The assessment of the social and economic context was also possible due to the exceptionally detailed documentary evidence of the investigated region. Four major deforestation periods in the past 1500 years were identified. Significant phases of deforestation coincided with particular social and political changes: (1) between AD 810 and 850, with the collapse of the Avar Khaganate and the expansion of the Bulgarian Empire in the southern areas of the Carpathian Basin; (2) between AD 1060 and 1170, with the establishment of the Kingdom of Hungary (AD 1000) and the foundation of royal, territorial administrative (county) and ecclesiastical centres of the feudal state; (3) in the sixteenth century (AD 1500–1570); and (4) after AD 1700, with population growth and economic development. Our results suggest that the observed deforestation and the consequent spread of subalpine farming were not necessarily related to the warmer or drier climatic periods, but to socioeconomic changes in nearby communities.

Раннесред- невековая матрица для наконечников ремней из Нижнего Поднестровья

A bronze stamping mould for belt-ends was found in 2016 on the outskirts of Slobodzeya on the territory of a multi-layered settlement on the left bank of the Lower Dniester. The item has traces of long-term use; the front side is badly worn out. The stamping mould shows a full-face anthropomorphic male face with a long mustache and beard. An analysis of the finds of early medieval metal stamping moulds for a belt set showed that the overwhelming majority of them are connected with the territory of the Eastern Roman Empire (urban centers) and the Avar Khaganate (graves of "jewelers"). Matrices are dated back to the 7th and 8th centuries. However, the study of items from belt sets with male guises led to the conclusion that such images were quite widely represented in the 9th–10th centuries in different areas, for example, in Moravia, the Upper Dnieper region, the Middle Volga region, the North Caucasus, and the South Ural region. Similar images on objects of toreutics, which had Byzantine and / or Iranian roots, appeared, according to available sources, in the 7th century. Then, parts of a belt set with alike images marking the high social status of the wearer were used by various peoples for several more centuries. It is highly probable that the published stamping mould is related to the nomadic Early Hungarian cemetery (to the sites of Subbotsevo type) (9th century), which was sunk into the Bronze Age barrow at a distance of about 1 km from the place of its discovery. In this case, the finding of the stamping mould may indicate the wintering place of this nomadic group, where the parts of the belt sets were made.

The Socio-Economic Impact of Raiding on the Eastern and Balkan Borderlands of the Eastern Roman Empire, 502 – 602

Abstract This paper compares the socio-economic impact of warfare on two frontier zones of the sixth-century eastern Roman empire: the central and northern Balkans; and the northern Syrian-Mesopotamian and Armenian borderlands in the East. The theme of war damage is central to historical and archaeological work on the Balkans but plays a comparatively marginal role in research on the East. And yet the eastern provinces were affected by more intensive raiding by larger armies, and at least as regularly as the Balkans. Much of the difference in perception is related to contemporary sources’ exaggerated coverage of ‘barbarian’ raiding on the Balkans, a region traditionally viewed as a neglected backwater by authors such as Procopius. Conversely, such sources portray warfare with the Sassanid Persians in the East through a ‘classicising’ lens, describing at greater length generals’ speeches, battles, campaigns and sieges. Another reason for the disparity in modern discussions of the two regions is the socio-economic recession in the northern Balkans toward the end of the sixth century. This can be at least indirectly linked to the effects of warfare between the empire and the Avar Khaganate and Slavic groups. Recovery from the devastation caused by these groups’ invasions could no longer be funded by the imperial authorities, who, by this stage, were struggling to finance wars on multiple fronts and were feeling the fiscal effects of repeated bouts of bubonic plague. Despite also suffering from this absence of central investment, eastern societies and economies enjoyed a greater degree of continuity in the final decades of the sixth century. This was because non-imperial sources of agricultural and commercial wealth in these areas encouraged elites to invest in recovery projects. Local elites’ and wider populations’ deep-rooted feelings of cultural, linguistic and religious attachment also played a role in their survival. These economic and cultural ties can in part be explained by the fact that, unlike the Balkans, these eastern provinces had enjoyed a long period of peace and stability in the fourth and fifth centuries.

