Avar Period Research Articles

Edelmetallgegenstände als Quellen zu sozialen Prozessen der Spätawarenzeit (8.–9. Jahrhundert n. Chr.)

Abstract The present paper analyses the precious metal artefacts, scarcely known in the huge archaeological material of the “late Avar period” (eighth to early ninth centuries AD). Unlike in the previous era the majority of the gold and silver objects of the late Avar period are stray finds; in particular high-quality goldsmith's artefacts are absent in the grave assemblages of the eighth century. The significance of precious metal objects in grave assemblages reached its low ebb around the middle of the late Avar period; afterwards not only new object types appeared but a new grave-horizon emerged comprising precious metal objects. This paper, based on the quality and morphology of the objects, their archaeological contexts as well as their spatial distribution, draws a conclusion concerning the social and cultural changes in the early medieval Carpathian Basin.

“Armour fragment” from the Szentes-Lapistó early Avar period burial – Data for saddle types of the Early Avar Age Transtisza region

In the 6th–7th century, elites of Eastern Europe and the Carpathian Basin used similar objects to represent their power – mainly the swords with P-shaped suspension loops and horse harnesses. Of the latter, this paper concerns saddles, to the pommel of which a rectangular piece of chainmail was installed, often further ornamented with bronze and silver fittings. The artefact from Szentes-Lapistó, originally described by Dezső Csallány as a “neck-covering net” can be identified as one of these ornaments.

A 6th–7th century solitary burial of a warrior with his horse at Tiszagyenda

AbstractThe site of Tiszagyenda-Búszerző dűlő became known during the archaeological and field surveys prior to the construction of the Tiszaroff Dam. The site covered the northern part of a large contiguous Migration Period settlement, the southern extents of which were discovered within the same project.The settlement occupying both banks of the Tisza River's backwater had been inhabited for centuries. The first settlers in the Bronze Age (leaving behind three burials) were followed by the Sarmatians (seven burials), Gepids (nineteen burials), Avars (seven burials) and finally tribes of Hungarian conquerors (81 burials). Besides of the linear graveyards of common people, solitary, richly-furnished graves of the Gepid and the Avar Periods were also found.The solitary grave of an armed man was unearthed on the west bank of the Tisza's backwater. His horse and his dog, cut in half and thrown over the horse, were buried a couple steps away in a separate grave. Grave No. 1660 is of especially outstanding archaeological value. Dated by the solidus of Byzantian Emperor Maurikios Tiberius (582–602), the grave held rich finds decorated with Early Christian symbols. The mounts of the swordbelt and his belt-set refer to Lombard and Merovingian connections. The Gepid-Germanic warrior of Gyenda was buried in the early Avar period after the collapse of the Gepid Kingdom in 567–568, in the first decade of the 7th century.

A (Needle) Case in Point: Transformations in the Carpathian Basin During the Early Middle Ages (Late Avar Period, 8th–9th century ad) – CORRIGENDUM

A (Needle) Case in Point: Transformations in the Carpathian Basin During the Early Middle Ages (Late Avar Period, 8th–9th century ad) – CORRIGENDUM

A (Needle) Case in Point: Transformations in the Carpathian Basin During the Early Middle Ages (Late Avar Period, 8th–9thcenturyad)

In the late Avar period (eighth to ninth centuryad), vast quantities of utilitarian artefacts were produced in series in the Carpathian Basin, a phenomenon not seen since the end of the Roman period. The distribution of these articles reflects not only the region's settlement pattern, but also how these artefacts were disseminated. The communication network in the Carpathian Basin underwent a significant transformation between the early and late Avar period: its major nodes, equated with population centres but not necessarily with elite centres, contributed to moulding a social and cultural milieu that included specialized craftsmen. An early single hub in southern Transdanubia was replaced by multiple centres by the late Avar period. Aroundad700, a bipolar settlement pattern emerges in the southern part of the Carpathian Basin. It seems that the Great Hungarian Plain began to play an equal, if not dominant, role in the communication network of the Carpathian Basin at this time.

The graves of Pecica-Rovine/Căprăvanul Mic, and distribution networks of amber and personal adornments in the 6th and 7th centuries

Two graves, with altogether four skeletons, discovered near Pecica and buried in W–E orientation, offer us the possibility of a more nuanced analysis of the cultural realities of the groups of people living in the Trans-Tisza region in the 6th and 7th centuries. However, the amber and earring finds allow us to contemplate communication networks in the early Avar Age and their significant transformation by the late Avar period. Placing these transformations in the first half of the 7th century, they explain the appearance of some rare goods, like ambers, in the region of Pecica.

