Late Migration Period Research Articles

Helmet of the migration period from the Yuvanayag mound cemetery

The article introduces first results of the research on an iron helmet found in 2022 at the Yuvanayag mound cemetery in the Vychegda River region, the Komi Republic. The mound cemetery belongs to the circle of the Veslyansky I type cemetery, which was left by migrants with a developed military culture. Its distinctive feature was the tradition of building mounds over graves. Those burial mounds are a reflection of the late Migration Period in the European North-East (5th–7th centuries AD). The found helmet of the Bandhelm type (after Ch. Miks’s classification) is a unique specimen for the region, which also had no analogues in the adjacent territories. Based on mineralogical and geochemical studies, the helmet is made of iron with micro-inclusions of native aluminum and lignite carbon matter. The helmet overlays are made of brass with inclusions of lead-copper-zinc alloys and copper. Its elongated shape and decoration with hemispherical brass overlays are close to the helmets of Sasanian Iran. Geographically, the closest analogy to the Yuvanayag find is the Bandhelm from the predatory excavations near the village of Tsaritsyno in Ryazan Region. Preliminary dating of the artefact from the Yuvanayag burial mound is the late 4th – 5th century AD.

Mirusiųjų deginimo papročio plitimas rytų Lietuvoje: naujas chronologinis modelis, paremtas radiokarboninio datavimo duomenimis

The article discusses the model of the spread of cremation in the East Lithuanian barrow culture based on the data of radiocarbon dating. It proposes a review of the model established in literature that a wave of cremation spread from the south of the region to the north between the late 4th century AD and of the early 6th century AD. The stage of the earliest cremations can be dated to 248–335 cal AD, and the stage of the latest inhumations to 420–556 cal AD. This suggests that both inhumation and cremation were practised in Eastern Lithuania for about two centuries from the Late Roman period to the Late Migration period. The hypothesis that the practice of cremation spread from south to north is being corrected rather than refuted. While this process was quite sudden, it was due to the spread of a new tradition alongside the old rather than a wave of change regarding burial rites. Cremation spread early (c. 250–400 cal AD) in the northern part of the region and was an established practice alongside inhumation. The practice of cremation probably became prevalent earlier in Southeastern Lithuania. These processes are synchronous with the emergence of the horizon of the burials of chieftains and warriors in Eastern Lithuania, but the determination of an earlier date for this horizon provides grounds for new discussions about its historical, cultural, and social background.

The Late Migration Period Cemetery at Drnholec (Břeclav District, Czech Republic) / Pohřebiště z konce doby stěhování národů z Drnholce (okres Břeclav, ČR)

The authors present part of a burial ground of the Late Migration Period in Drnholec - Pod sýpkou (Břeclav district, Czech Republic), where seven graves were discovered in 2016 and 2017. The grave goods were identified, by typological analysis, as Langobardian/Lombardian. The authors argue that even a small part of a cemetery with a limited number of graves can bring important new data and open strategic questions, challenging traditional interpretations. The paper aims to present the results of excavation in the light of archaeological, anthropological and zooarchaeological perspectives. Archaeological part is focused on presenting the grave units and the cemetery as a contextual unit. Stylistic and typological analysis of grave goods, radiocarbon dates and probability modeling were used to establish the chronology of the cemetery. Anthropological and palaeopathological examinations were accompanied with buccal dental microwear analysis and tooth cementum annulation (TCA) which provide information about diet and age-at-death estimation. Zooarchaeological analysis was mainly driven by the find of a mule skeleton. In addition to skeletal expertise, Nitrogen and Carbon stable isotopes analyses were also applied. The authors set out their thoughts, based on material and bibliographical study, on the problem of classifying and understanding the cultural and ethnic identity of the Migration Period populations.