Pax avarica vs pax bulgarica (к вопросу о границах авар и булгар в Европе в VI-IX вв.)

This paper is devoted to the Avar and Bulgarian borders in the Early Middle Ages. Period middle of VI centurt was a time of gaining homeland by Avars. This was followed by wars with the Germans, Gepids and Slavic tribal unions of Sklavines and Antes. Early campaigns against the Avars, the Franks were reconnaissance in force. Conflicts of Franks and Romans with Slavs and Avars were often used as a pretext for invasion. The boundaries of the Franks, Bavarians, Lombards, the Byzantine Empire with the Slavs were considered as the Avar Khaganate its borders. Avars immediately occupied the territory of the Pannonian Plain and the adjacent regions. Byzantium Empire during the second half of VI century managed to keep the border on the Danube. Lands of Moesia and Illyricum officially recognized for Byzantium Empire, despite to fact of Slavian migration in this region. Danube border collapsed after the revolt of Phocas in 602 year, the apogee of power of Avarians was 626 year, when Avars and Sklavines precipitated Constantinople. In fact, under the control of the Avars it was the vast majority of land in the Balkans, which were settled Slavs. Actions in the west against the Franks and the Lombards had to change the border, raids were made in order to capture of slaves. Unsuccessful siege of Constantinople and the revolt of the Slavs under leadership of Samo led to the crisis of the Avar Khaganate. Migration of Croats and Serbs to the Balkans, as well as the revolt of Bulgarian tribes it only deepened crisis of Avarian khaganate. Under the control of the Avars left only lands of nomads on plain. Revival of Avarian power take place only in the VIII century. The Balkans are no longer played the object of their campaigns, because there was formed the mighty Danube Bulgaria, which took control of the Slavs. Croats was also an obstacle to the Avar Khaganate. Avarian activity was possible only in a western direction, where they essentially pushed Khorutans, who were forced to seek help from the Bavarians. Avars at the invitation of the Lombards took part in the internecine wars in Friuli. Avars intervention in Lombardian and Bavarian policy was for Francs pretext for the invasion of the Avar Khaganate. After the defeat of the Franks Avars lost their empire and their possessions in Pannonia were converted into the Frankish frontier mark. Danube Bulgaria took part in the division of the legacy of the Avarian khaganate, but the power of the Bulgars in Transylvania and Pannonia was quite conventional. Under the effective control of the Danube Bulgaria and Wallachia were land Ongl (Bugeak). Camping in the direction of the Dnieper and the Tisza probably meant the desire to expand the area of influence.

Situl medieval timpuriu de la Marca - Sfărăuași (com. Marca, jud. Sălaj). Săpăturile arheologice preventive efectuate în anul 2012

The village of Marca (commune Marca, Sălaj County) is located in the western part of Sylvanian Basin. The rescue archaeological researches performed in 2012 were aimed at rescuing the archaeological vestiges and releasing the archaeological discharge documents, establishing the stratigraphy of the site and collecting as much data as possible on the type of habitat. As for the chronological identification of the early medieval habitation from Marca-Sfărăuaș I, the characteristics of the discovered archaeological inventory and the ones of the types of identified features indicate a chronological horizon defined by the 7th and the 8th centuries (rather the second half of the 7th century – the first half of the 8th century), thus during the middle horizon and the first half of the late horizon of the Avar Khaganate.

Rola Avarského Kaganátu Pri Vzniku Slovenčiny

Abstract The paper proposes a basis of theory with the aim of clarifying the casual nature of the relationship between the West Slavic and non-West Slavic Proto-Slavic base of the Slovak language. The paper links the absolute chronology of the Proto-Slavic language changes to historical and archaeological information about Slavs and Avars. The theory connects the ancient West Slavic core of the Proto-Slavic base of the Slovak language with Sclaveni, and non-West Slavic core with Antes, which are connected to the later population in the middle Danube region. It presumes emergence and further expansion of the Slavic koiné, originally based on the non-West Slavic dialects, with subsequent influence on language of the western Slavic tribes settled in the north edge of the Avar Khaganate. The paper also contains a periodization of particular language changes related to the situation in the Khaganate of that time.