Tismice jako produkční a nadregionální centrum Čech 8. a 9. století Tismice as a Production and Supra-Regional Centre of Bohemia in the 8th and 9th Centuries

The central Bohemian hillfort-type site in Tismice is one of the largest (20–22 ha) in Bohemia from the Early to Middle Hillfort period (8th–9th century) and has been studied for years using non-destructive methods. The study, which presents the results of the complete geophysical survey of the site as well as the results of small-scale trenching from 2013, is focussed on an analysis of non-ferrous metal ornaments (c. 170 pcs., mostly belt and horse harness decorations) and analyses of evidence of craft production – jewellerymaking, metalsmithing and metal casting (ingots, blanks). It presents the earliest evidence of work with gold in early medieval Bohemia (2018 excavation) as well as natural science radiocarbon and magnetic absolute dates, which supplement dating on the basis of Carolingian coin and imports. The internally divided hillfort was an elite residence (gilded ornaments, spurs, coin) and for a short time served as a supra-regional centre that not only received and redistributed but also produced items of statutory importance (belt and horse harness ornaments, pendants, spurs). Radiocarbon dating places the multiphase early medieval settlement and fortifications in the period from the final third of the 8th century until the end of the 9th century. A detailed evaluation of the stratigraphy will be another step towards a comprehensive interpretation of this site. Key Words: Early Middle Ages, hillfort, Avar period metal ornaments, spurs, long-distance contacts, goldsmithing, metalsmithing tools, Carolingian coin, central Bohemia

Neue Alte Kupfermünzen Des Kaisers Justinian I. Aus Dem Karpatenbecken

Although various works had dealt with the Avar Period Byzantine coin circulation of the Carpathian Basin for the research the Age of Justinian I remained uninvestigated. The paper deals with the copper coins of Justinian I found in the Carpathian Basin. In the archive and literature six new coins are published. The analysis of the coin circulation is based on a catalogue where copper coins are collected from literature and museums.

House of the dead-exceptional burials of the Avar period (seventh century AD) in Podersdorf am See (Burgenland/A)

A unique archaeological finding of five individuals buried in an early medieval pit house was discovered in Podersdorf am See (Austria). Three of those individuals were buried in narrow grave pits that had been deepened into the house floor; two of them were lying on the pit floor in a crouched position. Pit houses with six-post construction are known since Roman times and were particularly widespread during the Migration Period. On the basis of radiocarbon analyses of charcoal from the hearth, the use phase of the pit house of Podersdorf am See can be dated to the sixth century AD. The burials took place around the same time in the second half of the seventh century AD, when the house lost its original function. Around that time, regular burials took place in the cemetery in the immediate vicinity of the house. The anthropological examination of the five skeletons showed no significant differences in comparison to the ones that were buried in the cemetery. By means of aDNA analyses, it could be established that at least two of the individuals were closely related to each other.

Báthory András római bíborosi címtemploma, a pannóniai szláv misszió és Szent Adorján kultuszának összefüggései

In the year 2019 were celebrated the thousand years of the foundation of the Zalavár Benedictine Monastery under the Patrocinium of Saint Hadrian the Martyr on the western shore of the Lake Balaton in Hungary, and this is an occasion to contemplate the significance of this place and of this heritage. Though the Abbey is not existent after 1950, its beginnings are more important in the Carolingian Empire, after the Avar Period, as the Salzburg Benedictine missionaries christianized the territory and as the Slavic Prince Pribina came under Carolingian rule. It was this time to found the first church of Saint Hadrian, a Martyr in Nicomedia in the times of Diocletian’s persecution and which relics were translated to Rome in the 5th or 6th Century. The cult became important in this Church, which building was identical with the Roman Curia, i. e. the Senate, and the consecration of this church on September 8th became the feast of the Saint in the Occident. This became a titular church and was the titular church of the Transylvanian Cardinal András Báthory, in the 16th century. Turning to Pribina, he gathered Saints Cyril and Methodius and their pupils in this church and against the opposition of the Archbishops of Salzburg, gained Pontifical permission of Pope Hadrian II to celebrate Christian liturgy in Slavic language in his Province and the nomination of Methodius to Metropolite of Pannonia. This early beginnings were important for the Hungarian christianization and explain why Saint Stephen the first King of Hungary received so easily the Roman blessings, i. e. the Holy Crown and the erection of the Metropoly of Esztergom in his kingdom. In medieval Hungary the name of the kingdom was alternating “Hungary” and “Pannonia”, in Christian inter- pretation “Pannonia Sacra”. This aspect could help to concile Slavic (e. g. Slovakian) and Hungarian interpretation of their common history. This history is living today in the use of the word “Church”, which originates of the Latin word “Castellum” (etymon of the city name “Keszthely” at the Lake Balaton), which is in the Western Slavic languages: “Kosciól” (Polish), “Kostel” (Czech and Slovak). In Polish means both as building and as gathering of people, in Czech and Slovak only as building. In Hungarian the use of the Latin word “templum” is rooted, as building. Common heritage of the ancient Roman word “Castellum”.