Historia, stan i potrzeby badań nad uzbrojeniem z ziem polskich okresów rzymskiego i wędrówek ludów. Spojrzenie subiektywne (pomimo dobrych chęci)

Historia, stan i potrzeby badań nad uzbrojeniem z ziem polskich okresów rzymskiego i wędrówek ludów. Spojrzenie subiektywne (pomimo dobrych chęci)

Spenner i en overgangstid. Sene småspenner i den turbulente overgangen mellom eldre og yngre jernalder

To understand the transition between the Early and the Late Scandinavian Iron Age, and the turbulent time around the year 536, we are dependent on our ability to recognize the changes in the artefacts. A chronology with well-defined criteria concerning the latest phase of the Migration Period as well as the beginning of the Merovingian Period is, therefore, required. The small square-headed brooches with spade-shaped feet is one of the types replacing cruciform brooches in the late Migration Period. Our paper discusses their typology and chronology in relation to other late types of brooches and pots as well as early Merovingian types of jewellery, aiming at a more easily accessible synthesis of a complex chronological discussion. Finally, we comment on the definition and relationship of the chronological phases on both sides of the period transition, touching upon the implications for the social changes and the bearers of the brooches.

Uwagi na temat obrządku pogrzebowego grupy olsztyńskiej na przykładzie cmentarzyska w Kosewie, pow. mrągowski (dawn. Kossewen, Kreis Sensburg)

The cemetery in Kosewo (former Kossewen, Kr. Sensburg; from 1938, Rechenberg) is one of the largest known necropolises dated to the Roman and Migration Periods found in the Mazurian Lakeland. The site was accidentally discovered during the construction works of the road linking Mrągowo with Mikolajki in 1887. Even though a large numer of features was discovered at the cemetery in Kosewo, only single finds or assemblages from that site have been published. At the cemetery in Kosewo there were pit and urn burials. The pit burials contained, besides the remains of the deceased, also the remains of the pyre. The predominant burial type were urn graves. Among the 728 recorded burials the majority were urn graves, amounting to 611. It seems justifiable to assume that in the Olsztyn group the urn graves were generally predominant, with some local departures from the custom. We may also say that the graves from the late Migration Period were deposited closer to the Surface than the ones from the Roman Period. This phenomenon has been also recorded at the other cemeteries of the Olsztyn Group. In the eastern part of the area settled by the Olsztyn Group, in which the Kosewo cemeteries are located, the burial grounds were usually made in the same places as the necropolises of the Bogaczewo culture. Large cemeteries used only in the Late Migration Period are exceptional. Graves from Phase E usually did not disturb the earlier burials, but at the cemetery in Kosewo this happened quite often. Basing on the research conducted so far it is possible to state that the graves from the Olsztyn Group were usually located in separate clusters located away from the graves from the Roman Period or only slightly overlapping with them. In the urn graves of the Olsztyn Group the urns are sometimes covered with overturned bowl- or plate-shaped vessels, or beakers with hollow stems. No stone linings, pavements, or cist graves have been registered. Also no horse graves, which can be found in Mazuria of the Roman and Migration Periods, have been discovered at the cemetery in Kosewo. The cemetery yielded some finds of weapons in the assemblages dated to Phase E. The decline of the Olsztyn Group is connected with the disappearance of archaeologically recordable burial rites. The change of the form of the burial rite probably did not concern cremation, which is recorded for the Prussian tribes from the Early Middle Ages. The change of the burial rites probably consisted in the introduction of a different form of deposition of the burials. Also at the cemetery in Kosewo no materials later than the 7th century have been recorded. The necropolis may have been abandoned or the way of depositing the burials was changed. The question about the final stages of use of the Olsztyn Group cemeteries may be answered by further investigations.

Metallographic examination and reconstruction of the 6th century lombardic sword from Kyjov

ABSTRACTA Lombardic cemetery dating to the late Migration Period was excavated at Kyjov (Czech Republic) in 2010, and inter alia a warrior’s grave no.881, which had never been looted, was uncovered there. The burial included a sword, which was subjected to a detailed conservation survey and then to metallographic examination. Further technological information was obtained by the production of a replica of the sword. The weapon can be characterized as a pattern-welded sword, with cutting edges and an inner core of steel. Construction and heat treatment of the sword are discussed in a broader context of 5th–7th century swords and sword-making. Experimental reconstruction of the sword shows that historical pattern-welded composites reveal a clear pattern after being exposed to controlled corrosion in vinegar vapor.