DNA profiling of Hungarian King B\xe9la III and other skeletal remains originating from the Royal Basilica of Sz\xe9kesfeh\xe9rv\xe1r

A few decades after the collapse of the Avar Khaganate (c. 822 AD), Hungarian invaders conquered the Carpathian Basin (c. 862–895 AD). The first Hungarian ruling dynasty, the Árpáds played an important role in European history during the Middle Ages. King Béla III (1172–1196) was one of the most significant rulers of the dynasty. He also consolidated Hungarian dominance over the Northern Balkans. The provostry church of the Virgin Mary (commonly known as the Royal Basilica of Székesfehérvár) played a prominent role as a coronation church and burial place of medieval Hungarian kings. The basilica’s building and graves had been destroyed over the centuries. The only royal graves that remained intact were those of King Béla III and his first spouse, Anna of Antioch. These graves were discovered in 1848. We defined the autosomal STR (short tandem repeat) fingerprints of the royal couple and eight additional individuals (two females and six males) found in the Royal Basilica. These results revealed no evidence of first-degree relationship between any of the investigated individuals. Y-chromosomal STR profiles were also established for all the male skeletons. Based upon the Y-chromosomal data, one male skeleton showed an obvious patrilineal relationship to King Béla III. A database search uncovered an existing Y-chromosomal haplotype, which had a single-repeat difference compared to that of King Béla. It was discovered in a person living in an area close to Hungary. This current male line is probably related paternally to the Árpád Dynasty. The control region of the mitochondrial DNA was determined in the royal couple and in the remains of the inferred relative. The mitochondrial results excluded sibling relationship between the King and the patrilineal relative. In summary, we successfully defined a Y-chromosomal profile of King Béla III, which can serve as a reference for the identification of further remains and disputed living descendants of the Árpád Dynasty. Among the examined skeletons, we discovered an Árpád member, whose exact affiliation, however, has not yet been established.

Romani et Barbari in der Keszthely-Kultur

In the light of new, well-documented excavations, the Keszthely culture can be divided into two distinct phases. The first phase flourished in the last third of the sixth century and the earlier seventh century, and its centre can be located to the Fenékpuszta fort. The grave goods suggest that in addition to a surviving late antique population, we can reckon with the presence of Balkanic and north Italian population groups who fled to the Avars in the face of the Slavic advance as well as with smaller Germanic groups who had joined the Avars in the hope of booty. The burial rites and the continued use of the Early Christian basilica at Fenékpuszta suggest that this population was Christian. The Fenékpuszta fort was destroyed around 630 and it remained unoccupied for some two decades. The elite disappeared. New cemeteries were opened around the mid-seventh century. The westward expansion of the Avar Khaganate led to the isolation of the population of the late Keszthely culture. In addition to typical late Avar material, the finds of this population include jewellery items and various costume accessories that are only known from the Keszthely area. Both phases warrant the use of the label “culture”. The first settlement of the culture’s late phase was investigated at Hévízdomb, where both sunken and above-ground timber-framed houses were excavated.

Settlements of the Avar Khaganate

Dieser Beitrag präsentiert eine kritische Zusammenfassung der Forschungssituation zur Siedlungsarchäologie des Awarischen Khaganats. Die relevanten Fundstellen befinden sich im Karpatenbecken (das heutige Ungarn und angrenzende Gebiete) und können in das 7. bis 9. Jahrhundert datiert werden. Es sind mehr als 600 Siedlungsstellen bekannt, die meisten von ihnen kennen wir allerdings nur durch Geländebegehungen, Ausgrabungen wurden nur an wenigen Fundorten durchgeführt. Viele der bekannten awarenzeitlichen Siedlungen liegen an oder in der Nähe von römischen Fundstellen. Die Verbindungen zwischen Siedlungen dieser beiden Perioden stellen daher einen wichtigen Aspekt in der Erforschung awarenzeitlicher Siedlungen dar. Um awarenzeitliche Siedlungen auf mehreren Ebenen zu betrachten, besteht dieser Aufsatz aus drei Teilen: Siedlungsobjekte, Siedlungsstrukturen und Siedlungsmodelle.