Environmental historical analysis of the Sarmatian and Gepids settlement of Rákóczifalva

AbstractWe present the results of the environmental historical and geoarchaeological analysis of Rákóczifalva-Bagi- földek and Rákóczifalva-Rokkant-földek archeological sites in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County.1 They were discovered in the course of several hectares of archaeological excavations related to the Roman Age and Migration Period, especially the Sarmatian and the Gepids era. A significant number of Gepids sites and finds2 were found in both the investigated areas and the wider area of the site, in the middle reach of the Tisza valley. So the geoarchaeological and environmental historical analysis of the Sarmatian and Late-Sarmatian and Gepids sites in Rákóczifalva can also provide a model for the settling strategy and lifestyle of the Sarmatian and Gepids communities.3 The purpose of our work is to present how geoarchaeological and environmental historical factors impacted local settling and lifestyles in the Gepids communities and Sarmatian-Late Sarmatian communities as well4 during the Roman Age and the Migration Period. In addition, to demonstrate the relationship of the Sarmatian and Gepids communities and their environment in the Rákóczifalva site compared to other Gepids5 and Sarmatian and Late Sarmatian communities in the Great Hungarian Plain.6Based on the number of objects containing animal bones and the amount of bones found in them, we can reconstruct considerable settling in the Celtic, Sarmatian, Gepids, Avar and Arpadian periods. The number of objects from the Linear Pottery culture (Great Hungarian Plain) and the Bodrogkeresztúr culture is high; however, the number of animal bones is low. On the basis of the bones discovered, we can count on a smaller settlement during the Tiszapolgár culture, the Hunyadihalom group, the Halomíros culture, the Gava culture and during the Scythians period.In this paper, we present the results of the Sarmatian, Late Sarmatian and the Gepid findings since the largest number of animal bones (except the Avar period) turned up from these periods. Our aim was to compare the animal husbandry, meat consumption and hunting habits of the Oriental origin Sarmatians and the Germanic Gepids communities. Bone artefacts and bone anvils have been found in the archaeological material of both ethnic groups.

The Comparative Study of Tool Marks on Non-Ferrous Metalwork from Archaeological Contexts: Methodological Considerations, Case Studies and Experimental Archaeology

The aim of this paper is to discuss methodological issues of comparative tool mark studies (with special attention to decorative punched motifs), using a case study on sheet-gold metalwork from the Middle and Late Avar Period (7th–8th centuries AD). The historical interpretation of tool marks on nonferrous metalwork1 can take place at different levels of complexity. In some cases, the identification of products from the same craftsperson is possible, via the identification of specific tools. However, when interpreting the results of comparative tool mark studies, many aspects are relevant, including individual variations in tool usage. In this context, experimental archaeology can facilitate the interpretation of tool marks, as is demonstrated in a preliminary study on two types of punches, which are common on high-quality metalwork from the Avar Period.

Genetic insights into the social organisation of the Avar period elite in the 7th century AD Carpathian Basin

After 568 AD the Avars settled in the Carpathian Basin and founded the Avar Qaganate that was an important power in Central Europe until the 9th century. Part of the Avar society was probably of Asian origin; however, the localisation of their homeland is hampered by the scarcity of historical and archaeological data. Here, we study mitogenome and Y chromosomal variability of twenty-six individuals, a number of them representing a well-characterised elite group buried at the centre of the Carpathian Basin more than a century after the Avar conquest. The studied group has maternal and paternal genetic affinities to several ancient and modern East-Central Asian populations. The majority of the mitochondrial DNA variability represents Asian haplogroups (C, D, F, M, R, Y and Z). The Y-STR variability of the analysed elite males belongs only to five lineages, three N-Tat with mostly Asian parallels and two Q haplotypes. The homogeneity of the Y chromosomes reveals paternal kinship as a cohesive force in the organisation of the Avar elite strata on both social and territorial level. Our results indicate that the Avar elite arrived in the Carpathian Basin as a group of families, and remained mostly endogamous for several generations after the conquest.