Between Sutton Hoo and Oseberg – dendrochronology and the origins of the ship burial tradition

ABSTRACTNew dendrochronological dates from Western Norway prompt an old question to be posed in a new way. They show that two ship burials on the island of Karmoy date from AD 780 and 790, that is, the very beginning of the Viking Age, and are therefore the very earliest known ship graves – with one exception: Sutton Hoo. So where did the ship burial tradition originate?Sutton Hoo’s early seventh century ship burials, in large, ocean-going vessels, are often compared with the boat graves of Vendel, Valsgarde and other sites in the Lake Malar region of Sweden, while Oseberg and the other ship burials in the Oslofjord area have traditionally been interpreted as the precursors of, and models for, the Karmoy ship graves. In this paper, we aim to demonstrate that the use of ships and boats in burials was common practise around the North Sea and in the Western Baltic during the Late Migration period and was introduced to Eastern England with the same ‘wave’ of cultural influences that took new forms of brooches...

Hidden dates. Dendrochronological research on medieval churches in Transylvania

Dendrochronology is a dating method which uses tree ring data of living trees and tree ring series measured on historical and archaeological wood. In optimal circumstances dendrochronology can produce absolute dating with a half-year accuracy. Due to research carried out by our team, initiated in 2003, we can use now two master chronologies to date oak and fi r structures in Transylvania for the period between the 13th and 19th centuries, a couple of absolutely dated series for the 12th to 14th centuries, and also some fl oating series for the late migration period (7th ‒ 8th centuries) and Roman period. Th e article presents a few case studies of dendrochronological research on medieval churches from this region (Darjiu, Targu Mureş, Cetatea de Baltă, Bistriţa, Sibiu). During these campaigns of fi eldwork and following analyses we successfully dated more medieval roofs and later renovation phases. So far the earliest dated roof is the structure above the Evangelic church in Sibiu, where the timber material comes from trees felled at the middle of the 14th century. Th e method is also used to date art objects (altar panels) and wood installations (painted ceilings, furniture). To extend the validity of the present chronologies, both in time and space (in Moldova and the Romanian Plain), stronger archaeological involvement will be needed.

Trade, Salt and Amber. The Formation of Late Migration Period Elites in the ‘Balti-Culti’ Area of Northern Poland (the Elbląg Group)

This paper presents the Elbląg group at its peak, that is, the late sixth and early seventh centuries. Imports are presented, namely Scandinavian (but also Merovingian) denominators of opulence (drinking horns, particular imported goods, seaxes in ornamental scabbards, and so on), and also the possible grounds on which local settlers thrived (the amber trade, maybe also the salt trade). The geostrategic position of the Elbląg group is analysed, as well as sea trade routes and boats used on the Baltic Sea during the Late Migration Period. Contacts between southern Scandinavia and the Elbląg group are described against the wider cultural and political background.

Vegetation history reconstructed from anthracology and pollen analysis at the rescue excavation of the MO Motorway, Hungary

AbstractThe significance of geoarchaeological investigations is indisputable in reconstructing the former environment and in studying the relationship between humans and their surroundings. Several disciplines have developed during the last few decades to give insight into earlier time periods and their climatic conditions (e.g. palynology, malacology, archaeobotany, phytology and animal osteology). Charcoal and pollen analytical studies from the rescue excavation of the MO motorway provide information about the vegetation changes of the past. These methods are used to reconstruct the environment of the former settlements and to detect the human impact and natural climatic changes. The sites examined span the periods of the Late-Copper Age, Late-Bronze Age, Middle-Iron Age, Late-Iron Age, Sarmatian period, Late Sarmatian period, Migration period, Late-Migration period and Middle Ages. The vegetation before the Copper Age is based only on pollen analytical data. Anthracological results show the overall dominance of Quercus and a great number of Ulmus, Fraxinus, Acer, Fagus, Alnus and Populus/Salix tree fossils, as well as the residues of fruit trees present in the charred wood assemblage.