Spätantike Reminiszenzen im Karpatenbecken des 8.–9. Jahrhunderts?

Many dress adornments and costume accessories, and particularly the cast bronze belt fittings worn by the Avars of the Carpathian Basin, create the impression that they had been produced and/or designed and decorated in late antique workshops. Was there a cultural milieu in the eighth–ninth centuries that continued to transmit the spirit and taste of Late Antiquity, or are these articles merely reflections and products of late antique reminiscences? Can we speak of direct cultural, artistic and workshop connections with the Mediterranean existing up to the ninth century, as is often the case today, or did there evolve an independent decorative arts industry in the late Avar period, which was no longer under the direct cultural influence of the Mediterranean, but was merely inspired by it – one that created its own unmistakable style with late antique reminiscences and supplied the entire Avar Khaganate with its products.

A csoma-újtelepi késő avar kori temetőrészlet

The cemetery, which was discovered in the north-ern territory of Csoma (somogy County) in 1956, lies in the valley of river Kapos. In this region we know several cem-eteries from the Early Middle ages, but most of them are unpublished. according to the published sites, a large popu-lation lived there at the time of the fall of the avar Khagan-ate. Future research will be able to answer what happened with this people after the end of the avar rule. However, the first step in this research is to analyze and publish the un-published sites, like the Late avar age cemetery of Csoma.

Cuptorul de olar din secolul al VIII lea p.Chr. de la Sighişoara – Dealul Viilor / A pottery kiln from the 8th century AD discovered at Sighişoara – Dealul Viilor

During the campaigns of 2012 and 2013 from Sighișoara – Dealul Viilor site, in the area ‘Necropolis’, a potter’s kiln of the late Avar age (8th century) was identified and investigated. The discovery was made at the foot of a steep hill called Dealul Viilor (Fig. 1), and consisted of an oven pit and the kiln itself (Figs. 2– 4). The large oven pit (over 3 m on its E-W axis and about 5 m long on the NS axis) could not be entirely uncovered, continuing in areas still unexcavated. On the floor of the oven pit (- 1.20/- 1.35 m depth) which consists of organic material (wood ash), a relatively rectangular shaped furnace was set up with rounded corners. The kiln consists of four components : ware chamber (Fig. 5/ a), combustion chamber (Fig. 5/ c), firetunnel or praefurnium (Fig. 5/ d) and stokers pit (Fig. 5/ e). The upper and lower chambers are separated by a firing chamber’s grid floor or sola with several vent holes (fig. 5/ b). Thus, the potter’s kiln from Dealul Viilor can be defined as a bicameral one, with vertical ventilation and lateral alimentation. From within the kiln, 235 sherds were collected, documented and statistically evaluated. Most of them (227 of 235) come from pots dated to the 8th century AD (Figs. 6– 7 and Pls. 1– 7), but several prehistoric pottery fragments belonging to the Wietenberg culture were identified as well (Pl. 8/ nos. 63, 64, 71), in addition to material dated to the 3rd and 4th centuries AD (Pl. 8/ nos. 37, 38, 55, 62). Most fragments from the 8th century AD material originate from vessels produced on the slow wheel, some decorated with incised horizontal lines made with comb or broom. In the current stage of research, the kiln from Sighișoara – Dealul Viilor is the only such discovery known in Transylvania, and one of the very few in the Carpathian Basin dated to time of the Avar Khaganate (Fig. 8, Appendix 2).

Wooden coffins in the Avar-period cemetery in Frohsdorf, Lower Austria

AbstractThe Avar period cemetery in Frohsdorf is located in eastern Austria in the area of the former western periphery of the Avar Khaganate. In a non-literate culture like that of the Avars, it is only possible to reconstruct everyday culture, including funerary rituals, through archaeological sources. Through archaeological field seasons from 2001 to 2011, we have been able to document numerous coffins and grave fixtures made of wood in inhumation graves. Burials in coffins seemed to be common practice. The coffins are preserved in different states, including wood residues and charred wood residues. In Frohsdorf, in contrast to many other investigated Avar cemeteries, we subjected these coffins and their wooden remains to a detailed analysis. Wood species analyses show a preference for a certain type of wood, namely oak. Based on the preservation status of the wooden remains the authors have developed a hypothesis concerning part of the funeral ritual at this cemetery.