The problem of “structural integration”. A case study of the 9th‒10th century burials (Graves 49 and 50) at Hortobágy – Árkus

Scopul studiului este acela de a dezbate aspectele teoretice ale problemei discontinuității și continuității între două epoci, care în literatura de specialitate sunt cunoscute sub denumirile de epoca avară târzie și epoca cuceririi maghiare. În acest scop, în lucrarea de față se dorește aplicarea unui model sociologic pentru a înlesni înțelegerea apariției noii structuri de putere la sfârșitul secolului al IX-lea. Mormintele fac parte dintr-un sit funerar care leagă perioada avară târzie și perioada de cucerire maghiară și este un exemplu unic de acest fel în Bazinul Carpatic. Observațiile arheologice, pe baza analogiilor culturii materiale, susțin datarea celor două morminte la sfârșitul secolului al IX-lea și începutul secolului al X-lea, acestea din urmă reprezentând probabil faza formativă a structurii puterii maghiare din Bazinul Carpatic. Orientarea, înmormântarea cailor, caracteristicile gropilor de mormânt și pozițiile topografice ale acestora indică faptul că ambele morminte aparțineau spațiului funerar al epocii avare târzii, dar pe de altă parte, anumite elemente ale culturii materiale reflectă un context cultural diferit, care poate fi asociat cu perioada de cucerire maghiară (secolul al X-lea). Pe baza analizei culturii materiale și a practicilor de înmormântare, presupunem că, prin relațiile interpersonale, indivizii din mormintele studiate deveniseră parte din structuri socio-politice apărute în urma migrației maghiare în Bazinul Carpatic, la sfârșitul secolului al IX-lea. Este important de subliniat faptul că populațiile organizate pe sistem de clanuri și-au putut păstra obiceiurile și, de aceea, în loc de „ aculturație”, termen adesea folosit în literatura de specialitate, folosim mai degrabă termenul de „ integrare structurală” – după cum sugerează și acest caz particular. „ Integrarea structurală” este, de asemenea, un fenomen de „ suprapunere”, în urma căruia structurile entității cuceritoare le integrează pe cele ale comunității cucerite (sau ale membrilor săi) într-un mod vertical (de sus în jos). Acest lucru nu influențează imaginea de sine sau structura internă a grupului, ci schimbă doar statutul extern prin schimbarea relației sale cu grupul dominant. Credem că acest model poate fi utilizat și în cazul interpretării mormintelor 49 și 50 de la Hortobágy. Se pare că doar anumite elemente ale înmormântării – în primul rând cele cu o pronunțată semnificație simbolică, care indică starea socială a indivizilor și poziționează indivizii îngropați în cadrul mediului lor social ( ?) – s-au schimbat (și anume, înmormântarea cailor, cultura materială care indică statutul social, metoda de acoperire a morților și plasarea lor în mormânt), în timp ce alte elemente care nu au jucat niciun rol din acest punct de vedere au rămas neschimbate (orientarea N– S a celor decedați și caracteristicile uzuale ale gropilor).

Avar kori ásólapátok és ásóvasalások az avar kori szállásterületről

More than three hundred agricultural tools (mostly sickles) dated to the Avar period (567-822) were found dur-ing the excavations of the last 120 years, but only a few spades discovered in the territory were ruled by the Avars. The spades were not just agricultural tools, they were also used to built different kinds of earthworks, such as graves, or construction of dwelling houses and fortifications. The new finds point out that, in the latter times ( for example in the Arpadian Age) popular wooden spades with iron edges were used besides the uniqe designed spades made fully from iron. These well-dated „spade irons” are the newer evidences of the tool-continuity between the Avar and Arpadian Period farming implements.

Saxes discovered in the Avar graves from Transylvania and the Romanian Banat

The objects were discovered one in the cemetery at Șpălnaca – Șugud (Transylvania) and the other at Timișoara – Modoș Bridge (Romanian Banat) (Map 1). Both artefacts have been identified in the professional papers as daggers, when, in fact, they are saxes. Both saxes have been found inside graves of Avar men. The grave from Șpălnaca – Șugud which contained the sax is dated from the end of the Middle Avar period (680–710/720), whereas the other from Timișoara – Modoș Bridge is dated from the second part of the Late Avar period (760–810/830). The two saxes can be recognized as the first (I) Csiky, defined for the finds discovered in the Avar cemeteries from the Carpathian basin. The occurrence of the two saxes in the Avar graves from the Transylvanian plateau and the Romanian Banat widens the geographic area where the saxes are known to have been used by the Avars, including the eastern Carpathian basin. However, they are only a few compared to the total number of Avar graves from Western Romania, thus indicating that the sax wasn’t a weapon employed on a large scale by the Avar warriors that entered this area. The saxes from Șpălnaca – Șugud and Timișoara – Modoș Bridge were probably used as weapons. At the same time, it is possible that they were only ceremonial weapons.

The anthropological assessment of the Late Roman cemetery at somogyszil-Dögkúti dűlő

Abstract The results of a general anthropological examination of 140 individuals from a late Roman period cemetery at Somogyszil-Dögkút site are presented in this paper. The population had a more or less balanced sex ratio, lived a fundamentally peaceful life suggested by the low frequencey of bone injuries, and according to their morphoscopic traits, they all belonged to the Caucasoid group. Based on the biological distances calculated from selected linear measurements of male crania, the population of Somogyszil-Dögkút proved to be quite similar to several other late Roman period cemeteries in Transdanubia, as well as to some local Avar period series. This raises the possibility of a significant local continuity between the late Roman and late Avar period on this territory, however other potential explanations cannot be ruled out. Some anthropological characteristics of the human skeletal material unearthed from graves oriented differently than the cemetery's norm suggest the presence of immigrants in the community. Their biological background cannot be traced from the present data, however a few skeletal evidence proposes the probability of a Sarmatian origin.

The ‘Late Avar reform’ and the ‘long eighth century’: A tale of the hesitation between structural transformation and the persistent nomadic traditions (7th to 9th century AD)

AbstractResearch on late antique and early medieval economic and social processes during the past three decades called for, and enabled, a fresh look at the history of the ‘Late Avar period’ of the Carpathian Basin, corresponding exactly to the ‘long eighth century’ of the Mediterranean and European world. This paper offers a rather sketchy new model, alongside raising questions and framing a research programme focusing on social and economic historical processes. Therefore, using the archaeological evidence as a solid foundation, I have proposed a set of research hypotheses as starting points for regional and micro-regional studies.

Die awarisch-italischen Beziehungen aus goldschmiedetechnischer Sicht: Ein Vorbericht

Abstract The technological choices made in the production process of a particular object can provide valuable clues regarding the identity and background of the goldsmith who made it. For example, true repoussé ("Treibziseliertechnik") was an uncommon technique throughout the entire Avar Period, although it occurs on a number of high-quality items of metalwork, which may be associated - for typological, stylistic and/or technological reasons - with "Byzantine" culture. Although the importance of connections between "Byzantine" and "Avar" culture is already well known, the mechanisms of cultural and technological transfer, as well as the regions where such transfer took place, are not yet clear. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate, with the help of two case studies, how a combination of technological criteria with an innovative, detailed typology of plant ornament may contribute to resolving these questions. The results of this preliminary study suggest that "Italo-Byzantine" workshop traditions may have played an important role in this context.

A Kelet-Dunántúl avar kori népességváltozásainak történeti embertani vizsgálata

During the Early Avar period, the Eastern-Transdanubian part of the Carpathian Basin was characterized by cultural heterogeneity. Beside the late antique and Germanic cultural elements the byzantine goods as well as the steppe traditions were included in the archaeological material of this period. The multicultural milieu completely disappeared by the beginning of the Late Avar Period that was defined by a much more standardized culture. In the light of the cultural changes, could we assume that the bearers of the antique and Germanic culture of the Early Avar period are the descendants of the former Romance and Lombard groups? If so, what happened to this populations during the Avar Period, how did they interact with the steppe-originated Avars? Was the Late Avar acculturation caused by new immigrants or is it solely a cultural integration?
 Based on the results of my dissertation, the continuity of the late antique and Germanic groups to the Early Avar period has been proved. The cultural influences and relations of these local populations contributed to the emergence of the Early Avar material culture of Eastern-Transdanubia. The Early Avar period males of other regions had little biological impact on the Eastern-Transdanubian population, however females migrated here to a greater extent. The sex-specific migration rate resulted that the anthropological traits of the local males persisted even through the Late Avar period, while the continuity of the females localised to Baranya-county.
 During the Late Avar period new populations had arrived to Eastern-Transdanubia and occupied mostly the present territories of Tolna- and Fejér-counties. As far as Baranya-county is concerned, the Late Avar period population was formed on the basis of Romance, Germanic and Early Avar period population. The new inhabitants of Eastern-Transdanubia had biological relations with populations living in the Danube-Tisza Interfluve and along the Tisza. Since these regions cover a relatively large geographic area, further systematic comparative studies are necessary to decipher the origin of these populations. Considering that there were similarities between the locally formed Late Avar period populations of Eastern-Transdanubia and the new immigrants, their biological integration could happen rapidly. From a demographic point of view, it is not possible to establish a causal relationship between the new population and the onset of the Late Avar period. Therefore, the cultural transition could have rather been the result of a cultural integration process.