Consideraţii cu privire la o aplică de faleră din epoca avară târzie descoperită la Timişoara-Podul Modoș / Considerations upon a Late Avar Phalera Applique Found at Timişoara-Podul Modoş

In the necropolis from Timişoara – Podul Modoş, dated to the Late Avar period, in Tomb no 4, next to the peak of a dagger, an anthropomorphic/zoomorphic gilt bronze phalera was found. This is actually a fragment of a harness phalera, reused as a scabbard applique. Phalerae with the same type of decoration were discovered in the warrior tombs from the north-western part of the Carpathian Basin, in Komárno, Bratislava, Smolenice (Slovakia) and Mikulčice (Czech Republic). Some researchers believe that on this type of phalerae is represented the head of a dog or a lion. In my opinion, it is the representation of a stylized human head that has animal features: heavy raised eyebrows, resembling the ears of a dog or of a wolf, a canopy that resembles a lion's mane, perhaps embodying a mythological character (whose representation could require livestock attributes). Its identity had not been yet deciphered. The prototype of the decorative pattern of these artifacts must be sought in the Asian world, within the repertoire of Iranian art of the Sassanid and post-Sassanid era.During the Avar era, images of men were mostly represented on amulets, pendants and belt pieces, ornamental placards on horse saddles or bells decorating the harness. Al these played an apotropaic role.The bronze harness phalerae with human or animal representations were produced by Avar craftsmen in the Carpathian Basin during the 8th century AD; their spreading range covered mostly the north of the Khaganate. Since the closest analogies are to be found in northwestern Carpathian Basin, not just for the anthropomorphic figure from Timisoara-Podul Modoş, but also for other items found in the necropolis, there may have been close links between these border regions of the Avar Khaganate. I do believe that the phalera applique arrived in the Banat region via a carrier, a warrior and not as a result of activity itinerant craftsman.Associating certain attire sets and jewelry (perforated belt straps, decorated with vegetal motifs: stylized lilies) with weapons and harness parts (phalerae, bells), may reveal a warrior's emblematic style, of the one that had the mission to oversee and defend the borders of the Avar Khaganate. Unlike for the previous centuries, in the Late Avar era, graves of horsemen or armed men tombs are to be found only in borderlands.In light of the above, in my opinion that given the funerary discoveries from Timișoara-Podul Modoş, one can prove the existence of a defensive line of the eastern the Avar Khaganate border in Banat. Here, warrior tombs were discovered only west of the two earth waves crossing the region from north to south, built in the late Roman era, and constituting a border between the 6th and 8th c AD. A concentration of military objectives was also identified in the southern flank of the Khaganate, relevant in this respect being the cemeteries with graves of armed horsemen discovered in the Belgrade region. So, the graves of Timișoara-Podul Modoş, containing weapons and horse bones, prove the presence of a military elite watching and defending the south-eastern flank of the Avar Khaganate border.

Military Art in Avar Khaganate

The Avars, who moved to Eastern Europe in VI-VIII centuries not only altered the ethnic composition of the local population, but also made a change in their social life, customs, and military tactics.The purpose of the article – to research the influence of military tactics of Avar Khaganate who ruled in the wilds of Eastern Europe in the early Middle Ages to the art of war of the Europeans.Theory and research methods are based on the prominent theoretical works of major Kazakhstan and foreign researchers. It was used historical-comparative analysis and methods of system analysis.The practical significance of the study is the importance of its educational process. The practical significance of the study is the importance of its educational process. Problems of military art of Avar Khaganate as part of the Turkic world is important in teaching such courses as the course “History of the Middle Ages in Western and Eastern Europe”, “History of Kazakhstan in the Middle Ages”, etc.